Simpson County, Mississippi | |
|---|---|
 Simpson County Courthouse in Mendenhall | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofMississippi | |
 Mississippi's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:31°55′N89°55′W / 31.92°N 89.92°W /31.92; -89.92 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Mississippi |
| Founded | 1824 |
| Named after | Josiah Simpson |
| Seat | Mendenhall |
| Largest city | Magee |
| Area | |
• Total | 590 sq mi (1,500 km2) |
| • Land | 589 sq mi (1,530 km2) |
| • Water | 1.3 sq mi (3.4 km2) 0.2% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 25,949 |
• Estimate (2024) | 25,597 |
| • Density | 44.1/sq mi (17.0/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
Simpson County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofMississippi. Its western border is formed by thePearl River, an important transportation route in the 19th century. As of the2020 census, the population was 25,949.[1] Thecounty seat isMendenhall.[2] The county is named forJosiah Simpson (1787–1817),[3] a territorial judge who also served as a delegate to Mississippi's Constitutional Convention.[4] Simpson County is part of theJackson, Mississippi metropolitan area.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 590 square miles (1,500 km2), of which 589 square miles (1,530 km2) is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km2) (0.2%) is water.[5]
U.S. Highway 49
Mississippi Highway 13
Mississippi Highway 28
Mississippi Highway 43
Mississippi Highway 149| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 2,680 | — | |
| 1840 | 3,380 | 26.1% | |
| 1850 | 4,734 | 40.1% | |
| 1860 | 6,080 | 28.4% | |
| 1870 | 5,718 | −6.0% | |
| 1880 | 8,008 | 40.0% | |
| 1890 | 10,138 | 26.6% | |
| 1900 | 12,800 | 26.3% | |
| 1910 | 17,201 | 34.4% | |
| 1920 | 18,109 | 5.3% | |
| 1930 | 20,897 | 15.4% | |
| 1940 | 22,024 | 5.4% | |
| 1950 | 21,819 | −0.9% | |
| 1960 | 20,454 | −6.3% | |
| 1970 | 19,947 | −2.5% | |
| 1980 | 23,441 | 17.5% | |
| 1990 | 23,953 | 2.2% | |
| 2000 | 27,639 | 15.4% | |
| 2010 | 27,503 | −0.5% | |
| 2020 | 25,949 | −5.7% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 25,597 | [6] | −1.4% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9] 1990-2000[10] 2010-2013[11] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 15,928 | 61.38% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 8,803 | 33.92% |
| Native American | 36 | 0.14% |
| Asian | 84 | 0.32% |
| Pacific Islander | 2 | 0.01% |
| Other/Mixed | 710 | 2.74% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 386 | 1.49% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 25,949 people, 9,486 households, and 6,617 families residing in the county.
A nearly unanimously Democratic county in the days of theSolid South, Simpson County has since swung decisively into the Republican column. It has not supported a Democratic presidential candidate since 1956, nor any third-party candidates since 1968.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 19 | 2.79% | 606 | 88.86% | 57 | 8.36% |
| 1916 | 34 | 3.38% | 966 | 96.02% | 6 | 0.60% |
| 1920 | 109 | 10.63% | 902 | 88.00% | 14 | 1.37% |
| 1924 | 100 | 6.15% | 1,518 | 93.42% | 7 | 0.43% |
| 1928 | 231 | 10.88% | 1,893 | 89.12% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 47 | 2.36% | 1,941 | 97.59% | 1 | 0.05% |
| 1936 | 48 | 1.92% | 2,445 | 98.04% | 1 | 0.04% |
| 1940 | 40 | 1.70% | 2,316 | 98.26% | 1 | 0.04% |
| 1944 | 78 | 3.06% | 2,470 | 96.94% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 59 | 2.29% | 171 | 6.65% | 2,342 | 91.06% |
| 1952 | 878 | 24.09% | 2,767 | 75.91% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 467 | 14.64% | 2,140 | 67.11% | 582 | 18.25% |
| 1960 | 606 | 18.89% | 1,034 | 32.23% | 1,568 | 48.88% |
| 1964 | 4,949 | 94.81% | 271 | 5.19% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 875 | 12.47% | 1,079 | 15.37% | 5,064 | 72.16% |
| 1972 | 5,669 | 85.87% | 871 | 13.19% | 62 | 0.94% |
| 1976 | 4,291 | 53.91% | 3,600 | 45.23% | 69 | 0.87% |
| 1980 | 5,190 | 55.60% | 4,015 | 43.01% | 129 | 1.38% |
| 1984 | 5,983 | 67.04% | 2,894 | 32.43% | 47 | 0.53% |
| 1988 | 6,151 | 66.69% | 3,016 | 32.70% | 56 | 0.61% |
| 1992 | 5,358 | 57.45% | 3,213 | 34.45% | 755 | 8.10% |
| 1996 | 4,455 | 56.56% | 2,851 | 36.19% | 571 | 7.25% |
| 2000 | 6,254 | 65.32% | 3,227 | 33.71% | 93 | 0.97% |
| 2004 | 7,138 | 68.15% | 3,272 | 31.24% | 64 | 0.61% |
| 2008 | 7,641 | 60.59% | 4,817 | 38.20% | 152 | 1.21% |
| 2012 | 7,424 | 60.61% | 4,723 | 38.56% | 102 | 0.83% |
| 2016 | 7,393 | 64.74% | 3,874 | 33.93% | 152 | 1.33% |
| 2020 | 7,635 | 64.62% | 4,037 | 34.17% | 143 | 1.21% |
| 2024 | 7,552 | 68.07% | 3,479 | 31.36% | 63 | 0.57% |
Simpson County School District is the local school district.[14]
It is in the district ofCopiah–Lincoln Community College, and has been since 1934.[15] The district maintains the Simpson County Center.[16]
Media related toSimpson County, Mississippi at Wikimedia CommonsPlaces adjacent to Simpson County, Mississippi | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofSimpson County, Mississippi,United States | ||
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31°55′N89°55′W / 31.92°N 89.92°W /31.92; -89.92
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