Wayne County, Mississippi
County in Mississippi, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wayne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,779.[1] Its county seat is Waynesboro.[2] The county is named for General Anthony Wayne.
Wayne County, Mississippi | |
|---|---|
Wayne County Courthouse in Waynesboro | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi | |
| Coordinates: 31°38′N 88°42′W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Mississippi |
| Founded | 1809 |
| Named after | Anthony Wayne |
| Seat | Waynesboro |
| Largest city | Waynesboro |
| Area | |
• Total | 814 sq mi (2,110 km2) |
| • Land | 811 sq mi (2,100 km2) |
| • Water | 2.8 sq mi (7.3 km2) 0.3% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 19,779 |
| • Density | 24.4/sq mi (9.42/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 4th |
| Website | www |
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 814 square miles (2,110 km2), of which 811 square miles (2,100 km2) is land and 2.8 square miles (7.3 km2) (0.3%) is water.[3] It is the fifth-largest county in Mississippi by land area.
Major highways
Adjacent counties
- Clarke County (north)
- Choctaw County, Alabama (northeast)
- Washington County, Alabama (southeast)
- Greene County (south)
- Perry County (southwest)
- Jones County (west)
- Jasper County (northwest)
National protected area
- De Soto National Forest (part)
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1810 | 1,253 | — | |
| 1820 | 3,323 | 165.2% | |
| 1830 | 2,781 | −16.3% | |
| 1840 | 2,120 | −23.8% | |
| 1850 | 2,892 | 36.4% | |
| 1860 | 3,691 | 27.6% | |
| 1870 | 4,206 | 14.0% | |
| 1880 | 8,741 | 107.8% | |
| 1890 | 9,817 | 12.3% | |
| 1900 | 12,539 | 27.7% | |
| 1910 | 14,709 | 17.3% | |
| 1920 | 15,467 | 5.2% | |
| 1930 | 15,295 | −1.1% | |
| 1940 | 16,928 | 10.7% | |
| 1950 | 17,010 | 0.5% | |
| 1960 | 16,258 | −4.4% | |
| 1970 | 16,650 | 2.4% | |
| 1980 | 19,135 | 14.9% | |
| 1990 | 19,517 | 2.0% | |
| 2000 | 21,216 | 8.7% | |
| 2010 | 20,747 | −2.2% | |
| 2020 | 19,779 | −4.7% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 19,749 | [4]  | −0.2% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[5] 1790–1960[6] 1900–1990[7] 1990–2000[8] 2010–2013[9] | |||
Racial and ethnic composition
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White | 11,313 | 57.2% |
| Black or African American | 7,708 | 38.97% |
| Native American | 31 | 0.16% |
| Asian | 35 | 0.18% |
| Pacific Islander | 2 | 0.01% |
| Other/Mixed | 347 | 1.75% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 343 | 1.73% |
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 19,779. The median age was 40.1 years. 24.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 87.8 males age 18 and over.[11][12]
The racial makeup of the county was 57.4% White, 39.1% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.1% from some other race, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.7% of the population.[12]
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[13]
There were 7,977 households in the county, of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 43.4% were married-couple households, 18.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[11]
There were 9,031 housing units, of which 11.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 78.5% were owner-occupied and 21.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.8%.[11]
Communities
Cities
- Waynesboro (county seat)
Towns
- State Line (mainly located in Greene County)
Census-designated places
Unincorporated communities
- Chicora
- Eret
- Matherville
- Eucutta
- Robinsons Junction (or Robinson's Junction)
Ghost towns
Politics
Wayne County was originally a Democratic stronghold, but like many parts of Mississippi it swung to the Republican Party beginning in the 1960s. The last Democrat to win the county was Jimmy Carter in 1976, and in 2024 Donald Trump earned the highest share of the votes in the county for a Republican since the lopsided 1972 election.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 15 | 2.29% | 569 | 86.87% | 71 | 10.84% |
| 1916 | 47 | 5.41% | 787 | 90.67% | 34 | 3.92% |
| 1920 | 112 | 15.84% | 547 | 77.37% | 48 | 6.79% |
| 1924 | 56 | 5.83% | 905 | 94.17% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1928 | 289 | 23.96% | 917 | 76.04% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 23 | 2.19% | 1,023 | 97.43% | 4 | 0.38% |
| 1936 | 44 | 3.12% | 1,367 | 96.81% | 1 | 0.07% |
| 1940 | 22 | 1.56% | 1,388 | 98.44% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 35 | 2.47% | 1,380 | 97.53% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 4 | 0.29% | 137 | 9.96% | 1,235 | 89.75% |
| 1952 | 717 | 30.89% | 1,604 | 69.11% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 373 | 17.52% | 1,493 | 70.13% | 263 | 12.35% |
| 1960 | 490 | 21.94% | 707 | 31.66% | 1,036 | 46.39% |
| 1964 | 3,539 | 92.77% | 276 | 7.23% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 247 | 4.87% | 739 | 14.56% | 4,089 | 80.57% |
| 1972 | 4,648 | 82.08% | 975 | 17.22% | 40 | 0.71% |
| 1976 | 3,022 | 47.06% | 3,306 | 51.48% | 94 | 1.46% |
| 1980 | 3,844 | 52.07% | 3,494 | 47.32% | 45 | 0.61% |
| 1984 | 5,000 | 63.81% | 2,818 | 35.96% | 18 | 0.23% |
| 1988 | 4,496 | 60.64% | 2,889 | 38.97% | 29 | 0.39% |
| 1992 | 3,874 | 49.78% | 3,064 | 39.37% | 845 | 10.86% |
| 1996 | 3,219 | 49.60% | 2,652 | 40.86% | 619 | 9.54% |
| 2000 | 4,635 | 60.16% | 2,981 | 38.69% | 89 | 1.16% |
| 2004 | 5,562 | 63.25% | 3,193 | 36.31% | 39 | 0.44% |
| 2008 | 6,070 | 60.57% | 3,890 | 38.81% | 62 | 0.62% |
| 2012 | 6,111 | 59.15% | 4,148 | 40.15% | 73 | 0.71% |
| 2016 | 5,990 | 62.40% | 3,524 | 36.71% | 85 | 0.89% |
| 2020 | 6,307 | 62.72% | 3,624 | 36.04% | 125 | 1.24% |
| 2024 | 6,013 | 65.94% | 3,028 | 33.21% | 78 | 0.86% |
Education
There are three school districts in the county, Wayne County School District, Wayne Central School District and Waynesboro Riverview School.[16]
The county is in the zone for Jones College.[17]
