List of counties in Mississippi

Last updated

Counties of Mississippi
Location State of Mississippi
Number82
PopulationsGreatest: 217,730 (Hinds)
Least: 1,273 (Issaquena)
Average: 35,854 (2022)
AreasLargest: 920 square miles (2,400 km2) (Yazoo)
Smallest: 400 square miles (1,000 km2) (Alcorn)
Average: 591 square miles (1,530 km2)
Government
Subdivisions

There are 82 counties in the U.S. state of Mississippi. Mississippi is tied with Arkansas for the most counties with two county seats, at 10.

Mississippi's postal abbreviation is MS and its FIPS state code is 28.

List

County
FIPS code [1] County seat [2] Smithsonian Trinomial
[3]
Est. [4] OriginEtymologyPopulation [5] Area [4] Map
AdamsCounty 001 Natchez AD1799One of two original counties John Adams, second U.S. President 28,408460 sq mi
(1,191 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Adams County.svg
AlcornCounty 003 Corinth AL1870Formed from Tippiah and Tishomingo Counties James L. Alcorn, Reconstruction-era U.S. Senator from Mississippi34,204400 sq mi
(1,036 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Alcorn County.svg
AmiteCounty 005 Liberty AM1809Formed from Wilkinson County Amite River 12,619730 sq mi
(1,891 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Amite County.svg
AttalaCounty 007 Kosciusko AT1833Formed from Madison CountyA fictional Native American heroine from the early 19th-century novel Atala by François-René de Chateaubriand.17,509735 sq mi
(1,904 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Attala County.svg
BentonCounty 009 Ashland BE1870Formed from Marshall and Tippah Counties Samuel Benton, Brigadier General of the Confederate States Army's 34th Mississippi Infantry Regiment, mustered from the same counties from which Benton County was formed in 18707,550407 sq mi
(1,054 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Benton County.svg
BolivarCounty 011 Cleveland,
Rosedale
BO1836Formed from Tallahatchie and Washington Counties Simon Bolivar, South American democratic revolutionary29,370876 sq mi
(2,269 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Bolivar County.svg
CalhounCounty 013 Pittsboro CN1852Formed from Chickasaw, Lafayette and Yalobusha Counties John C. Calhoun, U.S. Senator from South Carolina and prominent supporter of states' rights12,781587 sq mi
(1,520 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Calhoun County.svg
CarrollCounty 015 Carrollton,
Vaiden
CA1833Formed from Lowndes, Monroe, Washington and Yazoo Counties Charles Carroll, last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence 9,731628 sq mi
(1,627 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Carroll County.svg
ChickasawCounty 017 Houston,
Okolona
CS1836Formed from Monroe County and Unorganized Chickasaw Native Americans16,812502 sq mi
(1,300 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Chickasaw County.svg
ChoctawCounty 019 Ackerman CH1833Formed from Lowndes, Madison, Monroe and Yazoo Counties Choctaw Native Americans8,037419 sq mi
(1,085 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Choctaw County.svg
ClaiborneCounty 021 Port Gibson CB1802Formed from Jefferson (Pickering) County William C. C. Claiborne, Governor of the Mississippi Territory 8,805487 sq mi
(1,261 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Claiborne County.svg
ClarkeCounty 023 Quitman CK1833Formed from Wayne County Joshua G. Clarke, the first chancellor of the Mississippi Chancery Courts 15,271691 sq mi
(1,790 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Clarke County.svg
ClayCounty 025 West Point CL1871Formed from Chickasaw, Lowndes, Monroe and Oktibbeha Counties (formerly (Colfax County) Henry Clay, U.S. Senator from Kentucky and giant of 19th century politics18,380409 sq mi
(1,059 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Clay County.svg
CoahomaCounty 027 Clarksdale CO1836Formed from Unorganizedderives from Choctaw word meaning "red panther" [6] 20,197554 sq mi
(1,435 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Coahoma County.svg
CopiahCounty 029 Hazlehurst CP1823Formed from Franklin and Hinds Countiesderives from Choctaw word meaning "calling panther" [6] 27,719777 sq mi
(2,012 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Copiah County.svg
CovingtonCounty 031 Collins CV1819Formed from Lawrence and Wayne Counties Leonard Covington, War of 1812 general18,098414 sq mi
(1,072 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Covington County.svg
DeSotoCounty 033 Hernando DS1836Formed from Monroe and Washington Counties Hernando de Soto, Spanish explorer of the Americas191,723478 sq mi
(1,238 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting DeSoto County.svg
ForrestCounty 035 Hattiesburg FO1906Formed from Perry County Nathan B. Forrest, Confederate general78,110467 sq mi
(1,210 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Forrest County.svg
