Lamar County, Mississippi | |
|---|---|
 Lamar County Courthouse in Purvis | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofMississippi | |
 Mississippi's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:31°13′N89°31′W / 31.21°N 89.51°W /31.21; -89.51 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Mississippi |
| Founded | 1904 |
| Named after | Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar |
| Seat | Purvis |
| Largest community | West Hattiesburg |
| Area | |
• Total | 500 sq mi (1,300 km2) |
| • Land | 497 sq mi (1,290 km2) |
| • Water | 3.4 sq mi (8.8 km2) 0.7% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 64,222 |
| • Density | 129/sq mi (49.9/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 4th |
| Website | www |
Lamar County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofMississippi. As of the2020 census, the population was 64,222.[1] Itscounty seat isPurvis.[2] Named forConfederateLucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, the county was carved out ofMarion County to the west in 1904.
Lamar County is part of theHattiesburg metropolitan area. It is largely a rural county, except for its northeast quarter.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 500 square miles (1,300 km2), of which 497 square miles (1,290 km2) is land and 3.4 square miles (8.8 km2) (0.7%) is water.[3]
Interstate 59
U.S. Highway 11
U.S. Highway 98
Mississippi Highway 13
Mississippi Highway 42
Mississippi Highway 44| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | 11,741 | — | |
| 1920 | 12,869 | 9.6% | |
| 1930 | 12,848 | −0.2% | |
| 1940 | 12,096 | −5.9% | |
| 1950 | 13,225 | 9.3% | |
| 1960 | 13,675 | 3.4% | |
| 1970 | 15,209 | 11.2% | |
| 1980 | 23,821 | 56.6% | |
| 1990 | 30,424 | 27.7% | |
| 2000 | 39,070 | 28.4% | |
| 2010 | 55,658 | 42.5% | |
| 2020 | 64,222 | 15.4% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 66,734 | [4] | 3.9% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[5] 1790-1960[6] 1900-1990[7] 1990-2000[8] 2010-2013[9] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 43,865 | 68.3% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 14,296 | 22.26% |
| Native American | 108 | 0.17% |
| Asian | 1,091 | 1.7% |
| Pacific Islander | 50 | 0.08% |
| Other/Mixed | 2,450 | 3.81% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 2,362 | 3.68% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 64,222 people, 22,116 households, and 15,584 families residing in the county.
Lamar County, historically, is one of the most conservative counties in Mississippi. The county has voted for Republican presidential candidates with 60 percent or more of the vote in the past twelve elections.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 16 | 3.17% | 399 | 79.01% | 90 | 17.82% |
| 1916 | 89 | 10.09% | 744 | 84.35% | 49 | 5.56% |
| 1920 | 192 | 21.74% | 672 | 76.10% | 19 | 2.15% |
| 1924 | 80 | 8.78% | 795 | 87.27% | 36 | 3.95% |
| 1928 | 410 | 36.35% | 718 | 63.65% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 31 | 2.90% | 1,033 | 96.63% | 5 | 0.47% |
| 1936 | 91 | 6.97% | 1,210 | 92.65% | 5 | 0.38% |
| 1940 | 55 | 4.57% | 1,148 | 95.43% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 93 | 8.03% | 1,065 | 91.97% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 36 | 2.45% | 91 | 6.19% | 1,342 | 91.35% |
| 1952 | 1,034 | 45.07% | 1,260 | 54.93% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 429 | 24.97% | 805 | 46.86% | 484 | 28.17% |
| 1960 | 636 | 27.26% | 651 | 27.90% | 1,046 | 44.83% |
| 1964 | 3,372 | 90.99% | 334 | 9.01% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 546 | 10.27% | 351 | 6.60% | 4,422 | 83.14% |
| 1972 | 5,022 | 88.38% | 493 | 8.68% | 167 | 2.94% |
| 1976 | 4,056 | 54.71% | 3,109 | 41.93% | 249 | 3.36% |
| 1980 | 5,395 | 63.13% | 3,005 | 35.16% | 146 | 1.71% |
| 1984 | 7,929 | 79.85% | 1,964 | 19.78% | 37 | 0.37% |
| 1988 | 9,145 | 77.86% | 2,535 | 21.58% | 66 | 0.56% |
| 1992 | 8,259 | 63.37% | 3,208 | 24.62% | 1,565 | 12.01% |
| 1996 | 8,609 | 67.39% | 3,169 | 24.81% | 996 | 7.80% |
| 2000 | 12,795 | 77.07% | 3,478 | 20.95% | 329 | 1.98% |
| 2004 | 16,410 | 80.19% | 3,923 | 19.17% | 132 | 0.65% |
| 2008 | 18,497 | 77.36% | 5,159 | 21.58% | 254 | 1.06% |
| 2012 | 19,101 | 76.74% | 5,494 | 22.07% | 294 | 1.18% |
| 2016 | 18,751 | 76.25% | 5,190 | 21.10% | 651 | 2.65% |
| 2020 | 20,704 | 72.57% | 7,340 | 25.73% | 486 | 1.70% |
| 2024 | 20,775 | 73.51% | 7,038 | 24.90% | 449 | 1.59% |
TheMississippi Department of Mental Health operates theSouth Mississippi State Hospital inunincorporated Lamar County, nearPurvis.[12]
School districts include:[13]
Former school districts:[14]
The county is in the service area ofPearl River Community College.[16]
Media related toLamar County, Mississippi at Wikimedia CommonsPlaces adjacent to Lamar County, Mississippi | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofLamar County, Mississippi,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
31°13′N89°31′W / 31.21°N 89.51°W /31.21; -89.51
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