Tunica County | |
|---|---|
 Tunica County Courthouse inTunica | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofMississippi | |
 Mississippi's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:34°40′N90°23′W / 34.66°N 90.38°W /34.66; -90.38 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Mississippi |
| Founded | 1836 |
| Named after | Tunica-Biloxi tribe |
| Seat | Tunica |
| Largest town | Tunica Resorts |
| Area | |
• Total | 481 sq mi (1,250 km2) |
| • Land | 455 sq mi (1,180 km2) |
| • Water | 26 sq mi (67 km2) 5.4% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 9,782 |
• Estimate (2024) | 9,157 |
| • Density | 21.5/sq mi (8.30/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | www |
Tunica County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofMississippi. As of the2020 census, the population was 9,782.[1] Itscounty seat isTunica.[2] The county is named for theTunicaNative Americans. Most migrated to centralLouisiana during the colonial period.
Tunica County is part of theMemphis, TN-MS-AR Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located in theMississippi Delta region.
Since the late 20th century, it is known forTunica Resorts (formerly Robinsonville), an unincorporated community that is the site of six casino resorts. It is one of the top six destinations in the country in terms of gambling revenues.[3]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 481 square miles (1,250 km2), of which 455 square miles (1,180 km2) is land and 26 square miles (67 km2) (5.4%) is water.[4]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1840 | 821 | — | |
| 1850 | 1,314 | 60.0% | |
| 1860 | 4,366 | 232.3% | |
| 1870 | 5,358 | 22.7% | |
| 1880 | 8,461 | 57.9% | |
| 1890 | 12,158 | 43.7% | |
| 1900 | 16,479 | 35.5% | |
| 1910 | 18,646 | 13.2% | |
| 1920 | 20,386 | 9.3% | |
| 1930 | 21,233 | 4.2% | |
| 1940 | 22,610 | 6.5% | |
| 1950 | 21,664 | −4.2% | |
| 1960 | 16,826 | −22.3% | |
| 1970 | 11,854 | −29.5% | |
| 1980 | 9,652 | −18.6% | |
| 1990 | 8,164 | −15.4% | |
| 2000 | 9,227 | 13.0% | |
| 2010 | 10,778 | 16.8% | |
| 2020 | 9,782 | −9.2% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 9,157 | [5] | −6.4% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8] 1990-2000[9] 2010-2013[10] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| Black or African American | 7,316 | 76.35% |
| White | 1,853 | 19.34% |
| Native American | 13 | 0.14% |
| Asian | 27 | 0.28% |
| Other/Mixed | 182 | 1.9% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 191 | 1.99% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 9,782 people, 3,930 households, and 2,347 families residing in the county.
As of the2010 United States census, there were 10,778 people living in the county. 73.5% wereBlack or African American, 23.7%White, 0.6%Asian, 0.1%Native American, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 1.2% of some other race and 0.9%of two or more races. 2.3% wereHispanic or Latino (of any race).
As of thecensus[12] of 2000, there were 9,227 people, 3,258 households, and 2,192 families living in the county. Thepopulation density was 20 people per square mile (7.7 people/km2). There were 3,705 housing units at an average density of 8 units per square mile (3.1 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 70.15%Black orAfrican American, 27.54%White, 0.11%Native American, 0.42%Asian, 0.07%Pacific Islander, 0.96% fromother races, and 0.75% from two or more races. 2.53% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 3,258 households, out of which 33.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.90% weremarried couples living together, 26.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.70% were non-families. 26.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.44.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 31.50% under the age of 18, 10.90% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 20.20% from 45 to 64, and 10.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 91.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $23,270, and the median income for a family was $25,443. Males had a median income of $25,244 versus $18,104 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $11,978. About 28.10% of families and 33.10% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 43.40% of those under age 18 and 32.50% of those age 65 or over.
