Monroe County, Mississippi

Monroe County
County
Former Monroe County Courthouse in Aberdeen.
Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi
Mississippi's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 33°53′N 88°29′W / 33.89°N 88.49°W / 33.89; -88.49
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
Founded	1821
Named for	James Monroe
Seat	Aberdeen
Largest city	Amory
Area
• Total	772 sq mi (2,000 km2)
• Land	765 sq mi (1,980 km2)
• Water	7.0 sq mi (18 km2)  0.9%
Population  (2020)
• Total	34,180
• Estimate  (2023)	33,609
• Density	44/sq mi (17/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	www.monroems.com

Monroe County is a county on the northeast border of the U.S. state of Mississippi next to Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,180.^[1] Its county seat is Aberdeen.^[2]

The county is named in honor of James Monroe, the fifth President of the United States.^[3] Part of the county east of the Tombigbee River originally made-up part of the Alabama Territory, belonging to Marion County, until new lines of demarcation put it in the State of Mississippi in 1821.^[4]

In 1889, an African-American man, Keith Bowen was lynched by a mob in the Lebanon community six miles south of Aberdeen after he was found in a white girl's bedroom at 3:00 AM."^[5]

In 1922, William Baker, an 18-year-old African-American man was lynched in Monroe County by a white mob.^[6]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 772 square miles (2,000 km²), of which 765 square miles (1,980 km²) is land and 7.0 square miles (18 km²) (0.9%) is water.^[7]

In 1922, the Commissioner of Agriculture for the county published a report in a local newspaper which described in some detail the soil conditions and agriculture of the county.^[8] He described the areas as the Black Lands and the soil as black lime, a "stiff" soil, derived from the Selma chalk formation and extremely rich in potassium and phosphorus.^[8]

Sweet clover is an indigenous wild ground cover in the county.^[8]

• U.S. Highway 45
• U.S. Highway 278
• Mississippi Highway 6
• Mississippi Highway 8
• Mississippi Highway 25
• Mississippi Highway 145

• Lowndes County (south)
• Clay County (southwest)
• Chickasaw County (west)
• Lee County (northwest)
• Itawamba County (north)
• Lamar County, Alabama (east)
• Marion County, Alabama (northeast)

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1820	2,721		—
1830	3,861		41.9%
1840	9,250		139.6%
1850	21,172		128.9%
1860	21,283		0.5%
1870	22,631		6.3%
1880	28,553		26.2%
1890	30,730		7.6%
1900	31,216		1.6%
1910	35,178		12.7%
1920	32,613		−7.3%
1930	36,141		10.8%
1940	37,648		4.2%
1950	36,543		−2.9%
1960	33,953		−7.1%
1970	34,043		0.3%
1980	36,404		6.9%
1990	36,582		0.5%
2000	38,014		3.9%
2010	36,989		−2.7%
2020	34,180		−7.6%
2023 (est.)	33,609	[9]	−1.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[10] 1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12] 1990-2000[13] 2010–2020[14]

Monroe County Racial Composition^[15]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White	22,487	65.79%
Black or African American	10,311	30.17%
Native American	50	0.15%
Asian	67	0.2%
Pacific Islander	3	0.01%
Other/Mixed	789	2.31%
Hispanic or Latino	473	1.38%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 34,180 people, 13,966 households, and 9,122 families residing in the county.

As of the census^[16] of 2000, there were 38,014 people, 14,603 households, and 10,660 families residing in the county. The population density was 50 people per square mile (19 people/km²). There were 16,236 housing units at an average density of 21 units per square mile (8.1 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 68.37% White, 30.77% Black or African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.11% from other races, and 0.47% from two or more races. 0.69% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 14,603 households, out of which 34.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.00% were married couples living together, 17.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.00% were non-families. 24.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.20% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 14.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 89.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,307, and the median income for a family was $36,749. Males had a median income of $30,232 versus $20,411 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,072. About 13.60% of families and 17.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.30% of those under age 18 and 21.70% of those age 65 or over.

As of 1922,^[update] both the largest creamery and the largest hog-feeding plant "in the South" were located in the county.^[8]

As of 1922,^[update] corn was the most important grain crop grown in the county.^[8] Corn was typically planted after the planting and harvest of a crop of clover or oats.^[8] At that time, oat crops typically yielded forty to sixty bushels per acre.^[8] Other crops grown, either for harvest or pasture, included wheat, rye, barley, rape, cotton, Japan clover.^[8] Monroe had the largest acreage devoted to alfalfa production and exported more alfalfa hay than any other county in the state.^[8]

As of 2021, US Silica operates a bentonite mine located several miles south of Aberdeen, near the community of Darracott, where bentonite is extracted before being refined into petrochemicals and animal feed.^[17]

• Aberdeen (county seat)
• Amory
• Nettleton (partly in Lee County)

• Hatley
• Smithville

• Gattman

• Hamilton

• Bolivar
• Camargo
• Cotton Gin Port

United States presidential election results for Monroe County, Mississippi^[18]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	10,861	67.59%	5,090	31.68%	118	0.73%
2020	11,177	64.76%	5,874	34.03%	208	1.21%
2016	10,167	64.01%	5,524	34.78%	193	1.22%
2012	9,723	57.47%	7,056	41.71%	139	0.82%
2008	10,184	58.21%	7,169	40.98%	143	0.82%
2004	9,308	59.54%	6,237	39.90%	87	0.56%
2000	7,397	55.37%	5,783	43.29%	180	1.35%
1996	5,206	45.97%	5,184	45.78%	934	8.25%
1992	5,994	49.03%	4,933	40.36%	1,297	10.61%
1988	6,447	57.70%	4,669	41.79%	57	0.51%
1984	7,387	62.28%	4,437	37.41%	36	0.30%
1980	4,793	39.16%	6,998	57.18%	448	3.66%
1976	4,737	42.17%	6,097	54.27%	400	3.56%
1972	7,273	84.10%	1,279	14.79%	96	1.11%
1968	1,167	11.08%	1,506	14.30%	7,856	74.61%
1964	5,627	85.10%	985	14.90%	0	0.00%
1960	1,400	28.81%	1,901	39.12%	1,559	32.08%
1956	705	15.25%	3,630	78.50%	289	6.25%
1952	1,417	28.75%	3,512	71.25%	0	0.00%
1948	54	1.82%	624	21.09%	2,281	77.09%
1944	159	4.87%	3,104	95.13%	0	0.00%
1940	94	2.80%	3,263	97.11%	3	0.09%
1936	55	1.69%	3,199	98.22%	3	0.09%
1932	82	2.32%	3,448	97.59%	3	0.08%
1928	376	11.03%	3,033	88.97%	0	0.00%
1924	121	4.88%	2,326	93.83%	32	1.29%
1920	139	6.83%	1,881	92.48%	14	0.69%
1916	82	4.60%	1,684	94.55%	15	0.84%
1912	25	1.74%	1,377	95.76%	36	2.50%

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Monroe County, Mississippi
• Camp Seminole, Pushmataha Area Council

33°53′N 88°29′W / 33.89°N 88.49°W / 33.89; -88.49