Sussex County, Virginia | |
|---|---|
%2c_Sussex%2c_Virginia.jpg) | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofVirginia | |
| Coordinates:36°56′N77°16′W / 36.93°N 77.26°W /36.93; -77.26 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Virginia |
| Founded | 1754 |
| Named after | Sussex, England |
| Seat | Sussex |
| Largest town | Waverly |
| Area | |
• Total | 493 sq mi (1,280 km2) |
| • Land | 490 sq mi (1,300 km2) |
| • Water | 2.6 sq mi (6.7 km2) 0.5% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 10,829 |
| • Density | 22/sq mi (8.5/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 4th |
| Website | www |
Sussex County is a ruralcounty located in the southeast of theCommonwealth ofVirginia. As of the2020 census, the population was 10,829.[1] Itscounty seat isSussex.[2] It was formed in 1754 fromSurry County. The county is named after the county ofSussex, England.[3]
Sussex County is included in theGreater Richmond Region.
Native Americans may have settled near Cactus Hill along theNottoway River as long as 10,000 years ago. This area later was organized by English colonists as Sussex County.[4] The historicNottoway people, although they spoke anIroquoian language, were loosely part of thePowhatan Confederacy. It was composed mainly ofAlgonquian-speaking peoples from the coastal zone.
When colonists arrived from England in 1607, some traveled along the Nottoway River. But when they established the first counties in the colony, James City County included both sides of theJames River to the North Carolina line. The south side of the James River later was organized asSurry County in 1652. Virginia's General Assembly formed Sussex County in 1754 from the southwestern end of Surry County.
Sussex County has maintained a predominantly agricultural economy, once based in tobacco and cotton commodity crops, with work primarily done byenslaved African Americans. It has preserved some of its historic heritage for centuries. Important sites include theNottoway Archeological Site,Sussex County Courthouse Historic District and theWaverly Downtown Historic District, and six historic homes, all listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.
The largest forest fire in Virginia's recorded history occurred on April 5, 1943, destroying more than 12,000 acres in six hours. Fire were usually fought by recruiting workmen from Gray Lumber Company, but the mill was closed and most were attending the funeral of Ella Darden Gray, matriarch of one of the county's leading families. Her son SenatorGarland Gray helped bring attention to the state's need for more protection for valuable forests.[5]
About a decade later, Senator Gray became a leader in theMassive Resistance of whites against desegregating Virginia's public schools.[6]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 493 square miles (1,280 km2), of which 490 square miles (1,300 km2) is land and 2.6 square miles (6.7 km2) (0.5%) is water.[7]
I-95, the major north–southhighway on theEastern Seaboard, enters Sussex County fromGreensville County. Access to the county is available at Exits 17, 20, 24, 31, and 33 before the road crosses the Sussex-Prince George County Line.
US 301, this was the principal south–north route Sussex County until it was supplanted by I-95. A spur ofUS Route 1, it enters Sussex County from Greensville County, serves mainly as a frontage road along I-95, and leaves at Prince George County south of Carson.
US 460, a major west-to-east corridor that has a brief southeastern run in the northeastern section of Sussex County, as a connecting route between the Central Appalachian Mountains and the Hampton Roads area. A spur ofUS 60, it enters Sussex County fromDisputanta in Prince George County, serves the communities of Waverly and Wakefield before leaving the county at Southampton County, northwest of Ivor.
SR 31, a south–north state road that runs northeast from US 460 along East Main Street, then turns north onto Birch Island Road into Surry County towards theJamestown-Scotland Ferry and Williamsburg.
SR 35, a south–north state road that enters the state from North Carolina and the county from the cotton fields of Southampton County. The route runs mainly northwest along Jerusalem Plank Road through the communities of Homeville and Lambs before leaving the county at the Sussex-Prince George County Line.
SR 40, the west–east state road that runs from Dinwiddie County through Stony Creek, West Hope and Sussex, then enters Surry County after passing through Waverly. A business route of SR 40 exists within Stony Creek.
SR 139, a local west–east state route inJarratt running northeast along South Allen Road, then turns southeast along Jarratt Avenue both in Sussex and Greensville Counties, the latter of which is where it ends at US 301.| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 10,549 | — | |
| 1800 | 11,062 | 4.9% | |
| 1810 | 11,362 | 2.7% | |
| 1820 | 11,884 | 4.6% | |
| 1830 | 12,720 | 7.0% | |
| 1840 | 11,229 | −11.7% | |
| 1850 | 9,820 | −12.5% | |
| 1860 | 10,175 | 3.6% | |
| 1870 | 7,885 | −22.5% | |
| 1880 | 10,062 | 27.6% | |
| 1890 | 11,100 | 10.3% | |
| 1900 | 12,082 | 8.8% | |
| 1910 | 13,664 | 13.1% | |
| 1920 | 12,834 | −6.1% | |
| 1930 | 12,100 | −5.7% | |
| 1940 | 12,485 | 3.2% | |
| 1950 | 12,785 | 2.4% | |
| 1960 | 12,411 | −2.9% | |
| 1970 | 11,464 | −7.6% | |
| 1980 | 10,874 | −5.1% | |
| 1990 | 10,248 | −5.8% | |
| 2000 | 12,504 | 22.0% | |
| 2010 | 12,087 | −3.3% | |
| 2020 | 10,829 | −10.4% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 10,763 | [8] | −0.6% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11] 1990-2000[12] 2010[13] 2020[14] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[15] | Pop 2010[13] | Pop 2020[14] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 4,537 | 4,663 | 4,381 | 36.28% | 38.58% | 40.46% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 7,750 | 6,996 | 5,766 | 61.98% | 57.88% | 53.25% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 16 | 19 | 14 | 0.13% | 0.16% | 0.13% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 15 | 46 | 11 | 0.12% | 0.38% | 0.10% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0.01% | 0.00% | 0.06% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 5 | 9 | 25 | 0.04% | 0.07% | 0.23% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 78 | 86 | 319 | 0.62% | 0.71% | 2.95% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 102 | 268 | 306 | 0.82% | 2.22% | 2.83% |
| Total | 12,504 | 12,087 | 10,829 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 10,829. The median age was 44.4 years. 14.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 135.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 141.9 males age 18 and over.[16][17]
The racial makeup of the county (including residents of Hispanic or Latino origin) was 41.6% White, 53.4% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.9% from some other race, and 3.8% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.8% of the population.[17]
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[18]
There were 3,878 households in the county, of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 34.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[16]
There were 4,636 housing units, of which 16.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 68.0% were owner-occupied and 32.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.2%.[16]
As of the2010 United States census, there were 12,087 people living in the county, of which 58.1% wereBlack or African American, 39.3%White, 0.4%Asian, 0.2%Native American, 1.3% of some other race and 0.8%of two or more races. 2.2% wereHispanic or Latino (of any race).
