County of Lee | |
|---|---|
 Clock tower of the Lee County Courthouse | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofMississippi | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Mississippi |
| Founded | October 26, 1866 (159 years ago) (1866-10-26) |
| Named after | Gen.Robert E. Lee |
| Seat | Tupelo |
| Largest city | Tupelo |
| Area | |
• Total | 453 sq mi (1,170 km2) |
| • Land | 450 sq mi (1,200 km2) |
| • Water | 3.2 sq mi (8.3 km2) 0.7% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 83,343 |
• Estimate (2024) | 83,012 |
| • Density | 190/sq mi (72/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 38801, 38804, 38824, 38826, 38828, 38843, 38849, 38857, 38858, 38860, 38862, 38866, 38868, 38879 |
| Area code | 662 |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | leecoms |
Lee County is acounty inU.S. state ofMississippi. At the2020 census, the population was 83,343. Its county seat is Tupelo. Lee County is included in theTupelo Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Lee County was established by theMississippi Legislature on October 26, 1866, and named for GeneralRobert E. Lee,[1]General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate States. It was formed fromItawamba andPontotoc counties; therefore, the record and list of early settlers mentioned in those counties embrace a great number who were residents of what is present day Lee County.[2]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 453 square miles (1,170 km2), of which 450 square miles (1,200 km2) is land and 3.2 square miles (8.3 km2) (0.7%) is water.[3]
Interstate 22
U.S. Highway 45
U.S. Highway 78
U.S. Route 278
Natchez Trace Parkway
Mississippi Highway 6
Mississippi Highway 145
Mississippi Highway 178
Mississippi Highway 363
Mississippi Highway 245
Mississippi Highway 371
Mississippi Highway 370| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 15,955 | — | |
| 1880 | 20,470 | 28.3% | |
| 1890 | 20,040 | −2.1% | |
| 1900 | 21,956 | 9.6% | |
| 1910 | 28,894 | 31.6% | |
| 1920 | 29,618 | 2.5% | |
| 1930 | 35,313 | 19.2% | |
| 1940 | 38,838 | 10.0% | |
| 1950 | 38,237 | −1.5% | |
| 1960 | 40,589 | 6.2% | |
| 1970 | 46,148 | 13.7% | |
| 1980 | 57,061 | 23.6% | |
| 1990 | 65,581 | 14.9% | |
| 2000 | 75,755 | 15.5% | |
| 2010 | 82,910 | 9.4% | |
| 2020 | 83,343 | 0.5% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 83,012 | [4] | −0.4% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[5] 1790-1960[6] 1900-1990[7] 1990-2000[8] 2010-2013[9] 2018[10] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 83,343. The median age was 39.4 years. 23.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.3 males age 18 and over.[11][12]
The racial makeup of the county was 64.1%White, 29.1%Black or African American, 0.2%American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%Asian, <0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 2.0% from some other race, and 3.5% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.4% of the population.[12]
48.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 51.7% lived in rural areas.[13]
There were 33,499 households in the county, of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 44.5% were married-couple households, 18.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[11]
There were 37,261 housing units, of which 10.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 67.9% were owner-occupied and 32.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 14.9%.[11]
As of thecensus[14] of 2000, there were 75,755 people, 29,200 households, and 20,819 families residing in the county. The population density was 168 inhabitants per square mile (65/km2). There were 31,887 housing units at an average density of 71 per square mile (27/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 73.66%White, 24.51%Black orAfrican American, 0.13%Native American, 0.52%Asian, 0.01%Pacific Islander, 0.43% fromother races, and 0.74% from two or more races. 1.16% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. There were 29,200 households, out of which 36.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.60% weremarried couples living together, 14.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.70% were non-families. 25.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.05. In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.70% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 30.50% from 25 to 44, 21.80% from 45 to 64, and 11.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.50 males. The median income for a household in the county was $36,165, and the median income for a family was $43,149. Males had a median income of $31,039 versus $22,235 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $18,956. About 10.50% of families and 13.40% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 17.90% of those under age 18 and 15.50% of those age 65 or over. Lee County has theninth highest per capita income in the state of Mississippi.
Lee County is served by theBaldwyn,Lee County,Nettleton, andTupelo school districts.[15]
Lee County has been a Republican stronghold since the mid-1980s. The last Democratic presidential candidate who carried this county wasJimmy Carter in the election of 1980.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 39 | 2.62% | 1,390 | 93.54% | 57 | 3.84% |
| 1916 | 91 | 5.12% | 1,683 | 94.60% | 5 | 0.28% |
| 1920 | 302 | 15.38% | 1,652 | 84.11% | 10 | 0.51% |
| 1924 | 152 | 5.48% | 2,621 | 94.52% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1928 | 367 | 11.75% | 2,757 | 88.25% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 129 | 3.36% | 3,704 | 96.51% | 5 | 0.13% |
| 1936 | 42 | 1.16% | 3,585 | 98.84% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 120 | 3.05% | 3,814 | 96.93% | 1 | 0.03% |
| 1944 | 230 | 6.15% | 3,509 | 93.85% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 82 | 2.13% | 636 | 16.54% | 3,128 | 81.33% |
| 1952 | 2,002 | 32.42% | 4,174 | 67.58% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 929 | 18.01% | 3,883 | 75.30% | 345 | 6.69% |
| 1960 | 1,550 | 23.34% | 3,653 | 55.01% | 1,438 | 21.65% |
| 1964 | 5,165 | 68.19% | 2,409 | 31.81% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 2,522 | 18.45% | 1,912 | 13.99% | 9,232 | 67.55% |
| 1972 | 10,730 | 82.60% | 1,632 | 12.56% | 629 | 4.84% |
| 1976 | 7,366 | 45.10% | 8,504 | 52.07% | 463 | 2.83% |
| 1980 | 8,326 | 44.08% | 10,047 | 53.19% | 516 | 2.73% |
| 1984 | 13,312 | 67.47% | 6,208 | 31.46% | 210 | 1.06% |
| 1988 | 13,767 | 66.42% | 6,604 | 31.86% | 357 | 1.72% |
| 1992 | 12,231 | 54.36% | 7,710 | 34.27% | 2,560 | 11.38% |
| 1996 | 11,815 | 54.48% | 8,438 | 38.91% | 1,433 | 6.61% |
| 2000 | 15,551 | 61.97% | 9,142 | 36.43% | 401 | 1.60% |
| 2004 | 20,254 | 66.11% | 10,127 | 33.05% | 258 | 0.84% |
| 2008 | 22,694 | 64.91% | 12,021 | 34.39% | 245 | 0.70% |
| 2012 | 22,415 | 63.49% | 12,563 | 35.58% | 328 | 0.93% |
| 2016 | 22,220 | 67.51% | 10,029 | 30.47% | 664 | 2.02% |
| 2020 | 24,207 | 65.51% | 12,189 | 32.98% | 558 | 1.51% |
| 2024 | 24,339 | 68.87% | 10,616 | 30.04% | 383 | 1.08% |
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Geographic data related toLee County, Mississippi atOpenStreetMap 
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Municipalities and communities ofLee County, Mississippi,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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