Simpson County, Mississippi

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Simpson County, Mississippi
Simpson County courthouse in Mendenhall
Location in the state of Mississippi
Mississippi's location in the U.S.
Founded	1824
Named for	Josiah Simpson
Seat	Mendenhall
Largest city	Magee
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	590 sq mi (1,528 km²) 589 sq mi (1,526 km²) 1.3 sq mi (3 km²), 0.2
Population  - (2020)  - Density	25,949
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 2020 census, the population was 25,949. The county seat is Mendenhall. The county is named for Judge Josiah Simpson.

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

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 populations
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%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020

2020 census

Simpson County racial composition

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	15,928	61.38%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	8,803	33.92%
Native American	36	0.14%
Asian	84	0.32%
Pacific Islander	2	0.01%
Other/Mixed	710	2.74%
Hispanic or Latino	386	1.49%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 25,949 people, 9,486 households, and 6,617 families residing in the county.

2000 census

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
• Sanatorium

Ghost town

• Westville

Politics

United States presidential election results for Simpson County, Mississippi

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	7,635	64.62%	4,037	34.17%	143	1.21%
2016	7,393	64.74%	3,874	33.93%	152	1.33%
2012	7,424	60.61%	4,723	38.56%	102	0.83%
2008	7,641	60.59%	4,817	38.20%	152	1.21%
2004	7,138	68.15%	3,272	31.24%	64	0.61%
2000	6,254	65.32%	3,227	33.71%	93	0.97%
1996	4,455	56.56%	2,851	36.19%	571	7.25%
1992	5,358	57.45%	3,213	34.45%	755	8.10%
1988	6,151	66.69%	3,016	32.70%	56	0.61%
1984	5,983	67.04%	2,894	32.43%	47	0.53%
1980	5,190	55.60%	4,015	43.01%	129	1.38%
1976	4,291	53.91%	3,600	45.23%	69	0.87%
1972	5,669	85.87%	871	13.19%	62	0.94%
1968	875	12.47%	1,079	15.37%	5,064	72.16%
1964	4,949	94.81%	271	5.19%	0	0.00%
1960	606	18.89%	1,034	32.23%	1,568	48.88%
1956	467	14.64%	2,140	67.11%	582	18.25%
1952	878	24.09%	2,767	75.91%	0	0.00%
1948	59	2.29%	171	6.65%	2,342	91.06%
1944	78	3.06%	2,470	96.94%	0	0.00%
1940	40	1.70%	2,316	98.26%	1	0.04%
1936	48	1.92%	2,445	98.04%	1	0.04%
1932	47	2.36%	1,941	97.59%	1	0.05%
1928	231	10.88%	1,893	89.12%	0	0.00%
1924	100	6.15%	1,518	93.42%	7	0.43%
1920	109	10.63%	902	88.00%	14	1.37%
1916	34	3.38%	966	96.02%	6	0.60%
1912	19	2.79%	606	88.86%	57	8.36%

See also

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