Adams County, Mississippi

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Template:Infobox U.S. county

File:Stone wall to protect Natchez, MS, from the river IMG 6942.JPG
Stone wall provides protection to Natchez, Mississippi from the Mississippi River.
File:Overview of part of Natchez City Cemetery in Adams Co., MS IMG 6996.JPG
A portion of the historic Natchez City Cemetery in Adams County

Adams County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 29,538.[1] The county seat is Natchez.[2] The county is the first to have been organized in the former Mississippi Territory. It is named for the second President of the United States, John Adams, who held that office when the county was organized in 1799. Adams County is part of the Natchez micropolitan area, which consists of Adams County, Mississippi, and Concordia Parish, Louisiana.

History

Adams County was created on April 2, 1799, from part of Pickering Territorial County. The county was organized eighteen years before Mississippi became a state. Five Mississippi governors have come from Adams County: David Holmes, George Poindexter, John A. Quitman, Gerard Brandon, and William Allain.

In 1860, before the American Civil War, Adams County had one of the highest concentrations of wealth in the United States, much of it derived from the plantation economy and the labor of enslaved African Americans.[3]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 488 square miles (1,260 km2), of which 462 square miles (1,200 km2) is land and 25 square miles (65 km2) (5.2%) is water.[4]

Major highways

Adjacent counties and parishes

National protected areas

Demographics

Template:US Census population

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 29,538. The median age was 43.7 years. 20.3% of residents were under the age of 18, and 21.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.0 males age 18 and over.[5][6]

The racial makeup of the county was 37.2% White, 56.8% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.6% from some other race, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.4% of the population.[6]

63.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 36.5% lived in rural areas.[7]

There were 12,686 households in the county, of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 31.5% were married-couple households, 21.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 42.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[5]

There were 14,885 housing units, of which 14.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 66.7% were owner-occupied, and 33.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.7%, and the rental vacancy rate was 10.0%.[5]

Racial and ethnic composition

Adams County, Mississippi – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 1980[8] Pop 1990[9] Pop 2000[10] Pop 2010[11] Pop 2020[12] % 1980 % 1990 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 19,453 17,938 15,701 12,485 10,926 51.14% 50.74% 45.72% 38.66% 36.99%
Black or African American alone (NH) 18,240 17,162 18,026 17,150 16,709 47.96% 48.54% 52.49% 53.10% 56.57%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 13 38 49 76 56 0.03% 0.11% 0.14% 0.24% 0.19%
Asian alone (NH) 44 62 85 126 165 0.12% 0.18% 0.25% 0.39% 0.56%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) x [13] x [14] 4 3 7 x x 0.01% 0.01% 0.02%
Other race alone (NH) 9 4 12 23 35 0.02% 0.01% 0.03% 0.07% 0.12%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) x [15] x [16] 190 284 628 x x 0.55% 0.88% 2.13%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 276 152 273 2,150 1,012 0.73% 0.43% 0.79% 6.66% 3.43%
Total 38,035 35,356 34,340 32,297 29,538 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 32,297 people, 11,237 households, and 6,650 families residing in the county. In 2010, 53.5% were Black or African American, 42.7% White, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 1.7% of some other race and 1.4% of two or more races. 6.7% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

Education

All residents of the county are in the Natchez-Adams School District.[17]

Alcorn State University, a historically black college designated as a land-grant institution, has its School of Business and School of Nursing in Natchez. The School of Business offers a Master of Business Administration degree and some undergraduate classes at its Natchez campus.

It is in the district of Copiah–Lincoln Community College, and has been since 1971.[18] There is a campus in Natchez.[19] This is adjacent to the Natchez campus of Alcorn State University.

