Washington County, Mississippi

History

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, 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. Most occurred around the turn of the 20th century, as part of white imposition of Jim Crow conditions and suppression of black voting.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 761 sqmi, of which 725 sqmi is land and 36 sqmi (4.8%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Bolivar County (north)
• Sunflower County (northeast)
• Humphreys County (east)
• Sharkey County (southeast)
• Issaquena County (south)
• Chicot County, Arkansas (west)
• Desha County, Arkansas (northwest)

National protected areas

• Holt Collier National Wildlife Refuge
• Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 44,922. The median age was 40.6 years. 23.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 86.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 82.1 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 25.1% White, 71.3% Black or African American, 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% Asian,

65.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 34.8% lived in rural areas.

There were 17,954 households in the county, of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 29.7% were married-couple households, 20.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 42.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 20,879 housing units, of which 14.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 55.1% were owner-occupied and 44.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 15.0%.

2010 census

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

As of the census of 2000, there were 62,977 people, 22,158 households, and 15,931 families living in the county. The population density was 87 /mi2. There were 24,381 housing units at an average density of 34 /mi2. 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 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 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.

1990 census

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

Major highways

• [[File:US 82.svg|21px]] U.S. Highway 82
• [[File:US 61.svg|21px]] U.S. Highway 61
• [[File:US 278.svg|21px]] U.S. Highway 278
• [[File:Circle sign 1.svg|21px]] Mississippi Highway 1
• [[File:Circle sign 12.svg|21px]] Mississippi Highway 12

Airport

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

Education

• Public School Districts
  • Greenville Public School District
  • Leland School District
  • Hollandale School District
  • Western Line School District
• Private Schools
  • Deer Creek School (Arcola)
  • Greenville Christian School
  • Saint Joseph Catholic High School (Greenville)
  • Washington School (Greenville)

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

Communities

Cities

• Greenville (third and current county seat)
• Hollandale
• Leland

Towns

• Arcola
• Metcalfe

Census-designated places

• Elizabeth
• Glen Allan
• Stoneville
• Winterville

Unincorporated communities

• Avon
• Burdett
• Chatham
• Darlove
• Erwin
• Foote
• McCutcheon
• Murphy
• Percy
• Refuge
• Tralake
• Tribbett
• Wayside
• Wilmot

Ghost towns

• New Mexico (first county seat)
• Port Anderson
• Princeton (second county seat)

Politics

Washington County has a very high African American population and is a Democratic stronghold, having been so for decades. The last Republican to carry the county was George H. W. Bush, who won it by 7 votes in 1988.

Footnotes

References

1. "Census - Geography Profile: Washington County, Mississippi". [[United States Census Bureau]].
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. (January 1861). "Map showing the distribution of the slave population of the southern states of the United States. Compiled from the census of 1860".
4. [https://eji.org/sites/default/files/lynching-in-america-third-edition-summary.pdf ''Lynching in America'', 3rd edition] {{Webarchive. link. (October 23, 2017 , Supplement by County, pg. 6)
5. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
6. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau.
7. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
8. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
9. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
10. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
11. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
12. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
13. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
14. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
15. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
16. Beckert, Sven. (2014). "Empire of Cotton: a Global History". Knopf.
17. link. (2008-05-10 ." [[U.S. Census Bureau]]. Retrieved on July 15, 2011.)
18. Geography Division. (December 21, 2020). "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Washington County, MS". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
19. "[http://www.pillowacademy.com/profile.htm Profile of Pillow Academy 2010-2011] {{webarchive. link. (2001-12-01 ." Pillow Academy. Retrieved on March 25, 2012.)
20. Lynch, Adam. (November 18, 2009). "Ceara's Season".
21. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
22. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".