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Washington County, Mississippi

Coordinates: 33°17′N 90°57′W / 33.29°N 90.95°W / 33.29; -90.95
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Washington County
County
First National Bank of Greenville
First National Bank of Greenville
Map of Mississippi highlighting Washington County
Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi
Map of the United States highlighting Mississippi
Mississippi's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 33°17′N 90°57′W / 33.29°N 90.95°W / 33.29; -90.95
Country United States
State Mississippi
Founded1827
Named forGeorge Washington
SeatGreenville
Largest cityGreenville
Area
 • Total
761 sq mi (1,970 km2)
 • Land725 sq mi (1,880 km2)
 • Water36 sq mi (90 km2)  4.8%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
44,922
 • Estimate 
(2023)
41,946 Decrease
 • Density59/sq mi (23/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district2nd
Websitewww.washingtoncounty.ms

Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,922.[1] Its county seat is Greenville.[2] The county is named in honor of the first president of the United States, George Washington. It is located next to the Arkansas border. The Greenville, MS Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Washington County. It is located in the Mississippi Delta.

History

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Located in the Mississippi Delta, Washington County was first developed for cotton cultivation in the antebellum years. Most plantations were developed to have access to the rivers, which were the major transportation routes. Cotton was based on slave labor.

In an 1860 Census,[3] Washington County had an enslaved population of 92.3%, the second-highest anywhere in the country, only behind Issaquena County, Mississippi (92.5%). In the period from 1877 to 1950, Washington County had 12 documented lynchings of African Americans.[4] Most occurred around the turn of the 20th century, as part of white imposition of Jim Crow conditions and suppression of black voting.

Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 761 square miles (1,970 km2), of which 725 square miles (1,880 km2) is land and 36 square miles (93 km2) (4.8%) is water.[5]

Adjacent counties

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National protected areas

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18301,976—
18407,287268.8%
18508,38915.1%
186015,67986.9%
187014,569−7.1%
188025,36774.1%
189040,41459.3%
190049,21621.8%
191048,933−0.6%
192051,0924.4%
193054,3106.3%
194067,57624.4%
195070,5044.3%
196078,63811.5%
197070,581−10.2%
198072,3442.5%
199067,935−6.1%
200062,977−7.3%
201051,137−18.8%
202044,922−12.2%
2023 (est.)41,946[6]−6.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]
1990-2000[10] 2010-2013[11]

2020 census

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Washington County Racial Composition[12]
Race Num. Perc.
White 11,180 24.89%
Black or African American 31,919 71.05%
Native American 48 0.11%
Asian 302 0.67%
Pacific Islander 5 0.01%
Other/Mixed 884 1.97%
Hispanic or Latino 584 1.3%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 44,922 people, 17,988 households, and 11,232 families residing in the county.

2010 census

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As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 51,137 people living in the county. 71.3% were Black or African American, 27.0% White, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% Native American, 0.4% of some other race and 0.6% of two or more races. 1.0% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

2000 census

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As of the census[13] of 2000, there were 62,977 people, 22,158 households, and 15,931 families living in the county. The population density was 87 people per square mile (34 people/km2). There were 24,381 housing units at an average density of 34 units per square mile (13 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 69.57% Black or African American, 33.97% White, 0.09% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. 0.84% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

According to the census[13] of 2000, the largest ancestry groups in Washington County were African 69.57%, English 21.4%, Scottish 8.2% and Scots-Irish 3.1%

Washington County by 2005 was 67.2% African-American in population. Latinos constituted 1.1% of the population in the county while non-Hispanic whites made up 31.7% of the population.

As of the census[13] of 2000, there were 22,158 households, out of which 36.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.60% were married couples living together, 26.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 24.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.35.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 31.50% under the age of 18, 10.10% from 18 to 24, 26.50% from 25 to 44, 20.50% from 45 to 64, and 11.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 87.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,757, and the median income for a family was $30,324. Males had a median income of $28,266 versus $20,223 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,430. About 24.90% of families and 29.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.40% of those under age 18 and 24.60% of those age 65 or over.

