Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi | |
|---|---|
County | |
 Jefferson Davis County Courthouse in Prentiss | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofMississippi | |
| Coordinates:31°34′N89°49′W / 31.56°N 89.82°W /31.56; -89.82 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Mississippi |
| Founded | 1906 |
| Named after | Jefferson Davis |
| Seat | Prentiss |
| Largest town | Prentiss |
| Area | |
• Total | 409 sq mi (1,060 km2) |
| • Land | 408 sq mi (1,060 km2) |
| • Water | 0.7 sq mi (1.8 km2) 0.2% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 11,321 |
| • Density | 27.7/sq mi (10.7/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Website | www.jeffersondaviscountyms.com |
Jefferson Davis County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofMississippi. As of the2020 census, the population was 11,321.[1] Itscounty seat isPrentiss.[2] The county is named after MississippiSenator andConfederate PresidentJefferson Davis. The county was carved out ofCovington andLawrence counties in March 1906. GovernorJames K. Vardaman signed the bill creating the county on May 9, 1906.
The genesis of the county occurred on March 31, 1906, when a Mississippi state legislative act authorized the new country's boundaries. The residents of westernCovington County and easternLawrence County had frequently complained of the rivers and streams impeding the route to their respective county seats. Jefferson Davis County was the state's 77th county.
A 1906 special referendum determined that the county seat would be Prentiss, named for either famed Mississippi lawmaker and oratorSeargent Smith Prentiss, or wealthy landownerPrentiss Webb Berry. The settlement was originally named Blountville after early settler William Blount.
In 1933, the county was the first in Mississippi to issue a prohibition on alcohol after the repeal of theEighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.Round dancing in the community hall was banned in 1938.
In 1935, notorious bank robberRaymond Hamilton, known to hide out in the county's wilderness, was involved in a hostage situation after robbing Prentiss' Bank of Blountville, but escaped inMemphis.[3]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 409 square miles (1,060 km2), of which 408 square miles (1,060 km2) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2) (0.2%) is water.[4]
U.S. Route 84
Mississippi Highway 13
Mississippi Highway 35
Mississippi Highway 42
Mississippi Highway 43| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | 12,860 | — | |
| 1920 | 12,755 | −0.8% | |
| 1930 | 14,281 | 12.0% | |
| 1940 | 15,869 | 11.1% | |
| 1950 | 15,500 | −2.3% | |
| 1960 | 13,540 | −12.6% | |
| 1970 | 12,936 | −4.5% | |
| 1980 | 13,846 | 7.0% | |
| 1990 | 14,051 | 1.5% | |
| 2000 | 13,962 | −0.6% | |
| 2010 | 12,487 | −10.6% | |
| 2020 | 11,321 | −9.3% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 11,059 | [5] | −2.3% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8] 1990-2000[9] 2010-2013[10] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 4,330 | 38.25% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 6,622 | 58.49% |
| Native American | 8 | 0.07% |
| Asian | 21 | 0.19% |
| Other/Mixed | 239 | 2.11% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 101 | 0.89% |
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 11,321. The median age was 44.9 years. 20.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.2 males age 18 and over.[12][13]
The racial makeup of the county was 38.5%White, 58.7%Black or African American, 0.1%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Asian, <0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 0.4% from some other race, and 2.2% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 0.9% of the population.[13]
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[14]
There were 4,777 households in the county, of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 36.3% were married-couple households, 21.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 37.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[12]
There were 5,641 housing units, of which 15.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 81.0% were owner-occupied and 19.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.6%.[12]
Typical of a majority-black county in Mississippi, Jefferson Davis leans Democratic and last voted Republican in 1984.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 43 | 6.63% | 542 | 83.51% | 64 | 9.86% |
| 1916 | 45 | 6.59% | 634 | 92.83% | 4 | 0.59% |
| 1920 | 179 | 26.76% | 485 | 72.50% | 5 | 0.75% |
| 1924 | 88 | 10.73% | 732 | 89.27% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1928 | 163 | 16.00% | 856 | 84.00% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 30 | 3.09% | 940 | 96.71% | 2 | 0.21% |
| 1936 | 67 | 4.81% | 1,325 | 95.05% | 2 | 0.14% |
| 1940 | 38 | 2.86% | 1,289 | 96.92% | 3 | 0.23% |
| 1944 | 88 | 6.03% | 1,372 | 93.97% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 51 | 3.30% | 41 | 2.66% | 1,452 | 94.04% |
| 1952 | 473 | 22.53% | 1,626 | 77.47% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 156 | 10.92% | 1,049 | 73.41% | 224 | 15.68% |
| 1960 | 225 | 13.06% | 510 | 29.60% | 988 | 57.34% |
| 1964 | 2,351 | 90.91% | 235 | 9.09% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 297 | 6.79% | 1,465 | 33.48% | 2,614 | 59.73% |
| 1972 | 2,830 | 72.83% | 1,005 | 25.86% | 51 | 1.31% |
| 1976 | 1,868 | 39.76% | 2,747 | 58.47% | 83 | 1.77% |
| 1980 | 2,280 | 36.85% | 3,831 | 61.92% | 76 | 1.23% |
| 1984 | 2,884 | 51.81% | 2,644 | 47.50% | 38 | 0.68% |
| 1988 | 2,745 | 47.92% | 2,948 | 51.47% | 35 | 0.61% |
| 1992 | 2,228 | 39.55% | 2,991 | 53.10% | 414 | 7.35% |
| 1996 | 1,890 | 38.84% | 2,663 | 54.73% | 313 | 6.43% |
| 2000 | 2,437 | 45.83% | 2,835 | 53.32% | 45 | 0.85% |
| 2004 | 2,668 | 46.28% | 2,959 | 51.33% | 138 | 2.39% |
| 2008 | 2,871 | 38.96% | 4,454 | 60.43% | 45 | 0.61% |
| 2012 | 2,507 | 36.52% | 4,267 | 62.16% | 90 | 1.31% |
| 2016 | 2,466 | 39.54% | 3,720 | 59.64% | 51 | 0.82% |
| 2020 | 2,534 | 40.79% | 3,599 | 57.93% | 80 | 1.29% |
| 2024 | 2,302 | 42.80% | 3,041 | 56.55% | 35 | 0.65% |
Jefferson Davis County Courthouse in Prentiss is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.
All residents are zoned to theJefferson Davis County School District.[16]
The county is in the zone ofPearl River Community College.[17]
Media related toJefferson Davis County, Mississippi at Wikimedia CommonsPlaces adjacent to Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofJefferson Davis County, Mississippi,United States | ||
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| Towns |  | |
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This community also has portions in adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
