Wayne County, Mississippi
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.
Geography
[edit | edit source]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
[edit | edit source]- File:US 45.svg U.S. Highway 45
- File:US 84.svg U.S. Highway 84
- File:Circle sign 63.svg Mississippi Highway 63
Adjacent counties
[edit | edit source]- 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
[edit | edit source]- De Soto National Forest (part)
Demographics
[edit | edit source]Racial and ethnic composition
[edit | edit source]| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[4] | Pop 1990[5] | Pop 2000[6] | Pop 2010[7] | Pop 2020[8] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 12,651 | 12,469 | 12,955 | 12,243 | 11,313 | 66.11% | 63.89% | 61.06% | 59.01% | 57.20% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 6,313 | 6,920 | 8,017 | 8,035 | 7,708 | 32.99% | 35.46% | 37.79% | 38.73% | 38.97% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 9 | 19 | 14 | 38 | 31 | 0.05% | 0.10% | 0.07% | 0.18% | 0.16% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 12 | 32 | 31 | 34 | 35 | 0.06% | 0.16% | 0.15% | 0.16% | 0.18% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | x [9] | x [10] | 2 | 2 | 2 | x | x | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.00% | 0.01% | 0.06% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x [11] | x [12] | 63 | 146 | 336 | x | x | 0.30% | 0.70% | 1.70% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 149 | 75 | 134 | 246 | 343 | 0.78% | 0.38% | 0.63% | 1.19% | 1.73% |
| Total | 19,135 | 19,517 | 21,216 | 20,747 | 19,779 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2020 census
[edit | edit source]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.[13][14]
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.[14]
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[15]
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.[13]
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%.[13]
Communities
[edit | edit source]Cities
[edit | edit source]- Waynesboro (county seat)
Towns
[edit | edit source]- State Line (mainly located in Greene County)
Census-designated places
[edit | edit source]Unincorporated communities
[edit | edit source]Ghost towns
[edit | edit source]Politics
[edit | edit source]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 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| "text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Dixiecrat |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% |
| "text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Dixiecrat |1960 | 490 | 21.94% | 707 | 31.66% | 1,036 | 46.39% |
| 1964 | 3,539 | 92.77% | 276 | 7.23% | 0 | 0.00% |
| "text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/American Independent |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% |
| 2016 | 1 | 33.33% | 1 | 33.33% | 1 | 33.33% |
Education
[edit | edit source]There are three school districts in the county, Wayne County School District, Wayne Central School District and Waynesboro Riverview School.[18]
The county is in the zone for Jones College.[19]
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ "Census - Geography Profile: Wayne County, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
- ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Wayne County, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau.
- ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Wayne County, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau.
- ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Wayne 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.
- ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Wayne County, MS" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved September 27, 2024. - Text list
- ↑ "Profile". Jones College. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
External links
[edit | edit source]- Wayne County Sheriff's Office
- Mississippi Courthouses – Wayne County
Media related to Wayne County, Mississippi at Wikimedia Commons