FranklinCounty 037 Meadville FR1809Formed from Adams County Benjamin Franklin, writer, orator, publisher, and U.S. founding father7,642565 sq mi
(1,463 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Franklin County.svg
GeorgeCounty 039 Lucedale GE1910Formed from Greene and Jackson Counties James Z. George, U.S. Senator from Mississippi25,206478 sq mi
(1,238 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting George County.svg
GreeneCounty 041 Leakesville GN1811Formed from Wayne County Nathanael Greene, American Revolutionary War general13,552713 sq mi
(1,847 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Greene County.svg
GrenadaCounty 043 Grenada GR1870Formed from Carroll, Choctaw, Tallahatchie and Yalobusha CountiesSpanish province of Granada (spelling variation)21,088422 sq mi
(1,093 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Grenada County.svg
HancockCounty 045 Bay St. Louis HA1812Formed from Unorganized John Hancock, first signer of the Declaration of Independence 46,094477 sq mi
(1,235 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Hancock County.svg
HarrisonCounty 047 Gulfport,
Biloxi
HR1841Formed from Hancock County William Henry Harrison, ninth U.S. President211,044581 sq mi
(1,505 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Harrison County.svg
HindsCounty 049 Jackson,
Raymond
HI1821Formed from Unorganized (Choctaw Cession of 1820) Thomas Hinds, War of 1812 general and U.S. Representative from Mississippi217,730869 sq mi
(2,251 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Hinds County.svg
HolmesCounty 051 Lexington HO1833Formed from Yazoo County David Holmes, first Governor of Mississippi 16,121756 sq mi
(1,958 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Holmes County.svg
HumphreysCounty 053 Belzoni HU1918Formed from Holmes, Sunflower, Washington and Yazoo Counties Benjamin G. Humphreys, Reconstruction-era Governor of Mississippi7,333418 sq mi
(1,083 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Humphreys County.svg
IssaquenaCounty 055 Mayersville IS1844Formed from Washington CountyChoctaw word meaning "Deer River" [6] 1,273413 sq mi
(1,070 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Issaquena County.svg
ItawambaCounty 057 Fulton IT1836Formed from Monroe County Itawamba, Chickasaw chief23,903532 sq mi
(1,378 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Itawamba County.svg
JacksonCounty 059 Pascagoula JA1812Formed from Unorganized Andrew Jackson, War of 1812 hero and seventh U.S. President144,975727 sq mi
(1,883 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Jackson County.svg
JasperCounty 061 Bay Springs,
Paulding
JS1833Formed from Jones and Wayne Counties William Jasper, Revolutionary War sergeant16,167676 sq mi
(1,751 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Jasper County.svg
JeffersonCounty 063 Fayette JE1799One of two original Counties (formerly Pickering) Thomas Jefferson, third U.S. President and principal author of the Declaration of Independence7,087519 sq mi
(1,344 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Jefferson County.svg
Jefferson DavisCounty 065 Prentiss JD1906Formed from Covington and Lawrence Counties Jefferson Davis, C.S. President 11,088408 sq mi
(1,057 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Jefferson Davis County.svg
JonesCounty 067 Laurel,
Ellisville
JO1826Formed from Covington and Wayne Counties (formerly Davis (1865-1869 (Civil War)) John Paul Jones, Revolutionary War naval captain66,569694 sq mi
(1,797 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Jones County.svg
KemperCounty 069 De Kalb KE1833Formed from Lowndes, Rankin and Wayne Counties Reuben Kemper, American pioneer and revolutionary in Spanish Florida 8,654766 sq mi
(1,984 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Kemper County.svg
LafayetteCounty 071 Oxford LA1836Formed from Monroe County Marquis de la Fayette, French-born Revolutionary War general57,615631 sq mi
(1,634 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Lafayette County.svg
LamarCounty 073 Purvis LM1904Formed from Marion and Pearl River Counties Lucius Q. C. Lamar, U.S. Senator from Mississippi and United States Secretary of the Interior 65,783497 sq mi
(1,287 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Lamar County.svg
LauderdaleCounty 075 Meridian LD1833Formed from Rankin and Wayne Counties James Lauderdale, War of 1812 colonel70,904704 sq mi
(1,823 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Lauderdale County.svg
LawrenceCounty 077 Monticello LW1814Formed from Marion County James Lawrence, War of 1812 naval captain11,713431 sq mi
(1,116 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Lawrence County.svg
LeakeCounty 079 Carthage LK1833Formed from Madison and Rankin Counties Walter Leake, Governor of Mississippi21,135583 sq mi