As of thecensus[19] of 2000, there were 12,504 people, 4,126 households, and 2,809 families living in the county. Thepopulation density was 26 people per square mile (10 people/km2). There were 4,653 housing units at an average density of 10 units per square mile (3.9 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 62.13%Black orAfrican American, 36.39%White, 0.13%Native American, 0.12%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.54% fromother races, and 0.67% from two or more races. 0.82% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 4,126 households, out of which 28.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.00% weremarried couples living together, 18.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.90% were non-families. 28.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 19.60% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 34.40% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 13.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 135.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 142.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,007, and the median income for a family was $36,739. Males had a median income of $29,307 versus $22,001 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $14,670. About 12.80% of families and 16.10% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 24.30% of those under age 18 and 19.20% of those age 65 or over.
Two prisons were built in Sussex County in the 1990s. Including the prisons, Sussex County was the fastest growing county in the United States. Excluding the prisons, the county population declined.[20]
Sussex County Public Schools operates public schools for the entire county.[21]
Blackwater Regional Library is the regional library system that provides services to the citizens of Sussex.
TheVirginia Department of Corrections operates theSussex I State Prison and theSussex II State Prison inunincorporated Sussex County, nearWaverly.[22][23][24] The Sussex I center housed the male death row. On August 3, 1998, the male death row moved to Sussex I from theMecklenburg Correctional Center.[25]
The county is majority-Black, and has consistently voted for the Democratic Party in presidential elections since 1976. Since the Obama era, the county has seen rightward trends in every election, withDonald Trump only losing the county by 217 votes in 2024; this was the strongest Republican performance sinceNixon carried the county in his 1972 landslide election.[26]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 59 | 10.52% | 435 | 77.54% | 67 | 11.94% |
| 1916 | 96 | 16.35% | 486 | 82.79% | 5 | 0.85% |
| 1920 | 166 | 23.15% | 548 | 76.43% | 3 | 0.42% |
| 1924 | 132 | 17.67% | 607 | 81.26% | 8 | 1.07% |
| 1928 | 385 | 41.31% | 547 | 58.69% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 122 | 14.79% | 688 | 83.39% | 15 | 1.82% |
| 1936 | 126 | 12.52% | 880 | 87.48% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 164 | 18.16% | 737 | 81.62% | 2 | 0.22% |
| 1944 | 201 | 20.51% | 773 | 78.88% | 6 | 0.61% |
| 1948 | 244 | 20.00% | 614 | 50.33% | 362 | 29.67% |
| 1952 | 888 | 47.97% | 956 | 51.65% | 7 | 0.38% |
| 1956 | 785 | 39.31% | 851 | 42.61% | 361 | 18.08% |
| 1960 | 713 | 35.78% | 1,253 | 62.87% | 27 | 1.35% |
| 1964 | 1,537 | 55.39% | 1,234 | 44.47% | 4 | 0.14% |
| 1968 | 1,105 | 29.12% | 1,541 | 40.62% | 1,148 | 30.26% |
| 1972 | 2,120 | 54.99% | 1,645 | 42.67% | 90 | 2.33% |
| 1976 | 1,360 | 33.22% | 2,497 | 60.99% | 237 | 5.79% |
| 1980 | 1,664 | 38.94% | 2,447 | 57.27% | 162 | 3.79% |
| 1984 | 2,183 | 46.14% | 2,408 | 50.90% | 140 | 2.96% |
| 1988 | 1,822 | 46.77% | 1,958 | 50.26% | 116 | 2.98% |
| 1992 | 1,527 | 35.90% | 2,193 | 51.56% | 533 | 12.53% |
| 1996 | 1,378 | 36.34% | 2,089 | 55.09% | 325 | 8.57% |
| 2000 | 1,745 | 44.67% | 2,006 | 51.36% | 155 | 3.97% |
| 2004 | 1,890 | 43.50% | 2,420 | 55.70% | 35 | 0.81% |
| 2008 | 2,026 | 37.78% | 3,301 | 61.55% | 36 | 0.67% |
| 2012 | 2,021 | 37.15% | 3,358 | 61.73% | 61 | 1.12% |
| 2016 | 2,055 | 40.74% | 2,879 | 57.08% | 110 | 2.18% |
| 2020 | 2,219 | 43.61% | 2,827 | 55.56% | 42 | 0.83% |
| 2024 | 2,322 | 47.39% | 2,539 | 51.82% | 39 | 0.80% |
36°56′N77°16′W / 36.93°N 77.26°W /36.93; -77.26
Places adjacent to Sussex County, Virginia | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofSussex County, Virginia,United States | ||
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| Towns |  | |
| CDP | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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| Other | |
