Prentiss County, Mississippi

For the town, see Prentiss, Mississippi.

Prentiss County, Mississippi
The Prentiss County courthouse in Booneville
Location in the U.S. state of Mississippi
Mississippi's location in the U.S.
Founded	1870
Named for	Seargent Smith Prentiss
Seat	Booneville
Largest city	Booneville
Area
• Total	418 sq mi (1,083 km2)
• Land	415 sq mi (1,075 km2)
• Water	3.2 sq mi (8 km2), 0.8%
Population
• (2010)	25,276
• Density	61/sq mi (24/km²)
Congressional district	1st
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5

Prentiss County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 25,275. Its county seat is Booneville. The county is named for Seargent Smith Prentiss, a famous speaker and debater from Natchez, MS. (Seargent was his first name, not a military title).

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 418 square miles (1,080 km²), of which 415 square miles (1,070 km²) is land and 3.2 square miles (8.3 km²) (0.8%) is water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 45
• Mississippi Highway 4
• 20px Mississippi Highway 30
• Mississippi Highway 145

Adjacent counties

• Alcorn County (north)
• Tishomingo County (east)
• Itawamba County (southeast)
• Lee County (southwest)
• Union County (west)
• Tippah County (northwest)

National protected area

• Natchez Trace Parkway (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1870	9,348		—
1880	12,158		30.1%
1890	13,679		12.5%
1900	15,788		15.4%
1910	16,931		7.2%
1920	17,606		4.0%
1930	19,265		9.4%
1940	20,921		8.6%
1950	19,810		−5.3%
1960	17,949		−9.4%
1970	20,133		12.2%
1980	24,025		19.3%
1990	23,278		−3.1%
2000	25,556		9.8%
2010	25,276		−1.1%
Est. 2014	25,428		0.6%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

As of the census of 2000, there were 25,556 people, 9,821 households, and 7,169 families residing in the county. The population density was 62 people per square mile (24/km²). There were 10,681 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 85.85% White, 12.94% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.17% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. 0.69% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

In 2000 there were 9,821 households out of which 33.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.30% were married couples living together, 12.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.00% were non-families. 24.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.00% under the age of 18, 11.60% from 18 to 24, 27.10% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 94.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,446, and the median income for a family was $35,125. Males had a median income of $26,862 versus $19,766 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,131. About 13.10% of families and 16.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.60% of those under age 18 and 22.40% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Baldwyn (partly in Lee County)
• Booneville (county seat)

Towns

• Jumpertown
• Marietta

Unincorporated communities

• Altitude
• Blackland
• Hobo Station
• New Site
• Thrasher
• Wheeler

See also

• Dry counties
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Prentiss County, Mississippi
• Jacinto, historic county seat of Prentiss' parent county, Old Tishomingo County, Mississippi

External links

• Prentiss County Voice