(1,510 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Leake County.svg
LeeCounty 081 Tupelo LE1866Formed from Itawamba and Pontotoc Counties Robert E. Lee, General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate States 82,959450 sq mi
(1,165 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Lee County.svg
LefloreCounty 083 Greenwood LF1871Formed from Carroll and Sunflower Counties Greenwood LeFlore, mixed-race advocate of citizenship for Native Americans and state senator26,570592 sq mi
(1,533 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Leflore County.svg
LincolnCounty 085 Brookhaven LI1870Formed from Amite, Copiah, Franklin, Lawrence and Pike Counties Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth U.S. President34,717586 sq mi
(1,518 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Lincoln County.svg
LowndesCounty 087 Columbus LO1830Formed from Monroe County and Unorganized William Jones Lowndes, U.S. Representative from South Carolina57,603502 sq mi
(1,300 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Lowndes County.svg
MadisonCounty 089 Canton MD1828Formed from Yazoo County James Madison, fourth U.S. President111,113719 sq mi
(1,862 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Madison County.svg
MarionCounty 091 Columbia MA1811Formed from Amite, Franklin and Wayne Counties Francis Marion, Revolutionary War general24,050542 sq mi
(1,404 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Marion County.svg
MarshallCounty 093 Holly Springs MR1836Formed from Monroe County John Marshall, Chief Justice of the United States who shaped the Supreme Court's power34,110706 sq mi
(1,829 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Marshall County.svg
MonroeCounty 095 Aberdeen MO1821Formed from Unorganized (Chickasaw Cession of 1816) James Monroe, fifth U.S. President33,577764 sq mi
(1,979 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Monroe County.svg
MontgomeryCounty 097 Winona MT1871Formed from Carroll and Choctaw Counties Richard Montgomery, Revolutionary War general9,530407 sq mi
(1,054 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Montgomery County.svg
NeshobaCounty 099 Philadelphia NE1833Formed from Jones, Madison, Rankin and Wayne CountiesChoctaw word for "gray wolf" [6] 28,673570 sq mi
(1,476 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Neshoba County.svg
NewtonCounty 101 Decatur NW1836Formed from Neshoba County Isaac Newton, English scientist21,029578 sq mi
(1,497 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Newton County.svg
NoxubeeCounty 103 Macon NO1833Formed from Lowndes and Rankin CountiesChoctaw for "stinking water"9,990695 sq mi
(1,800 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Noxubee County.svg
OktibbehaCounty 105 Starkville OK1833Formed from Lowndes CountyChoctaw word for "bloody water"51,427458 sq mi
(1,186 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Oktibbeha County.svg
PanolaCounty 107 Batesville,
Sardis
PA1836Formed from Monroe and Washington CountiesChoctaw for "cotton"32,661684 sq mi
(1,772 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Panola County.svg
Pearl RiverCounty 109 Poplarville PR1890Formed from Hancock and Marion Counties Pearl River 57,261812 sq mi
(2,103 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Pearl River County.svg
PerryCounty 111 New Augusta PE1820Formed from Greene County Oliver Hazard Perry, War of 1812 naval captain11,368647 sq mi
(1,676 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Perry County.svg
PikeCounty 113 Magnolia PI1815Formed from Marion County Zebulon Pike, western explorer39,644409 sq mi
(1,059 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Pike County.svg
PontotocCounty 115 Pontotoc PO1836Formed from Monroe CountyChickasaw for "land of hanging grapes"31,389497 sq mi
(1,287 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Pontotoc County.svg
PrentissCounty 117 Booneville PS1870Formed from Itawamba and Tishomingo Counties Seargent Smith Prentiss, U.S. Representative from Mississippi24,792415 sq mi
(1,075 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Prentiss County.svg
QuitmanCounty 119 Marks QU1877Formed from Coahoma, Panola, Tallahatchie and Tunica Counties John A. Quitman, Governor of Mississippi5,701405 sq mi
(1,049 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Quitman County.svg
RankinCounty 121 Brandon RA1828Formed from Hinds County Christopher Rankin, U.S. Representative from Mississippi158,979775 sq mi
(2,007 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Rankin County.svg
ScottCounty 123 Forest SC1833Formed from Covington, Jones and Rankin Counties Abram M. Scott, Governor of Mississippi27,707609 sq mi
(1,577 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Scott County.svg
SharkeyCounty 125 Rolling Fork SH1876Formed from Issaquena, Warren and Washington Counties William L. Sharkey, Mississippi Supreme Court justice3,488428 sq mi
