Smith County, Mississippi
County in Mississippi, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Smith County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,209.[1] Its county seat is Raleigh.[2]
Smith County, Mississippi | |
|---|---|
Smith County Courthouse in Raleigh | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi | |
| Coordinates: 32°01′N 89°30′W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Mississippi |
| Founded | 1833 |
| Named after | David Smith |
| Seat | Raleigh |
| Largest town | Taylorsville |
| Area | |
• Total | 637 sq mi (1,650 km2) |
| • Land | 636 sq mi (1,650 km2) |
| • Water | 1.0 sq mi (2.6 km2) 0.2% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 14,209 |
• Estimate (2025) | 13,991  |
| • Density | 22.3/sq mi (8.63/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Website | www |
History
Smith County is named for Major David Smith.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 637 square miles (1,650 km2), of which 636 square miles (1,650 km2) is land and 1.0 square mile (2.6 km2) (0.2%) is water.[3]
Major highways
Adjacent counties
- Scott County (north)
- Jasper County (east)
- Jones County (southeast)
- Covington County (south)
- Simpson County (west)
- Rankin County (northwest)
National protected area
- Bienville National Forest (part)
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1840 | 1,961 | — | |
| 1850 | 4,071 | 107.6% | |
| 1860 | 7,638 | 87.6% | |
| 1870 | 7,126 | −6.7% | |
| 1880 | 8,088 | 13.5% | |
| 1890 | 10,635 | 31.5% | |
| 1900 | 13,055 | 22.8% | |
| 1910 | 16,603 | 27.2% | |
| 1920 | 16,178 | −2.6% | |
| 1930 | 18,405 | 13.8% | |
| 1940 | 19,403 | 5.4% | |
| 1950 | 16,740 | −13.7% | |
| 1960 | 14,303 | −14.6% | |
| 1970 | 13,561 | −5.2% | |
| 1980 | 15,077 | 11.2% | |
| 1990 | 14,798 | −1.9% | |
| 2000 | 16,182 | 9.4% | |
| 2010 | 16,491 | 1.9% | |
| 2020 | 14,209 | −13.8% | |
| 2025 (est.) | 13,991 | [4] | −1.5% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[5] 1790-1960[6] 1900-1990[7] 1990-2000[8] 2010-2013[9] | |||
Racial and ethnic composition
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[10] | Pop 1990[11] | Pop 2000[12] | Pop 2010[13] | Pop 2020[14] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 11,770 | 11,456 | 12,268 | 12,421 | 10,582 | 78.07% | 77.42% | 75.81% | 75.32% | 74.47% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 3,146 | 3,237 | 3,728 | 3,758 | 3,111 | 20.87% | 21.87% | 23.04% | 22.79% | 21.89% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 7 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 0.05% | 0.11% | 0.10% | 0.11% | 0.14% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 8 | 7 | 15 | 13 | 19 | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.09% | 0.08% | 0.13% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | x [15] | x [16] | 1 | 2 | 0 | x | x | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 5 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 22 | 0.03% | 0.01% | 0.04% | 0.01% | 0.15% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x [17] | x [18] | 52 | 79 | 257 | x | x | 0.32% | 0.48% | 1.81% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 141 | 81 | 96 | 198 | 198 | 0.94% | 0.55% | 0.59% | 1.20% | 1.39% |
| Total | 15,077 | 14,798 | 16,182 | 16,491 | 14,209 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 14,209. The median age was 44.1 years. 22.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.1 males age 18 and over.[19][20]
The racial makeup of the county was 74.7% White, 21.9% Black or African American, 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.4% of the population.[20]
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[21]
There were 5,692 households in the county, of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.9% were married-couple households, 17.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[19]
There were 6,622 housing units, of which 14.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 84.9% were owner-occupied and 15.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.1%.[19]
Communities
Politics
Smith County is currently a Republican stronghold, although, like most of Mississippi, it was heavily Democratic up until the 1960s. Recently, in 2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump broke 80% of the vote in the county for the first time since 1972.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 12 | 1.31% | 854 | 93.13% | 51 | 5.56% |
| 1916 | 30 | 2.28% | 1,271 | 96.51% | 16 | 1.21% |
| 1920 | 265 | 21.10% | 968 | 77.07% | 23 | 1.83% |
| 1924 | 49 | 4.22% | 1,081 | 93.11% | 31 | 2.67% |
| 1928 | 419 | 22.42% | 1,450 | 77.58% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 17 | 1.07% | 1,576 | 98.81% | 2 | 0.13% |
| 1936 | 17 | 1.00% | 1,676 | 98.94% | 1 | 0.06% |
| 1940 | 27 | 1.46% | 1,826 | 98.49% | 1 | 0.05% |
| 1944 | 165 | 6.30% | 2,456 | 93.70% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 33 | 1.48% | 295 | 13.23% | 1,901 | 85.28% |
| 1952 | 738 | 24.39% | 2,288 | 75.61% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 277 | 10.89% | 2,055 | 80.81% | 211 | 8.30% |
| 1960 | 353 | 11.98% | 1,568 | 53.22% | 1,025 | 34.79% |
| 1964 | 4,045 | 94.44% | 238 | 5.56% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 437 | 8.48% | 352 | 6.83% | 4,367 | 84.70% |
| 1972 | 4,419 | 92.35% | 329 | 6.88% | 37 | 0.77% |
| 1976 | 3,147 | 54.75% | 2,434 | 42.35% | 167 | 2.91% |
| 1980 | 3,772 | 59.50% | 2,474 | 39.02% | 94 | 1.48% |
| 1984 | 5,116 | 76.24% | 1,573 | 23.44% | 21 | 0.31% |
| 1988 | 4,573 | 72.76% | 1,660 | 26.41% | 52 | 0.83% |
| 1992 | 4,106 | 60.49% | 1,968 | 28.99% | 714 | 10.52% |
| 1996 | 3,371 | 58.47% | 1,858 | 32.23% | 536 | 9.30% |
| 2000 | 4,838 | 74.11% | 1,620 | 24.82% | 70 | 1.07% |
| 2004 | 5,577 | 78.33% | 1,496 | 21.01% | 47 | 0.66% |
| 2008 | 6,265 | 75.44% | 1,968 | 23.70% | 72 | 0.87% |
| 2012 | 6,049 | 74.69% | 1,979 | 24.44% | 71 | 0.88% |
| 2016 | 5,928 | 77.72% | 1,617 | 21.20% | 82 | 1.08% |
| 2020 | 6,458 | 77.55% | 1,791 | 21.51% | 78 | 0.94% |
| 2024 | 6,146 | 80.07% | 1,486 | 19.36% | 44 | 0.57% |
Education
There is one school district in the county, Smith County School District.[23]
The county is in the zone for Jones College.[24]