GreenTech Automotive received $6 million of incentive financing from the state of Mississippi and Tunica County to build an automotive plant in the county.[13][14] The facility was shut down in January 2017.[15] GreenTech had promised to invest $60 million in the manufacturing plant, but it produced few cars if any.[13] A Mississippi state auditor's review begun in 2016 found documentation reflecting only $3 million spent by GreenTech on automotive assembly equipment and parts.[13] While the company had promised to create 350 full-time jobs, it was found to never have created more than 94 active, full-time jobs in Mississippi at any time.[13][16]
In July 2017, the Mississippi state auditor demanded that GreenTech and its CEOCharlie Wang pay Mississippi $6 million because Greentech had not lived up to its promises to invest $60 million and create 350 jobs in Tunica County.[16][17] The auditor said: "I would venture that there isn’t really much of an operation in Tunica at all. This appears to have been a game of smoke and mirrors, and a corporate entity that never had any intention to deliver on the promises it made."[17] In November 2017, Mississippi Attorney GeneralJim Hood sued the company for $3 million, plus forfeiture of land used for the Tunica factory.[16]
GreenTech declared bankruptcy in February 2018.[18][19] In a 2020 final settlement, it paid Mississippi and Tunica County only $575,000.[13]
Tunica County is a Democratic stronghold, like other Mississippi Delta counties. The last Republican to carry the county wasRichard Nixon in 1972.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 1 | 0.52% | 188 | 97.41% | 4 | 2.07% |
| 1916 | 0 | 0.00% | 173 | 100.00% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1920 | 2 | 0.77% | 256 | 98.84% | 1 | 0.39% |
| 1924 | 13 | 2.56% | 495 | 97.44% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1928 | 26 | 3.82% | 654 | 96.18% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 8 | 1.38% | 573 | 98.62% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 5 | 0.71% | 701 | 99.29% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 13 | 1.61% | 795 | 98.39% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 35 | 4.63% | 721 | 95.37% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 12 | 1.60% | 23 | 3.07% | 715 | 95.33% |
| 1952 | 383 | 41.95% | 530 | 58.05% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 200 | 23.92% | 470 | 56.22% | 166 | 19.86% |
| 1960 | 334 | 37.24% | 323 | 36.01% | 240 | 26.76% |
| 1964 | 945 | 90.52% | 99 | 9.48% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 413 | 17.73% | 1,133 | 48.65% | 783 | 33.62% |
| 1972 | 1,446 | 62.19% | 858 | 36.90% | 21 | 0.90% |
| 1976 | 951 | 34.51% | 1,695 | 61.50% | 110 | 3.99% |
| 1980 | 954 | 29.77% | 2,198 | 68.58% | 53 | 1.65% |
| 1984 | 1,109 | 39.55% | 1,621 | 57.81% | 74 | 2.64% |
| 1988 | 896 | 36.87% | 1,510 | 62.14% | 24 | 0.99% |
| 1992 | 693 | 30.90% | 1,451 | 64.69% | 99 | 4.41% |
| 1996 | 557 | 29.53% | 1,263 | 66.97% | 66 | 3.50% |
| 2000 | 792 | 33.47% | 1,539 | 65.05% | 35 | 1.48% |
| 2004 | 950 | 30.36% | 2,140 | 68.39% | 39 | 1.25% |
| 2008 | 1,017 | 23.48% | 3,279 | 75.69% | 36 | 0.83% |
| 2012 | 883 | 20.15% | 3,475 | 79.30% | 24 | 0.55% |
| 2016 | 853 | 23.91% | 2,667 | 74.77% | 47 | 1.32% |
| 2020 | 926 | 25.97% | 2,580 | 72.37% | 59 | 1.65% |
| 2024 | 799 | 29.95% | 1,837 | 68.85% | 32 | 1.20% |
National Register of Historic Places listings in Tunica County, Mississippi
Places adjacent to Tunica County, Mississippi | |
|---|---|
Municipalities and communities ofTunica County, Mississippi,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Town |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
34°40′N90°23′W / 34.66°N 90.38°W /34.66; -90.38
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