(1,109 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Sharkey County.svg
SimpsonCounty 127 Mendenhall SI1824Formed from Copiah CountyJosiah Simpson, first federal judge appointed in the state25,587589 sq mi
(1,526 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Simpson County.svg
SmithCounty 129 Raleigh SM1833Formed from Covington, Jones and Rankin CountiesDavid Smith, Revolutionary War major14,092636 sq mi
(1,647 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Smith County.svg
StoneCounty 131 Wiggins ST1916Formed from Harrison County John M. Stone, Governor of Mississippi18,669445 sq mi
(1,153 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Stone County.svg
SunflowerCounty 133 Indianola SU1844Formed from Bolivar County Sunflower River 24,811694 sq mi
(1,797 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Sunflower County.svg
TallahatchieCounty 135 Charleston,
Sumner
TL1833Formed from Washington and Yazoo Counties Tallahatchie River 12,035644 sq mi
(1,668 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Tallahatchie County.svg
TateCounty 137 Senatobia TA1873Formed from DeSoto and Marshall CountiesThomas Simpson Tate, the county's original settler28,296404 sq mi
(1,046 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Tate County.svg
TippahCounty 139 Ripley TI1836Formed from Monroe CountyChickasaw word for "cut off"21,431458 sq mi
(1,186 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Tippah County.svg
TishomingoCounty 141 Iuka TS1836Formed from Monroe County Chief Tishomingo, Chickasaw leader18,619424 sq mi
(1,098 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Tishomingo County.svg
TunicaCounty 143 Tunica TU1836Formed from Washington County and Unorganized Tunica Native Americans9,458455 sq mi
(1,178 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Tunica County.svg
UnionCounty 145 New Albany UN1870Formed from Lee, Pontotoc and Tippah CountiesReunion of Confederacy with the United States28,125416 sq mi
(1,077 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Union County.svg
WalthallCounty 147 Tylertown WL1912Formed from Marion and Pike Counties Edward Walthall, U.S. Senator from Mississippi13,761404 sq mi
(1,046 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Walthall County.svg
WarrenCounty 149 Vicksburg WR1809Formed from Claiborne County Joseph Warren, Revolutionary War general42,649587 sq mi
(1,520 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Warren County.svg
WashingtonCounty 151 Greenville WS1827Formed from Warren and Yazoo Counties George Washington, first U.S. President42,514724 sq mi
(1,875 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Washington County.svg
WayneCounty 153 Waynesboro WA1809Formed from Washington County (AL) Anthony Wayne, Revolutionary War general19,681810 sq mi
(2,098 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Wayne County.svg
WebsterCounty 155 Walthall WE1874Formed from Chickasaw, Choctaw and Montgomery Counties (formerly Sumner County) Daniel Webster, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts and giant of Nineteenth Century politics9,993423 sq mi
(1,096 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Webster County.svg
WilkinsonCounty 157 Woodville WK1802Formed from Adams County James Wilkinson, Revolutionary War general8,143677 sq mi
(1,753 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Wilkinson County.svg
WinstonCounty 159 Louisville WI1833Formed from Lowndes, Rankin, and Wayne Counties Louis L. Winston, Mississippi Territory official17,543607 sq mi
(1,572 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Winston County.svg
YalobushaCounty 161 Water Valley,
Coffeeville
YA1833Formed from Monroe, Washington and Yazoo Counties Yalobusha River, from Choctaw name meaning "tadpole place"12,364467 sq mi
(1,210 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Yalobusha County.svg
YazooCounty 163 Yazoo City YZ1823Formed from Hinds County Yazoo River, named for the Yazoo people 25,948920 sq mi
(2,383 km2)
Map of Mississippi highlighting Yazoo County.svg

References

  1. "EPA County FIPS Code Listing". EPA.gov. Retrieved February 23, 2008.
  2. Bureau of the Census, USA. "GeoHive - USA, Mississippi state population statistics". Archived from the original on April 7, 2011. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
  3. Mississippi Department of Archives and History.[ full citation needed ]
  4. 1 2 National Association of Counties. "NACo - Find a county". Archived from the original on October 25, 2007. Retrieved April 30, 2008.
  5. Bureau of the Census, U.S.A. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Mississippi" . Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Baca, Keith A. (2007). Native American Place Names in Mississippi. University Press of Mississippi. p. 130. ISBN   978-1-60473-483-6.