Humphreys County, Mississippi

Humphreys County
County
Humphreys County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi
Mississippi's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 33°08′N90°31′W / 33.13°N 90.52°W / 33.13; -90.52
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
Founded	1918
Named for	Benjamin G. Humphreys
Seat	Belzoni
Largest city	Belzoni
Area
• Total	431 sq mi (1,120 km2)
• Land	418 sq mi (1,080 km2)
• Water	13 sq mi (30 km2)  3.0%
Population  (2020)
• Total	7,785
• Density	18/sq mi (7.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	humphreyscounty.ms

Humphreys County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,785. ^[1] Its county seat is Belzoni. ^[2] The county is named for Benjamin G. Humphreys. Humphreys County is Mississippi's newest county, having been formed in 1918. Humphreys County is located in the Mississippi Delta region.

It was named 'Farm-Raised Catfish Capital of the World' in 1976 by then Governor Cliff Finch, since it produced more farm-raised catfish than any other U.S. county. Forty thousand acres (160 square kilometers) of the county are underwater and used to grow catfish. About 60% of U.S. farm-raised catfish is raised within a 65-mile (105 km) radius of the county seat, Belzoni. The title "Catfish Capital" has also been claimed by Savannah, Tennessee, and Des Allemands, Louisiana.

In March 2023, the towns of Rolling Fork, Midnight and Silver City were struck by an EF4. Part of the Tornado outbreak of March 24–25, 2023.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 431 square miles (1,120 km²), of which 418 sq mi (1,080 km²) is land and 13 sq mi (34 km²) (3.0%) is water. ^[3]

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 49W
• Mississippi Highway 7
• Mississippi Highway 12
• Mississippi Highway 14
• Mississippi Highway 16

Adjacent counties

• Sunflower County (north)
• Leflore County (northeast)
• Holmes County (east)
• Yazoo County (south)
• Sharkey County (southwest)
• Washington County (west)

National protected area

• Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Sky Lake Wildlife Management Area; the 3,500-acre (1,400 ha) area contains some of the oldest and largest bald cypress trees in the world. ^[4]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1920	19,192		—
1930	24,729		28.9%
1940	26,257		6.2%
1950	23,115		−12.0%
1960	19,093		−17.4%
1970	14,601		−23.5%
1980	13,931		−4.6%
1990	12,134		−12.9%
2000	11,206		−7.6%
2010	9,375		−16.3%
2020	7,785		−17.0%
2023 (est.)	7,216	[5]	−7.3%
U.S. Decennial Census [6] 1790–1960 [7] 1900–1990 [8] 1990–2000 [9] 2010–2013 [10]

2020 census

Humphreys County Racial Composition ^[11]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White	1,423	18.28%
Black or African American	6,072	78.00%
Native American	13	0.17%
Asian	10	0.13%
Other/Mixed	176	2.26%
Hispanic or Latino	91	1.17%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 7,785 people, 3,186 households, and 2,078 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 9,375 people living in the county: 74.5% were Black or African American, 23.5% White, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% Native American, 0.9% of some other race and 0.7% of two or more races, and 2.2% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

2000 census

At the 2000 census, ^[12] there were 11,206 people, 3,765 households and 2,695 families living in the county. The population density was 27 per square mile (10/km²). There were 4,138 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (3.9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 27.17% White, 71.51% Black or African-American, 0.10% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.64% from other races, and 0.31% from two or more races. 1.50% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,765 households, of which 36.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.30% were married couples living together, 27.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.40% were non-families. Of all households, 24.90% were made up of individuals, and 10.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.54.

Age distribution was 32.70% under the age of 18, 10.70% from 18 to 24, 25.80% from 25 to 44, 18.80% from 45 to 64, and 12.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 87.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.70 males.

The median household income was $20,566, and the median family income was $23,719. Males had a median income of $24,948 versus $19,201 for females. The per capita income for the county was $10,926. About 32.40% of families and 38.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 50.30% of those under age 18 and 31.00% of those age 65 or over.

Humphreys County has the seventh-lowest per capita income in Mississippi and the 56th-lowest in the United States.

In April 2019, Propublica identified Humphreys County as the county most intensely audited by the IRS. ^[13]

Politics

Like most counties in the Delta, Humphreys County is solidly Democratic. A Republican has not won the county since 1972. In 2001 the Humphreys County Sheriff's Department named J. D. Roseman the first black Chief Deputy. In 2008 he became the first black Sheriff of Humphreys County.

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

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	990	28.55%	2,443	70.44%	35	1.01%
2020	1,118	26.69%	3,016	72.00%	55	1.31%
2016	1,151	27.06%	3,071	72.21%	31	0.73%
2012	1,293	24.81%	3,903	74.88%	16	0.31%
2008	1,462	28.52%	3,634	70.89%	30	0.59%
2004	1,679	34.27%	3,168	64.65%	53	1.08%
2000	1,628	41.28%	2,288	58.01%	28	0.71%
1996	1,382	36.24%	2,305	60.45%	126	3.30%
1992	1,721	36.75%	2,696	57.57%	266	5.68%
1988	2,018	42.98%	2,644	56.32%	33	0.70%
1984	2,309	46.99%	2,596	52.83%	9	0.18%
1980	1,841	36.67%	2,970	59.16%	209	4.16%
1976	1,445	38.29%	2,172	57.55%	157	4.16%
1972	2,334	69.01%	892	26.37%	156	4.61%
1968	258	7.11%	1,219	33.60%	2,151	59.29%
1964	1,863	95.69%	84	4.31%	0	0.00%
1960	231	16.24%	459	32.28%	732	51.48%
1956	127	9.81%	576	44.51%	591	45.67%
1952	589	40.70%	858	59.30%	0	0.00%
1948	11	0.96%	17	1.49%	1,116	97.55%
1944	35	2.95%	1,150	97.05%	0	0.00%
1940	20	1.85%	1,061	98.15%	0	0.00%
1936	7	0.60%	1,164	99.40%	0	0.00%
1932	10	1.27%	775	98.73%	0	0.00%
1928	1	0.10%	1,020	99.90%	0	0.00%
1924	33	4.99%	628	95.01%	0	0.00%
1920	21	6.19%	316	93.22%	2	0.59%

Media

• Radio stations (both located in Belzoni)
  • WELZ 1460AM (Country)
  • WBYP 107.1FM (Country)
• Newspapers
  • The Belzoni Banner, distributed weekly
  • The Enterprise-Tocsin , a newspaper based in Indianola in Sunflower County, is distributed in portions of northern Humphreys County. ^[15]

Communities

City

• Belzoni (county seat)

Towns

• Isola
• Louise
• Silver City

Unincorporated communities

• Bellewood
• Deovolente
• Lodi
• Midnight

See also

• Mississippi portal

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

References

1. "Census - Geography Profile: Humphreys County, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 8, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. 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 4, 2014.
4. "Sky Lake Wildlife Boardwalk". Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
5. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
6. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
8. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
9. "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 4, 2014.
10. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
11. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
12. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
13. Where in The U.S. Are You Most Likely to Be Audited by the IRS? By Paul Kiel and Hannah Fresques, ProPublica. Retrieved April 1, 2019
14. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
15. "about us Archived 2012-03-12 at the Wayback Machine ." The Enterprise-Tocsin . Retrieved on March 4, 2011. "Our office is located at 114 Main St, Indianola."

33°08′N90°31′W / 33.13°N 90.52°W / 33.13; -90.52