Simpson County, Mississippi
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.
Geography
[edit]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
[edit]- File:US 49.svg U.S. Highway 49
- File:Circle sign 13.svg Mississippi Highway 13
- File:Circle sign 28.svg Mississippi Highway 28
- File:Circle sign 43.svg Mississippi Highway 43
- File:Circle sign 149.svg Mississippi Highway 149
Adjacent counties
[edit]- Rankin County (north)
- Smith County (east)
- Covington County (southeast)
- Jefferson Davis County (south)
- Lawrence County (southwest)
- Copiah County (west)
Demographics
[edit]Racial and ethnic composition
[edit]| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980 | Pop 1990 | Pop 2000[6] | Pop 2010[7] | Pop 2020[8] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 16,100 | 16,086 | 17,686 | 17,131 | 15,928 | 68.68% | 67.16% | 63.99% | 62.29% | 61.38% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 7,135 | 7,732 | 9,432 | 9,624 | 8,803 | 30.44% | 32.28% | 34.13% | 34.99% | 33.92% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 15 | 46 | 32 | 35 | 36 | 0.06% | 0.19% | 0.12% | 0.13% | 0.14% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 9 | 22 | 35 | 78 | 84 | 0.04% | 0.09% | 0.13% | 0.28% | 0.32% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | x [9] | x [10] | 3 | 34 | 2 | x | x | 0.01% | 0.12% | 0.01% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 1 | 0 | 6 | 16 | 62 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.02% | 0.06% | 0.24% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x [11] | x [12] | 127 | 198 | 648 | x | x | 0.46% | 0.72% | 2.50% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 181 | 67 | 318 | 387 | 386 | 0.77% | 0.28% | 1.15% | 1.41% | 1.49% |
| Total | 23,441 | 23,953 | 27,639 | 27,503 | 25,949 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2020 census
[edit]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
[edit]Cities
[edit]Town
[edit]Village
[edit]Unincorporated communities
[edit]Ghost town
[edit]Politics
[edit]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 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| "text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Dixiecrat |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% |
| "text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Dixiecrat |1960 | 606 | 18.89% | 1,034 | 32.23% | 1,568 | 48.88% |
| 1964 | 4,949 | 94.81% | 271 | 5.19% | 0 | 0.00% |
| "text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/American Independent |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% |
| 2016 | 1 | 33.33% | 1 | 33.33% | 1 | 33.33% |
Education
[edit]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]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Census - Geography Profile: Simpson County, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
- ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ↑ "The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Simpson". politicalgraveyard.com. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
- ↑ Blakeney, Amanda. 2022. 1/82: Simpson County. Mississippi Landmarks (Mississippi State University), Vol. 18, No. 2, Page 27, October 2022.
- ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ↑ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Simpson County, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau.
- ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Simpson County, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau.
- ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Simpson County, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau.
- ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
- ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
- ↑ not an option in the 1980 Census
- ↑ not an option in the 1990 Census
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
- ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
- ↑ Presidential Elections Results, uselectionatlas.org; accessed December 6, 2017.
- ↑ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Simpson County, MS" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved May 5, 2023. - Text list
- ↑ "History". Copiah–Lincoln Community College. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
- ↑ "Campuses and Maps". Copiah–Lincoln Community College. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
External links
[edit]- Media related to Simpson County, Mississippi at Wikimedia Commons
- Mississippi Courthouses – Simpson County