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 Josiah Simpson (1787–1817), a territorial judge who also served as a delegate to Mississippi's Constitutional Convention.Blakeney, Amanda. 2022. 1/82: Simpson County. Mississippi Landmarks (Mississippi State University), Vol. 18, No. 2, Page 27, October 2022. Simpson County is part of the Jackson, Mississippi metropolitan area.

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (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

Racial and ethnic composition +Simpson County, Mississippi – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)16,10016,08617,68617,13115,92868.68%67.16%63.99%62.29%61.38%Black or African American alone (NH)7,1357,7329,4329,6248,80330.44%32.28%34.13%34.99%33.92%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)15463235360.06%0.19%0.12%0.13%0.14%Asian alone (NH)9223578840.04%0.09%0.13%0.28%0.32%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census3342xx0.01%0.12%0.01%Other race alone (NH)10616620.00%0.00%0.02%0.06%0.24%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census127198648xx0.46%0.72%2.50%Hispanic or Latino (any race)181673183873860.77%0.28%1.15%1.41%1.49%Total23,44123,95327,63927,50325,949 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 25,949. The median age was 40.4 years. 24.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.6 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 61.6% White, 34.1% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.9% from some other race, and 2.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.5% of the population.

<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 10,014 households in the county, of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.1% were married-couple households, 18.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 11,559 housing units, of which 13.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 75.8% were owner-occupied and 24.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.1%.

Communities Cities Magee Mendenhall

Town D'Lo

Village Braxton

Unincorporated communities Harrisville Merry Hell Pinola Sanatorium Saratoga

Ghost town Westville

Politics Simpson county used to be democratic in the Solid South era, but it has since become more republican. It has not supported a Democratic presidential candidate since 1956, nor any third-party candidates since 1968.[citation needed.]

Education Simpson County School District is the local school district. - Text list

It is in the district of Copiah–Lincoln Community College, and has been since 1934. The district maintains the Simpson County Center.

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

References

External links

Mississippi Courthouses – Simpson County