Newton County, Mississippi | |
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 Location within the U.S. state ofMississippi | |
 Mississippi's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:32°25′N89°07′W / 32.41°N 89.12°W /32.41; -89.12 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Mississippi |
| Founded | 1836 |
| Seat | Decatur |
| Largest city | Newton |
| Area | |
• Total | 580 sq mi (1,500 km2) |
| • Land | 578 sq mi (1,500 km2) |
| • Water | 1.5 sq mi (3.9 km2) 0.3% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 21,291 |
| • Density | 36.8/sq mi (14.2/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Website | www |
Newton County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofMississippi. As of the2020 census, the population was 21,291.[1] Itscounty seat isDecatur.[2]
The land that would become Newton County was purchased from theChoctaw under the terms of theTreaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek. Newton County was split off from the southern part of Neshoba County and organized on February 26, 1836.[3] The county is named for scientistIsaac Newton.[4][5]
TheBattle of Newton's Station was fought in the county on April 24, 1863, duringGrierson's Raid of theAmerican Civil War. Union troops pulled up railroad tracks and burned the depot atNewton's Station.[6]
In February 1864,General William Tecumseh Sherman crossed the county, burning the county seat atDecatur and was nearly captured during theMeridian Campaign. Sherman stopped during the return trip from Meridian and slept at Boler's Inn in the town ofUnion.[7]
On October 8, 1908, a Blacksharecropper named Shep Jones had a dispute with his white employer regarding his work schedule. The altercation escalated, resulting in the employer's death. In response, a white mob terrorized the local Black community, destroying property, burning a church and meeting lodge near Gardlandville, and threatening families. Unable to locate Jones, the mob targeted and lynched his father-in-law, William Fielder, on October 9. The following day, the mob lynched two other Black men, Dee Dawkins and Frank Johnson, who were associated with Jones. The violence prompted many Black residents to flee Newton County. No one was held accountable for the lynchings or the destruction of property.[8]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 580 square miles (1,500 km2), of which 578 square miles (1,500 km2) is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2) (0.3%) is water.[9]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1840 | 2,527 | — | |
| 1850 | 4,465 | 76.7% | |
| 1860 | 9,661 | 116.4% | |
| 1870 | 10,067 | 4.2% | |
| 1880 | 13,436 | 33.5% | |
| 1890 | 16,625 | 23.7% | |
| 1900 | 19,708 | 18.5% | |
| 1910 | 23,085 | 17.1% | |
| 1920 | 20,727 | −10.2% | |
| 1930 | 22,910 | 10.5% | |
| 1940 | 24,249 | 5.8% | |
| 1950 | 22,681 | −6.5% | |
| 1960 | 19,517 | −14.0% | |
| 1970 | 18,983 | −2.7% | |
| 1980 | 19,944 | 5.1% | |
| 1990 | 20,291 | 1.7% | |
| 2000 | 21,838 | 7.6% | |
| 2010 | 21,720 | −0.5% | |
| 2020 | 21,291 | −2.0% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 21,063 | [10] | −1.1% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[11] 1790-1960[12] 1900-1990[13] 1990-2000[14] 2010-2013[15] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White | 12,796 | 60.1% |
| Black or African American | 6,447 | 30.28% |
| Native American | 1,169 | 5.49% |
| Asian | 77 | 0.36% |
| Other/Mixed | 473 | 2.22% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 329 | 1.55% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 21,291 people, 8,037 households, and 5,697 families residing in the county.
As of thecensus[17] of 2000, there were 21,838 people, 8,221 households, and 6,001 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 38 people per square mile (15 people/km2). There were 9,259 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile (6.2/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 65.01%white, 30.37%black orAfrican American, 3.68%Native American, 0.18%Asian, 0.33% fromother races, and 0.44% from two or more races. 0.91% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 8,221 households, out of which 33.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.00% weremarried couples living together, 16.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.00% were non-families. 24.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.20% under the age of 18, 11.20% from 18 to 24, 26.00% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 14.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 92.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $28,735, and the median income for a family was $34,606. Males had a median income of $27,820 versus $20,757 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $14,008. About 16.40% of families and 19.90% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 26.30% of those under age 18 and 21.70% of those age 65 or over.
Newton County is a longtime Republican stronghold, having not supported a Democratic presidential candidate since 1956.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 6 | 0.47% | 1,197 | 94.62% | 62 | 4.90% |
| 1916 | 19 | 1.34% | 1,341 | 94.70% | 56 | 3.95% |
| 1920 | 108 | 7.73% | 1,208 | 86.41% | 82 | 5.87% |
| 1924 | 72 | 3.95% | 1,657 | 90.94% | 93 | 5.10% |
| 1928 | 368 | 15.07% | 2,074 | 84.93% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 56 | 2.41% | 2,253 | 97.11% | 11 | 0.47% |
| 1936 | 39 | 1.46% | 2,624 | 98.42% | 3 | 0.11% |
| 1940 | 41 | 1.61% | 2,495 | 98.27% | 3 | 0.12% |
| 1944 | 56 | 2.18% | 2,516 | 97.82% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 39 | 1.47% | 169 | 6.38% | 2,442 | 92.15% |
| 1952 | 851 | 25.70% | 2,460 | 74.30% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 360 | 11.52% | 2,359 | 75.46% | 407 | 13.02% |
| 1960 | 508 | 15.05% | 912 | 27.01% | 1,956 | 57.94% |
| 1964 | 4,735 | 95.21% | 238 | 4.79% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 542 | 7.85% | 799 | 11.58% | 5,561 | 80.57% |
| 1972 | 5,585 | 88.05% | 597 | 9.41% | 161 | 2.54% |
| 1976 | 3,813 | 57.00% | 2,741 | 40.97% | 136 | 2.03% |
| 1980 | 4,317 | 54.36% | 3,455 | 43.51% | 169 | 2.13% |
| 1984 | 5,911 | 73.23% | 2,127 | 26.35% | 34 | 0.42% |
| 1988 | 5,658 | 70.70% | 2,332 | 29.14% | 13 | 0.16% |
| 1992 | 5,128 | 65.69% | 2,146 | 27.49% | 532 | 6.82% |
| 1996 | 4,223 | 61.30% | 2,163 | 31.40% | 503 | 7.30% |
| 2000 | 5,540 | 71.59% | 2,147 | 27.75% | 51 | 0.66% |
| 2004 | 6,165 | 72.63% | 2,280 | 26.86% | 43 | 0.51% |
| 2008 | 6,579 | 66.76% | 3,218 | 32.65% | 58 | 0.59% |
| 2012 | 6,394 | 65.40% | 3,319 | 33.95% | 64 | 0.65% |
| 2016 | 6,548 | 69.38% | 2,756 | 29.20% | 134 | 1.42% |
| 2020 | 6,997 | 68.71% | 3,075 | 30.20% | 111 | 1.09% |
| 2024 | 6,641 | 71.23% | 2,603 | 27.92% | 79 | 0.85% |
School districts include:[19]
Conehatta Elementary School of theChoctaw Tribal School System is in the community.[20]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)851 Tushka Drive Conehatta, MS 39057
Places adjacent to Newton County, Mississippi | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofNewton County, Mississippi,United States | ||
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| Other unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Indian reservation | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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| Other | |
