Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi

For the parish in Louisiana, see Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana. For other counties named after Jefferson Davis, see Jeff Davis County (disambiguation).

Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi
Jefferson Davis County courthouse in Prentiss, Mississippi
Location in the state of Mississippi
Mississippi's location in the U.S.
Founded	1906
Seat	Prentiss
Largest Town	Prentiss
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	409.10 sq mi (1,060 km²) 408.41 sq mi (1,058 km²) 0.70 sq mi (2 km²), 0.17%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	12,487 34/sq mi (13/km²)

Jefferson Davis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of 2010, the population was 12,487. It is named in honor of Mississippi Senator and Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Its county seat is Prentiss. The county was carved out of Covington and Lawrence Counties on March 1906. Governor James K. Vardaman signed the bill creating the county on May 9, 1906.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 409.10 square miles (1,059.6 km²), of which 408.41 square miles (1,057.8 km²) (or 99.83%) is land and 0.70 square miles (1.8 km²) (or 0.17%) is water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 84
• Mississippi Highway 13
• Mississippi Highway 35
• Mississippi Highway 42
• Mississippi Highway 43

Adjacent counties

• Simpson County (north)
• Covington County (east)
• Lamar County (southeast)
• Marion County (south)
• Lawrence County (west)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1910	12,860		—
1920	12,755		−0.8%
1930	14,281		12.0%
1940	15,869		11.1%
1950	15,500		−2.3%
1960	13,540		−12.6%
1970	12,936		−4.5%
1980	13,846		7.0%
1990	14,051		1.5%
2000	13,962		−0.6%
2010	12,487		−10.6%
MS Counties 1900-1990 GeoHive - 2000 & 2010 statistics

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,962 people, 5,177 households, and 3,768 families residing in the county. The population density was 34 people per square mile (13/km²). There were 5,891 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 41.66% White, 57.38% Black or African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.08% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. 0.77% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,177 households out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 21.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.2% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.20.

In the county the population was spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $21,834, and the median income for a family was $27,594. Males had a median income of $23,942 versus $16,510 for females. The per capita income for the county was $11,974. About 23.2% of families and 28.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.7% of those under age 18 and 24.5% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

• Towns
  • Bassfield
  • Prentiss

• Unincorporated places
  • Carson
  • Oak Vale (partly in Lawrence County)

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi

External links

• Jefferson Davis County Courthouse Pictures
• Jefferson Davis County Website