Simpson County, Mississippi
County in Mississippi, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Simpson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. Its western border is formed by the Pearl River, an important transportation route in the 19th century. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,949.[1] The county seat is Mendenhall.[2] The county is named for Josiah Simpson (1787–1817),[3] a territorial judge who also served as a delegate to Mississippi's Constitutional Convention.[4] Simpson County is part of the Jackson, Mississippi metropolitan area.
Simpson County, Mississippi | |
|---|---|
Simpson County Courthouse in Mendenhall | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi | |
| Coordinates: 31°55′N 89°55′W | |
| 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 |
Geography
According to the U.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]
Major highways
Adjacent counties
- Rankin County (north)
- Smith County (east)
- Covington County (southeast)
- Jefferson Davis County (south)
- Lawrence County (southwest)
- Copiah County (west)
Demographics
| 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] | |||
2020 census
| 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 or Latino | 386 | 1.49% |
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 25,949. The median age was 40.4 years. 24.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.6 males age 18 and over.[13][14]
The racial makeup of the county was 61.6% White, 34.1% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.9% from some other race, and 2.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.5% of the population.[14]
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[15]
There were 10,014 households in the county, of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.1% were married-couple households, 18.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[13]
There were 11,559 housing units, of which 13.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 75.8% were owner-occupied and 24.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.1%.[13]
Communities
Cities
Town
Village
Unincorporated communities
Ghost town
Politics
A nearly unanimously Democratic county in the days of the Solid 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% |
Education
Simpson County School District is the local school district.[17]
It is in the district of Copiah–Lincoln Community College, and has been since 1934.[18] The district maintains the Simpson County Center.[19]