Washington County's demographics are rooted in the region's mid-nineteenth-century ascendance in cotton production and, accordingly, importation of people as slaves. According to the historian Sven Beckert, the county had "more than ten slaves for every white inhabitant" in 1840, and "every white family in the county held on average more than eighty slaves" by 1850.[14]

1990 census

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As of the census of 1990, there were 67,935 people living in the county. The racial makeup of the county was 57.46% (39,035) Black or African American, 41.47% (28,174) White, 0.08% (53) Native American, 0.36% (244) Asian, and 0.02% (13) from other races. 0.61% (416) were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Transportation

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Major highways

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Airport

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Mid Delta Regional Airport, owned by the City of Greenville, is located in an unincorporated area in the county.[15]

Education

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Pillow Academy in unincorporated Leflore County, near Greenwood, enrolls some students from Washington County.[17] It originally was a segregation academy.[18]

Communities

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Cities

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Towns

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Census-designated places

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Unincorporated communities

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Ghost towns

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Politics

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United States presidential election results for Washington County, Mississippi[19]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 5,300 29.39% 12,503 69.33% 231 1.28%
2016 5,244 31.17% 11,380 67.64% 201 1.19%
2012 5,651 28.66% 13,981 70.92% 83 0.42%
2008 6,347 32.41% 13,148 67.14% 88 0.45%
2004 7,731 39.45% 11,569 59.03% 297 1.52%
2000 7,367 40.20% 10,405 56.77% 556 3.03%
1996 6,762 38.77% 10,053 57.64% 625 3.58%
1992 7,598 38.59% 10,588 53.78% 1,503 7.63%
1988 10,229 49.45% 10,222 49.41% 236 1.14%
1984 12,454 53.19% 10,617 45.34% 343 1.46%
1980 8,978 44.63% 10,722 53.30% 417 2.07%
1976 7,474 41.18% 9,650 53.17% 1,025 5.65%
1972 9,634 63.78% 4,623 30.61% 847 5.61%
1968 3,500 22.85% 5,520 36.03% 6,300 41.12%
1964 5,611 73.68% 2,004 26.32% 0 0.00%
1960 2,292 34.44% 3,105 46.66% 1,258 18.90%
1956 1,973 35.94% 2,722 49.58% 795 14.48%
1952 3,301 55.77% 2,618 44.23% 0 0.00%
1948 271 9.10% 260 8.73% 2,448 82.18%
1944 454 18.41% 2,012 81.59% 0 0.00%
1940 292 11.05% 2,349 88.91% 1 0.04%
1936 94 4.19% 2,143 95.63% 4 0.18%
1932 100 5.57% 1,691 94.21% 4 0.22%
1928 246 14.12% 1,496 85.88% 0 0.00%
1924 143 10.06% 1,277 89.80% 2 0.14%
1920 60 7.17% 776 92.71% 1 0.12%
1916 47 5.30% 836 94.36% 3 0.34%
1912 20 2.42% 731 88.39% 76 9.19%

See also

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Washington County, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ "Map showing the distribution of the slave population of the southern states of the United States. Compiled from the census of 1860". Library of Congress.
  4. ^ Lynching in America, 3rd edition Archived October 23, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, Supplement by County, pg. 6
  5. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  6. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  7. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  8. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  9. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  10. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  11. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  12. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  13. ^ a b c "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  14. ^ Beckert, Sven (2014). Empire of Cotton: a Global History. New York: Knopf.
  15. ^ "Greenville city, Mississippi Archived 2008-05-10 at the Wayback Machine." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on July 15, 2011.
  16. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Washington County, MS" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 9, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2022. - Text list
  17. ^ "Profile of Pillow Academy 2010-2011 Archived 2001-12-01 at the Library of Congress Web Archives." Pillow Academy. Retrieved on March 25, 2012.
  18. ^ Lynch, Adam (November 18, 2009). "Ceara's Season". Jackson Free Press. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  19. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved February 20, 2021.

Further reading

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  • Russell S. Hall, Princella W. Nowell, and Stacy Childress, Washington County, Mississippi. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2000.
  • Bern Keating, A History of Washington County, Mississippi. Greenville, MS: Greenville Junior Auxiliary, 1976.
  • John L. McCoy, Factors Associated with Level-of-Living in Washington County, Mississippi. US Department of Agriculture Technical Bulletin no. 1501. Washington, DC: US Dept. of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, 1974.
  • William Bert Thompson, A History of the Greenville, Mississippi, Public Schools under the Administration of E.E. Bass, 1884-1932. MA thesis. University, MS: University of Mississippi, 1968.

33°17′N 90°57′W / 33.29°N 90.95°W / 33.29; -90.95

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