Smith County, Mississippi

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]

Smith County
County
Smith County courthouse in Raleigh
Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi
Mississippi's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°01′N 89°30′W
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
Founded	1833
Named for	David Smith
Seat	Raleigh
Largest town	Raleigh
Area
• Total	637 sq mi (1,650 km2)
• Land	636 sq mi (1,650 km2)
• Water	1.0 sq mi (3 km2)  0.2%
Population  (2020)
• Total	14,209
• Estimate  (2023)	14,099
• Density	22/sq mi (8.6/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	www.smithcountyms.gov

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

• Mississippi Highway 13
• Mississippi Highway 18
• Mississippi Highway 28
• Mississippi Highway 35
• Mississippi Highway 37
• Mississippi Highway 540
• Mississippi Highway 481
• Mississippi Highway 501
• Mississippi Highway 902

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

Historical population

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%
2023 (est.)	14,099	[4]	−0.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[5] 1790-1960[6] 1900-1990[7] 1990-2000[8] 2010-2013[9]

Smith County racial composition as of 2020^[10]

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/mtixed	279	1.96%
Hispanic or Latino	198	1.39%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 14,209 people, 5,820 households, and 4,109 families residing in the county.

Communities

Towns

• Mize
• Raleigh (county seat)
• Taylorsville
• Polkville

Village

• Sylvarena

Politics

United States presidential election results for Smith County, Mississippi^[11]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	6,458	77.55%	1,791	21.51%	78	0.94%
2016	5,928	77.72%	1,617	21.20%	82	1.08%
2012	6,049	74.69%	1,979	24.44%	71	0.88%
2008	6,265	75.44%	1,968	23.70%	72	0.87%
2004	5,577	78.33%	1,496	21.01%	47	0.66%
2000	4,838	74.11%	1,620	24.82%	70	1.07%
1996	3,371	58.47%	1,858	32.23%	536	9.30%
1992	4,106	60.49%	1,968	28.99%	714	10.52%
1988	4,573	72.76%	1,660	26.41%	52	0.83%
1984	5,116	76.24%	1,573	23.44%	21	0.31%
1980	3,772	59.50%	2,474	39.02%	94	1.48%
1976	3,147	54.75%	2,434	42.35%	167	2.91%
1972	4,419	92.35%	329	6.88%	37	0.77%
1968	437	8.48%	352	6.83%	4,367	84.70%
1964	4,045	94.44%	238	5.56%	0	0.00%
1960	353	11.98%	1,568	53.22%	1,025	34.79%
1956	277	10.89%	2,055	80.81%	211	8.30%
1952	738	24.39%	2,288	75.61%	0	0.00%
1948	33	1.48%	295	13.23%	1,901	85.28%
1944	165	6.30%	2,456	93.70%	0	0.00%
1940	27	1.46%	1,826	98.49%	1	0.05%
1936	17	1.00%	1,676	98.94%	1	0.06%
1932	17	1.07%	1,576	98.81%	2	0.13%
1928	419	22.42%	1,450	77.58%	0	0.00%
1924	49	4.22%	1,081	93.11%	31	2.67%
1920	265	21.10%	968	77.07%	23	1.83%
1916	30	2.28%	1,271	96.51%	16	1.21%
1912	12	1.31%	854	93.13%	51	5.56%

See also

• Dry counties
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Smith County, Mississippi

References

1. "Census - Geography Profile: Smith County, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
4. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
5. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
6. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
7. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
8. "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.
9. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
10. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
11. Presidential Election Results in Smith County, Mississippi, uselectionatlas.org; accessed December 5, 2017.

External links

• Smith County official website
• Media related to Smith County, Mississippi at Wikimedia Commons
• Mississippi Courthouses – Smith County

32.02°N 89.50°W / 32.02; -89.50