Stone County, Mississippi | |
|---|---|
 Stone County Courthouse in Wiggins | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi | |
| Coordinates: 30°47′N 89°07′W / 30.79°N 89.12°W / 30.79; -89.12 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Mississippi |
| Founded | 1916 |
| Named after | John M. Stone |
| Seat | Wiggins |
| Largest city | Wiggins |
| Area | |
• Total | 448 sq mi (1,160 km2) |
| • Land | 445 sq mi (1,150 km2) |
| • Water | 2.6 sq mi (6.7 km2) 0.6% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 18,333 |
• Estimate (2024) | 19,569  |
| • Density | 41.2/sq mi (15.9/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 4th |
| Website | www.stonecountyms.gov |
Stone County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,333.[1] Its county seat is Wiggins.[2] Stone County was formed from the northern portion of Harrison County on June 5, 1916.[3] The county was named for John M. Stone, who served as Governor of Mississippi from 1876 to 1882 and again from 1890 to 1896. Stone County is included in the Gulfport-Biloxi, MS Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1918, the Stone County Courthouse was completed at a cost of $29,515.18,[4] and is still in use today, after several renovations.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 448 square miles (1,160 km2), of which 445 square miles (1,150 km2) is land and 2.6 square miles (6.7 km2) (0.6%) is water.[5]
Major highways
Adjacent counties
- Perry County (northeast)
- George County (east)
- Jackson County (southeast)
- Harrison County (south)
- Pearl River County (west)
- Forrest County (northwest)
National protected areas
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 6,528 | — | |
| 1930 | 5,704 | −12.6% | |
| 1940 | 6,155 | 7.9% | |
| 1950 | 6,264 | 1.8% | |
| 1960 | 7,013 | 12.0% | |
| 1970 | 8,101 | 15.5% | |
| 1980 | 9,716 | 19.9% | |
| 1990 | 10,750 | 10.6% | |
| 2000 | 13,622 | 26.7% | |
| 2010 | 17,786 | 30.6% | |
| 2020 | 18,333 | 3.1% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 19,569 | [7] | 6.7% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10] 1990-2000[11] 2010-2013[12] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White | 13,822 | 75.39% |
| Black or African American | 3,239 | 17.67% |
| Native American | 79 | 0.43% |
| Asian | 89 | 0.49% |
| Pacific Islander | 9 | 0.05% |
| Other/Mixed | 651 | 3.55% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 444 | 2.42% |
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 18,333. The median age was 39.4 years. 22.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 108.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 108.7 males age 18 and over.[14][15]
The racial makeup of the county was 76.0% White, 17.7% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.4% from some other race, and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.4% of the population.[15]
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[16]
There were 6,572 households in the county, of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.2% were married-couple households, 17.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[14]
There were 7,499 housing units, of which 12.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 78.0% were owner-occupied and 22.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.2%.[14]
Arts and culture
On April 25, during the 2012 regular session of the Mississippi Legislature, Concurrent Resolution 643 was adopted by the state Senate and state House of Representatives, stating that Stone County be named and declared the Mural County of Mississippi.[17] During the previous 8 years, a Telling Trees Project was developed in Stone County to document and celebrate Stone County's history and heritage. As part of that project, 23 murals, in the form of paintings and mosaic tiles, were created in cooperation with the Art Department, Perkinston campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and are on public display throughout the county. The murals tell visual stories of Stone County's ecosystems, people, landmarks, and industries.[18]
Communities
Cities
- Wiggins (county seat)
Census-designated place
Unincorporated communities
Education
Public school districts
Colleges
- Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Perkinston Campus
Politics
Stone County has been a Republican stronghold for decades. The last Democrat to carry it was Jimmy Carter in 1976. In recent elections the county has been especially friendly to Republicans; Donald Trump in 2024 earned the highest share of the vote for any Republican since Nixon in 1972.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| № | % | № | % | № | % | |
| 1916 | 31 | 6.37% | 451 | 92.61% | 5 | 1.03% |
| 1920 | 16 | 5.00% | 299 | 93.44% | 5 | 1.56% |
| 1924 | 56 | 11.97% | 412 | 88.03% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1928 | 436 | 62.82% | 258 | 37.18% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 32 | 6.99% | 424 | 92.58% | 2 | 0.44% |
| 1936 | 23 | 3.29% | 675 | 96.43% | 2 | 0.29% |
| 1940 | 28 | 3.37% | 802 | 96.63% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 43 | 4.17% | 989 | 95.83% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 17 | 1.51% | 50 | 4.45% | 1,056 | 94.03% |
| 1952 | 569 | 37.09% | 965 | 62.91% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 293 | 25.09% | 761 | 65.15% | 114 | 9.76% |
| 1960 | 275 | 19.15% | 343 | 23.89% | 818 | 56.96% |
| 1964 | 1,776 | 90.84% | 179 | 9.16% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 258 | 9.51% | 314 | 11.58% | 2,140 | 78.91% |
| 1972 | 2,467 | 88.49% | 293 | 10.51% | 28 | 1.00% |
| 1976 | 1,575 | 48.05% | 1,648 | 50.27% | 55 | 1.68% |
| 1980 | 1,888 | 49.21% | 1,821 | 47.46% | 128 | 3.34% |
| 1984 | 2,980 | 71.07% | 1,185 | 28.26% | 28 | 0.67% |
| 1988 | 3,007 | 66.84% | 1,452 | 32.27% | 40 | 0.89% |
| 1992 | 2,295 | 54.53% | 1,447 | 34.38% | 467 | 11.10% |
| 1996 | 2,288 | 53.45% | 1,551 | 36.23% | 442 | 10.32% |
| 2000 | 3,702 | 67.03% | 1,677 | 30.36% | 144 | 2.61% |
| 2004 | 4,146 | 72.29% | 1,528 | 26.64% | 61 | 1.06% |
| 2008 | 5,149 | 71.06% | 1,996 | 27.55% | 101 | 1.39% |
| 2012 | 5,420 | 71.96% | 2,003 | 26.59% | 109 | 1.45% |
| 2016 | 5,306 | 75.32% | 1,573 | 22.33% | 166 | 2.36% |
| 2020 | 5,964 | 75.70% | 1,802 | 22.87% | 112 | 1.42% |
| 2024 | 6,214 | 78.47% | 1,620 | 20.46% | 85 | 1.07% |
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Stone County, Mississippi
- Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain
- Sweetbay Bogs Preserve
- List of Mississippi Landmarks in Stone County
References
- ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Stone County, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ A History of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Archived September 8, 2006, at the Wayback Machine accessed January 1, 2007.
- ^ Stone County Archived February 11, 2009, at the Wayback Machine accessed February 18, 2010.
- ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ "Sweetbay Bogs Preserve | The Nature Conservancy". www.nature.org. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
- ^ "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
- ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ "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 7, 2014.
- ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
- ^ a b c "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
- ^ a b "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
- ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
- ^ Mississippi Senate Concurrent Resolution 643 Retrieved May 3, 2012
- ^ Nicole Dow. 2012. Stone County named state's mural county.Sun Herald (Biloxi, MS), Vol. 128, No, 213, page 2A, May 3, 2012.
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
External links
Media related to Stone County, Mississippi at Wikimedia Commons- Mississippi Courthouses – Stone County
30°47′N 89°07′W / 30.79°N 89.12°W / 30.79; -89.12