Economy

Adams County Correctional Center, a private prison operated by the Corrections Corporation of America on behalf of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, is in an unincorporated area in the county.[20]

Top employers

The top employers of Adams County are as follows:

  1. Natchez-Adams School District (620)
  2. Merit Health Natchez (425)
  3. Adams County Correctional Center (380)
  4. Walmart (365)
  5. City of Natchez (275)
  6. Magnolia Bluffs Casino (250)
  7. Jordan Carriers (250)
  8. Supermarket Operations (250)
  9. Adams County Government (220)
  10. Energy Drilling (220)

Communities

City

  • Natchez (county seat and only municipality)

Unincorporated areas

Census-designated places

Other communities

Ghost/extinct towns

Politics

United States presidential election results for Adams County, Mississippi[21][22]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
1912 31 4.06% 491 64.35% 241 31.59%
1916 42 5.88% 671 93.98% 1 0.14%
1920 114 15.02% 642 84.58% 3 0.40%
1924 304 26.30% 836 72.32% 16 1.38%
1928 840 38.59% 1,337 61.41% 0 0.00%
1932 384 21.11% 1,420 78.06% 15 0.82%
1936 124 6.67% 1,732 93.12% 4 0.22%
1940 166 8.15% 1,869 91.80% 1 0.05%
1944 282 14.69% 1,638 85.31% 0 0.00%
"text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Dixiecrat |1948 95 4.32% 71 3.23% 2,034 92.45%
1952 2,372 58.29% 1,697 41.71% 0 0.00%
1956 1,664 40.64% 1,279 31.24% 1,151 28.11%
"text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Dixiecrat |1960 1,227 23.57% 1,452 27.90% 2,526 48.53%
1964 5,900 84.37% 1,093 15.63% 0 0.00%
"text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/American Independent |1968 1,475 10.93% 5,214 38.62% 6,812 50.46%
1972 8,500 67.16% 3,697 29.21% 460 3.63%
1976 6,431 46.40% 6,619 47.75% 811 5.85%
1980 7,523 48.97% 7,228 47.05% 612 3.98%
1984 9,440 54.32% 7,849 45.17% 89 0.51%
1988 8,116 50.74% 7,732 48.34% 146 0.91%
1992 5,831 36.73% 8,255 51.99% 1,791 11.28%
1996 5,378 37.29% 8,218 56.99% 825 5.72%
2000 6,691 44.97% 8,065 54.20% 123 0.83%
2004 6,996 45.22% 8,423 54.45% 51 0.33%
2008 6,566 41.83% 9,021 57.47% 109 0.69%
2012 6,293 40.74% 9,061 58.66% 93 0.60%
2016 5,874 42.45% 7,757 56.06% 205 1.48%
2020 5,696 41.40% 7,917 57.54% 146 1.06%
2024 5,081 42.60% 6,743 56.53% 104 0.87%
2016 1 33.33% 1 33.33% 1 33.33%


Like much of the former Solid South, Adams County voted overwhelmingly Democratic during the era of white Democratic dominance and Black voter disenfranchisement that followed Reconstruction. After supporting segregationist Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond in the 1948 election, it began shifting toward the Republican Party during the broader political realignment of white Southern voters in the post–civil rights era. Since the 1992 election, Adams County has generally voted Democratic in presidential elections.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Southern economics". inside.sfuhs.org. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  4. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  7. ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  8. ↑ "1980 Census of Population - General Social and Economic Characteristics - Mississippi - Table 58 - Race by Sex: 1980 and Table 59 - Persons by Spanish Origin, Race, and Sex: 1980" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. p. 17-32. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 7, 2022 – via Wayback Machine.
  9. ↑ "1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Mississippi: Table 6 - Race and Hispanic Origin" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. p. 9-37. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 21, 2024 – via Wayback Machine.
  10. ↑ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Adams County, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau.
  11. ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Adams County, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau.
  12. ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Adams County, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau.
  13. ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
  14. ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
  15. ↑ not an option in the 1980 Census
  16. ↑ not an option in the 1990 Census
  17. ↑ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Adams County, MS" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved September 27, 2024. - Text list
  18. ↑ "History". Copiah–Lincoln Community College. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Campuses & Maps". Copiah-Lincoln Community College. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Adams County Correctional Center Archived August 1, 2016, at the Wayback Machine." Corrections Corporation of America. Retrieved on June 28, 2016. "20 Hobo Fork Road, Natchez, MS 39120"
  21. ↑ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  22. ↑ Clark, Eric (March 22, 2005). "Certification of Presidential Electors" (PDF). Secretary of State of Mississippi. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 1, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2026.

Sources

Template:Geographic Location

Template:Adams County, Mississippi Template:Mississippi

Coordinates: 31°29′N 91°21′W / 31.48°N 91.35°W / 31.48; -91.35

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