One of three counties shuffled to the top 3 numbers because of population size
Mobile County (/moʊˈbiːl/moh-BEEL) is acounty located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state ofAlabama. It is the third-most populous county in the state afterJefferson andMadison counties. As of the2020 census, its population was 414,809.[2] Itscounty seat isMobile, which was founded as a deepwater port on the Mobile River. The only such port in Alabama, it has long been integral to the economy for providing access to inland waterways as well as theGulf of Mexico.[3]
The city, river, and county were named in honor ofMaubila, a village of theparamount chiefTuskaloosa of the regionalMississippian culture. In 1540 he arranged an ambush of soldiers ofHernando de Soto's expedition in an effort to expel them from the territory. The Spaniards were armed with guns and killed many of thetribe. Mobile County and Washington County, Alabama make up the Mobile Metropolitan Statistical Area with a 2020 population of 430,197. The Mobile, AL MSA and Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL MSA make up the much larger Mobile-Daphne-Fairhope CSA with a 2020 population of 661,964.
The northern border of Mobile County and southern area of neighboring Washington County constitute the homeland of the state-recognized tribe ofMOWA Band of Choctaw Indians, descendants of Choctaw and Creek who stayed in this area during the period ofIndian Removal. They have organized to preserve their culture and language. They were the first of nine tribes to be recognized by the state.
This area was occupied for thousands of years by varying cultures ofindigenous peoples. At the time of Spanish expeditions in the early 16th century, it was part of the territory of theMississippian culture, which constructed major earthwork mounds. It was ruled by the paramount chiefTuskaloosa.
The historicChoctaw emerged somewhat later, and are believed to be descendants of those earlier peoples. They occupied this area along what earlyFrench traders and colonists called the Mobile River. They also founded the settlement ofMobile on the river and bay in the early eighteenth century.
The British took over the territory in 1763 (along with other French territories east of the Mississippi River) after defeating the French in theSeven Years' War. During theAmerican Revolutionary War, it came under Spanish rule as part ofSpanish Florida. Spain ceded the territory to the United States after theWar of 1812.
In the 1830s, the United States forced theremoval of most of the Native American tribes in the area under PresidentAndrew Jackson's policy and anact of Congress to relocate them toIndian Territory west of the Mississippi River. Many of those who remained continued their culture, and took refuge in the swamps in the border area between Mobile and Washington counties. Since the late 20th century, several tribes have reorganized and gained state recognition. Among those is theMOWA Band of Choctaw Indians, which was recognized as a tribe in 1979 by the state. The people have long been based in this area of the former Choctaw homeland, along the northern border of Mobile County and the southern border of Washington County.
After more than a century of European settlement, beginning with French colonists, Mobile County was organized by the state legislature and the proclamation of Governor Holmes of theMississippi Territory on December 18, 1812.[1]When Mississippi was separated and admitted as a state on December 10, 1817, after adopting its constitution on August 15, 1817, Mobile County became part of what was called theAlabama Territory. Two years later, the county became part of the state of Alabama, grantedstatehood on December 14, 1819.[4][5]
The city of Mobile, first settled by French colonists in the early 18th century as part ofLa Louisiane, was designated as the county seat from the early days of the county.[1] Both the county and city derive their name fromFort Louis de la Mobile, a French fortification established (near present-dayAxis, Alabama) in 1702. The word "Mobile" is believed to stem from aChoctaw word for "paddlers".[1] The area was occupied by French colonists from 1702 to 1763, and their influence has been strong in the city. It was ruled by the British from 1763 to 1780, when more American colonists began to enter the territory; and controlled by the Spanish from 1780 to 1813.
At the end of the War of 1812, the United States took over the territory. At that time, new settlers were being attracted to the land, eager to develop short-staple cotton in the uplands area. Invention of thecotton gin made processing of this type of cotton profitable, stimulating wholesale development of new cotton plantations in theBlack Belt during the antebellum years. Mobile developed as a major deepwater port; in the nineteenth century, cotton was its major export.
There were nine documented lynchings in Mobile from 1891 to 1981.
Aerial view of theMobile River at its confluence with Chickasaw Creek. This photograph was taken around 1990, during construction of the Cochrane-Africatown bridge carryingU.S. Route 90 across the river.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,644 square miles (4,260 km2), of which 1,229 square miles (3,180 km2) is land and 415 square miles (1,070 km2) (25.2%) is water.[14] It is the fourth-largest county in Alabama by land area and second-largest by total area. It includes several islands, includingDauphin Island,Gaillard Island andMon Louis Island.
Mobile County, Alabama – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of the2020 census, there were 414,809 people, 163,750 households, and 107,701 families residing in the county.[23] Thepopulation density was 337.4 inhabitants per square mile (130.3/km2) There were 184,441 housing units.
The county's largest city,Mobile (population 187,041 per the 2020 census) is majority minority with African-Americans making up 51.06% of its population.[24]
As of the2000 census, there were 399,843 people, 150,179 households, and 106,777 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 324 people per square mile (125 people/km2). There were 165,101 housing units at an average density of 134 units per square mile (52 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 63.07%White, 33.38%Black orAfrican American, 0.67%Native American, 1.41%Asian, 0.03%Pacific Islander, 0.40% fromother races, and 1.04% from two or more races. 1.22% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 150,179 households, out of which 34.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.50% weremarried couples living together, 17.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.90% were non-families. 24.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the county, the population dispersal was 27.50% under the age of 18, 10.00% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 12.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $33,710, and the median income for a family was $40,378. Males had a median income of $32,329 versus $21,986 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $17,178. About 15.60% of families and 18.50% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 26.20% of those under age 18 and 14.60% of those age 65 or over.
Mobile County Commission districts District 1 District 2 District 3
Mobile County has a limited form ofhome rule and is governed by a three-member county commission. Each commissioner represents asingle-member district and is elected by the voters of that district to serve a four-year term. Each commissioner has an equal vote on the commission. During an elected term, each commissioner serves as President of the Mobile County Commission for 16 months, beginning with the District 1 Commissioner.
As of November 2024, Mobile County Commissioners are:
District 1 (northern County) – Merceria L. Ludgood (D)
District 2 (western and central County) – Connie Hudson (R)
Mobile County is the home of theUniversity of South Alabama (USA), a public research university divided into ten colleges, including one of Alabama's two state-supported medical schools. USA has an enrollment of over 16,000 students and employs more than 6,000 faculty, administrators, and support staff. It is also home to two private institutions of higher learning.Spring Hill College, founded in 1830, is Catholic and the third-oldest Jesuit college or university in the U.S. Its enrollment is about 1,500 students and it offers 46 academic majors. TheUniversity of Mobile, established in 1961 and affiliated with theAlabama Baptist Convention (the state convention of theSouthern Baptist Convention), has an enrollment of about 2,000 and offers 90 academic majors.
Mobile County is very conservative for an urban county. The last Democrat to win the county wasJohn F. Kennedy in 1960 and is one of only 7 counties in Alabama to backGerald Ford overJimmy Carter in 1976. Within the city of Mobile, the margins between the Republican and Democrat candidates are usually between 10 and 19 points. Since 1996, the Democrats have gotten 40-45% of the vote.
United States presidential election results for Mobile County, Alabama[28]
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