Simpson County, Mississippi

Simpson County, Mississippi
Simpson County courthouse in Mendenhall
Location in the U.S. state of Mississippi
Mississippi's location in the U.S.
Founded	1824
Seat	Mendenhall
Largest city	Magee
Area
• Total	590 sq mi (1,528 km2)
• Land	589 sq mi (1,526 km2)
• Water	1.3 sq mi (3 km2), 0.2%
Population
• (2010)	27,503
• Density	47/sq mi (18/km²)
Congressional district	3rd
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5

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 2010 census, the population was 27,503. The county seat is Mendenhall. The county is named for judge Josiah Simpson.

Simpson County is part of the Jackson, MS Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Spencer Myrick, a member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature, and his brother, Bill, a Country music figure in Odessa, Texas, were born in Simpson County. They were reared in West Carroll Parish in northeastern Louisiana.

Geography

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.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 49
• Mississippi Highway 13
• Mississippi Highway 28
• Mississippi Highway 43
• Mississippi Highway 149

Adjacent counties

• Rankin County (north)
• Smith County (east)
• Covington County (southeast)
• Jefferson Davis County (south)
• Lawrence County (southwest)
• Copiah County (west)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1830	2,680		—
1840	3,380		26.1%
1850	4,734		40.1%
1860	6,080		28.4%
1870	5,718		−6.0%
1880	8,008		40.0%
1890	10,138		26.6%
1900	12,800		26.3%
1910	17,201		34.4%
1920	18,109		5.3%
1930	20,897		15.4%
1940	22,024		5.4%
1950	21,819		−0.9%
1960	20,454		−6.3%
1970	19,947		−2.5%
1980	23,441		17.5%
1990	23,953		2.2%
2000	27,639		15.4%
2010	27,503		−0.5%
Est. 2014	27,463		−0.1%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

As of the census of 2000, there were 27,639 people, 10,076 households, and 7,385 families residing in the county. The population density was 47 people per square mile (18/km²). There were 11,307 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 64.39% White, 34.31% Black or African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. 1.15% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 10,076 households out of which 34.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.20% were married couples living together, 14.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.70% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the county the population was spread out with 27.90% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 22.10% from 45 to 64, and 13.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 94.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,343, and the median income for a family was $32,797. Males had a median income of $27,197 versus $20,136 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,344. About 17.50% of families and 21.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.70% of those under age 18 and 21.00% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Magee
• Mendenhall

Town

• D'Lo

Village

• Braxton

Unincorporated communities

• Harrisville
• Merry Hell
• Pinola
• Weathersby

Ghost town

• Westville

See also

• Dry counties
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Simpson County, Mississippi