Marion County, Mississippi

Not to be confused with Marion, Mississippi.

Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,441.^[1] Its county seat is Columbia.^[2] Marion County is named for American Revolutionary War guerrilla leader Francis Marion also known as The Swamp Fox.^[3]

Marion County
County
Marion County courthouse in Columbia
Flag
Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi
Mississippi's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 31°14′N 89°49′W
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
Founded	1811
Named after	Francis Marion
Seat	Columbia
Largest city	Columbia
Area
• Total	549 sq mi (1,420 km2)
• Land	542 sq mi (1,400 km2)
• Water	6.2 sq mi (16 km2)  1.1%
Population  (2020)
• Total	24,441
• Estimate  (2023)	24,224
• Density	45/sq mi (17/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	www.marioncountyms.com

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 549 square miles (1,420 km²), of which 542 square miles (1,400 km²) is land and 6.2 square miles (16 km²) (1.1%) is water.^[4]

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 98
• Mississippi Highway 13
• Mississippi Highway 35
• Mississippi Highway 43
• Mississippi Highway 44

Adjacent counties

• Jefferson Davis County (north)
• Lamar County (east)
• Pearl River County (southeast)
• Washington Parish, Louisiana (south)
• Walthall County (west)
• Lawrence County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1820	3,116		—
1830	3,691		18.5%
1840	3,830		3.8%
1850	4,410		15.1%
1860	4,686		6.3%
1870	4,211		−10.1%
1880	6,901		63.9%
1890	9,532		38.1%
1900	13,501		41.6%
1910	15,599		15.5%
1920	17,144		9.9%
1930	19,923		16.2%
1940	24,085		20.9%
1950	23,967		−0.5%
1960	23,293		−2.8%
1970	22,871		−1.8%
1980	25,708		12.4%
1990	25,544		−0.6%
2000	25,595		0.2%
2010	27,088		5.8%
2020	24,441		−9.8%
2023 (est.)	24,224	[5]	−0.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8] 1990-2000[9] 2010-2013[10]

Marion County racial composition as of 2020^[11]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	15,721	64.32%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	7,583	31.03%
Native American	42	0.17%
Asian	65	0.27%
Other/Mixed	624	2.55%
Hispanic or Latino	406	1.66%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 24,441 people, 9,483 households, and 5,863 families residing in the county.

Government and infrastructure

The Mississippi Department of Human Services's Division of Youth Services operated the Columbia Training School in unincorporated Marion County. The facility was closed in 2008.^[12][13]

Politics

Marion County is a Republican stronghold, having only voted for a Democrat once since the 1960s. Its Republican tilt has been increasingly evident in recent years, with the 2024 presidential election showing the strongest Republican support in the county since 1972.

United States presidential election results for Marion County, Mississippi^[14]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	7,874	70.25%	3,215	28.68%	119	1.06%
2020	8,273	67.94%	3,787	31.10%	117	0.96%
2016	7,836	67.01%	3,677	31.45%	180	1.54%
2012	8,237	64.71%	4,393	34.51%	99	0.78%
2008	8,513	65.43%	4,422	33.99%	75	0.58%
2004	7,999	66.95%	3,888	32.54%	60	0.50%
2000	6,796	61.79%	4,114	37.41%	88	0.80%
1996	5,023	50.39%	4,334	43.48%	611	6.13%
1992	5,776	49.74%	4,654	40.08%	1,183	10.19%
1988	7,019	61.87%	4,240	37.38%	85	0.75%
1984	7,355	66.11%	3,757	33.77%	13	0.12%
1980	5,218	48.73%	5,366	50.12%	123	1.15%
1976	5,300	49.36%	5,283	49.20%	154	1.43%
1972	6,805	79.40%	1,693	19.75%	72	0.84%
1968	763	9.16%	1,722	20.66%	5,848	70.18%
1964	5,469	91.55%	505	8.45%	0	0.00%
1960	698	22.92%	1,082	35.53%	1,265	41.54%
1956	611	20.15%	1,751	57.75%	670	22.10%
1952	1,420	35.35%	2,597	64.65%	0	0.00%
1948	49	1.79%	205	7.47%	2,491	90.75%
1944	54	2.16%	2,441	97.84%	0	0.00%
1940	45	2.11%	2,083	97.89%	0	0.00%
1936	37	1.88%	1,932	98.07%	1	0.05%
1932	94	3.71%	2,429	95.97%	8	0.32%
1928	526	36.33%	922	63.67%	0	0.00%
1924	99	8.70%	1,039	91.30%	0	0.00%
1920	143	18.52%	613	79.40%	16	2.07%
1916	51	6.01%	792	93.40%	5	0.59%
1912	12	2.51%	438	91.44%	29	6.05%

Communities

City

• Columbia (county seat & only incorporated place)

Census-designated places

• Foxworth
• Kokomo

Unincorporated communities

• Bunker Hill
• Cheraw
• Expose, an unincorporated area of Marion County that was founded by Harry Solomon Expose (born 1861), a community leader who owned a general store and served as postmaster.^[15] Monroe Work's Negro Yearbook listed it among "Negro Towns and Settlements in the United States." Football great Walter Payton's mother Alyne Sibley Payton was born in Expose on January 14, 1926.^[16]
• Good Hope
• Goss
• Hopewell
• Hub
• Morgantown
• Sandy Hook

Education

There are two school districts in the county: Columbia School District and Marion County School District.^[17]

The county is in the service area of Pearl River Community College.^[18]

Notable people

• Earl W. Bascom (1906–1995), "Father of Modern Rodeo," Mississippi Rodeo Hall of Fame inductee, producer of Marion County's first rodeo in 1935^[19]
• Charles C. Bass (1875–1975), "Father of Preventive Dentistry"; researcher in tropical medicine
• Charles Coleman (American football) (born 1963), American football player
• Logan Cooke - NFL punter
• Peggy Dow, American actress
• Walter Payton, American football player

See also

• Mississippi portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Marion County, Mississippi