Smith County, Mississippi | |
|---|---|
 Smith County Courthouse in Raleigh | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi | |
| Coordinates: 32°01′N 89°30′W / 32.02°N 89.5°W / 32.02; -89.5 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Mississippi |
| Founded | 1833 |
| Named after | David Smith |
| Seat | Raleigh |
| Largest town | Taylorsville |
| Area | |
• Total | 637 sq mi (1,650 km2) |
| • Land | 636 sq mi (1,650 km2) |
| • Water | 1.0 sq mi (2.6 km2) 0.2% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 14,209 |
• Estimate (2024) | 14,051  |
| • Density | 22.3/sq mi (8.63/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Website | www.smithcountyms.gov |
Smith County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,209.[1] Its county seat is Raleigh.[2]
History
Smith County is named for Major David Smith.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 637 square miles (1,650 km2), of which 636 square miles (1,650 km2) is land and 1.0 square mile (2.6 km2) (0.2%) is water.[3]
Major highways
Adjacent counties
- Scott County (north)
- Jasper County (east)
- Jones County (southeast)
- Covington County (south)
- Simpson County (west)
- Rankin County (northwest)
National protected area
- Bienville National Forest (part)
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1840 | 1,961 | — | |
| 1850 | 4,071 | 107.6% | |
| 1860 | 7,638 | 87.6% | |
| 1870 | 7,126 | −6.7% | |
| 1880 | 8,088 | 13.5% | |
| 1890 | 10,635 | 31.5% | |
| 1900 | 13,055 | 22.8% | |
| 1910 | 16,603 | 27.2% | |
| 1920 | 16,178 | −2.6% | |
| 1930 | 18,405 | 13.8% | |
| 1940 | 19,403 | 5.4% | |
| 1950 | 16,740 | −13.7% | |
| 1960 | 14,303 | −14.6% | |
| 1970 | 13,561 | −5.2% | |
| 1980 | 15,077 | 11.2% | |
| 1990 | 14,798 | −1.9% | |
| 2000 | 16,182 | 9.4% | |
| 2010 | 16,491 | 1.9% | |
| 2020 | 14,209 | −13.8% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 14,051 | [4] | −1.1% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[5] 1790-1960[6] 1900-1990[7] 1990-2000[8] 2010-2013[9] | |||
2020 census
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 10,582 | 74.47% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 3,111 | 21.89% |
| Native American | 20 | 0.14% |
| Asian | 19 | 0.13% |
| Other/mixed | 279 | 1.96% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 198 | 1.39% |
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 14,209. The median age was 44.1 years. 22.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.1 males age 18 and over.[11][12]
The racial makeup of the county was 74.7% White, 21.9% Black or African American, 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.4% of the population.[12]
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[13]
There were 5,692 households in the county, of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.9% were married-couple households, 17.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[11]
There were 6,622 housing units, of which 14.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 84.9% were owner-occupied and 15.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.1%.[11]
Communities
Towns
- Mize
- Raleigh (county seat)
- Taylorsville
- Polkville
Village
Unincorporated communities
Ghost town
Politics
Smith County is currently a Republican stronghold, although, like most of Mississippi, it was heavily Democratic up until the 1960s. Recently, in 2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump broke 80% of the vote in the county for the first time since 1972.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| № | % | № | % | № | % | |
| 1912 | 12 | 1.31% | 854 | 93.13% | 51 | 5.56% |
| 1916 | 30 | 2.28% | 1,271 | 96.51% | 16 | 1.21% |
| 1920 | 265 | 21.10% | 968 | 77.07% | 23 | 1.83% |
| 1924 | 49 | 4.22% | 1,081 | 93.11% | 31 | 2.67% |
| 1928 | 419 | 22.42% | 1,450 | 77.58% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 17 | 1.07% | 1,576 | 98.81% | 2 | 0.13% |
| 1936 | 17 | 1.00% | 1,676 | 98.94% | 1 | 0.06% |
| 1940 | 27 | 1.46% | 1,826 | 98.49% | 1 | 0.05% |
| 1944 | 165 | 6.30% | 2,456 | 93.70% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 33 | 1.48% | 295 | 13.23% | 1,901 | 85.28% |
| 1952 | 738 | 24.39% | 2,288 | 75.61% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 277 | 10.89% | 2,055 | 80.81% | 211 | 8.30% |
| 1960 | 353 | 11.98% | 1,568 | 53.22% | 1,025 | 34.79% |
| 1964 | 4,045 | 94.44% | 238 | 5.56% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 437 | 8.48% | 352 | 6.83% | 4,367 | 84.70% |
| 1972 | 4,419 | 92.35% | 329 | 6.88% | 37 | 0.77% |
| 1976 | 3,147 | 54.75% | 2,434 | 42.35% | 167 | 2.91% |
| 1980 | 3,772 | 59.50% | 2,474 | 39.02% | 94 | 1.48% |
| 1984 | 5,116 | 76.24% | 1,573 | 23.44% | 21 | 0.31% |
| 1988 | 4,573 | 72.76% | 1,660 | 26.41% | 52 | 0.83% |
| 1992 | 4,106 | 60.49% | 1,968 | 28.99% | 714 | 10.52% |
| 1996 | 3,371 | 58.47% | 1,858 | 32.23% | 536 | 9.30% |
| 2000 | 4,838 | 74.11% | 1,620 | 24.82% | 70 | 1.07% |
| 2004 | 5,577 | 78.33% | 1,496 | 21.01% | 47 | 0.66% |
| 2008 | 6,265 | 75.44% | 1,968 | 23.70% | 72 | 0.87% |
| 2012 | 6,049 | 74.69% | 1,979 | 24.44% | 71 | 0.88% |
| 2016 | 5,928 | 77.72% | 1,617 | 21.20% | 82 | 1.08% |
| 2020 | 6,458 | 77.55% | 1,791 | 21.51% | 78 | 0.94% |
| 2024 | 6,146 | 80.07% | 1,486 | 19.36% | 44 | 0.57% |
Education
There is one school district in the county, Smith County School District.[15]
The county is in the zone for Jones College.[16]
See also
References
- ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Smith County, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ "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. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 17, 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.
- ^ Presidential Election Results in Smith County, Mississippi, uselectionatlas.org; accessed December 5, 2017.
- ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Smith County, MS" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved September 27, 2024. - Text list
- ^ "Profile". Jones College. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
External links
- Smith County official website
Media related to Smith County, Mississippi at Wikimedia Commons- Mississippi Courthouses – Smith County
32°01′N 89°30′W / 32.02°N 89.50°W / 32.02; -89.50