Counties of Mississippi | |
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Location | State of Mississippi |
Number | 82 |
Populations | Greatest: 214,870 (Hinds) Least: 1,256 (Issaquena) Average: 35,850 (2023) |
Areas | Largest: 920 square miles (2,400 km2) (Yazoo, by land) Smallest: 400 square miles (1,000 km2) (Alcorn) Average: 591 square miles (1,530 km2) |
Government | |
Subdivisions |
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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.
County | FIPS code [1] | County seat [2] | Smithsonian Trinomial [3] | Est. [4] | Origin | Etymology | Population [5] | Area [4] | Map |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AdamsCounty | 001 | Natchez | AD | 1799 | One of two original counties | John Adams, second U.S. President | 28,746 | 460 sq mi (1,191 km2) | |
AlcornCounty | 003 | Corinth | AL | 1870 | Formed from Tippiah and Tishomingo Counties | James L. Alcorn, Reconstruction-era U.S. Senator from Mississippi | 34,135 | 400 sq mi (1,036 km2) | |
AmiteCounty | 005 | Liberty | AM | 1809 | Formed from Wilkinson County | Amite River | 12,442 | 730 sq mi (1,891 km2) | |
AttalaCounty | 007 | Kosciusko | AT | 1833 | Formed from Madison County | A fictional Native American heroine from the early 19th-century novel Atala by François-René de Chateaubriand. | 17,359 | 735 sq mi (1,904 km2) | |
BentonCounty | 009 | Ashland | BE | 1870 | Formed 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 1870 | 7,438 | 407 sq mi (1,054 km2) | |
BolivarCounty | 011 | Cleveland, Rosedale | BO | 1836 | Formed from Tallahatchie and Washington Counties | Simon Bolivar, South American democratic revolutionary | 28,968 | 876 sq mi (2,269 km2) | |
CalhounCounty | 013 | Pittsboro | CN | 1852 | Formed from Chickasaw, Lafayette and Yalobusha Counties | John C. Calhoun, U.S. Senator from South Carolina and prominent supporter of states' rights | 12,685 | 587 sq mi (1,520 km2) | |
CarrollCounty | 015 | Carrollton, Vaiden | CA | 1833 | Formed from Lowndes, Monroe, Washington and Yazoo Counties | Charles Carroll, last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence | 9,535 | 628 sq mi (1,627 km2) | |
ChickasawCounty | 017 | Houston, Okolona | CS | 1836 | Formed from Monroe County and Unorganized | Chickasaw Native Americans | 16,866 | 502 sq mi (1,300 km2) | |
ChoctawCounty | 019 | Ackerman | CH | 1833 | Formed from Lowndes, Madison, Monroe and Yazoo Counties | Choctaw Native Americans | 8,088 | 419 sq mi (1,085 km2) | |
ClaiborneCounty | 021 | Port Gibson | CB | 1802 | Formed from Jefferson (Pickering) County | William C. C. Claiborne, Governor of the Mississippi Territory | 8,617 | 487 sq mi (1,261 km2) | |
ClarkeCounty | 023 | Quitman | CK | 1833 | Formed from Wayne County | Joshua G. Clarke, the first chancellor of the Mississippi Chancery Courts | 15,228 | 691 sq mi (1,790 km2) | |
ClayCounty | 025 | West Point | CL | 1871 | Formed from Chickasaw, Lowndes, Monroe and Oktibbeha Counties (formerly (Colfax County) | Henry Clay, U.S. Senator from Kentucky and giant of 19th century politics | 18,206 | 409 sq mi (1,059 km2) | |
CoahomaCounty | 027 | Clarksdale | CO | 1836 | Formed from Unorganized | derives from Choctaw word meaning "red panther" [6] | 20,077 | 554 sq mi (1,435 km2) | |
CopiahCounty | 029 | Hazlehurst | CP | 1823 | Formed from Franklin and Hinds Counties | derives from Choctaw word meaning "calling panther" [6] | 27,664 | 777 sq mi (2,012 km2) | |
CovingtonCounty | 031 | Collins | CV | 1819 | Formed from Lawrence and Wayne Counties | Leonard Covington, War of 1812 general | 18,059 | 414 sq mi (1,072 km2) | |
DeSotoCounty | 033 | Hernando | DS | 1836 | Formed from Monroe and Washington Counties | Hernando de Soto, Spanish explorer of the Americas | 193,247 | 478 sq mi (1,238 km2) | |
ForrestCounty | 035 | Hattiesburg | FO | 1906 | Formed from Perry County | Nathan B. Forrest, Confederate general | 78,208 | 467 sq mi (1,210 km2) | |
FranklinCounty | 037 | Meadville | FR | 1809 | Formed from Adams County | Benjamin Franklin, writer, orator, publisher, and U.S. founding father | 7,610 | 565 sq mi (1,463 km2) | |
GeorgeCounty | 039 | Lucedale | GE | 1910 | Formed from Greene and Jackson Counties | James Z. George, U.S. Senator from Mississippi | 25,619 | 478 sq mi (1,238 km2) | |
GreeneCounty | 041 | Leakesville | GN | 1811 | Formed from Wayne County | Nathanael Greene, American Revolutionary War general | 13,601 | 713 sq mi (1,847 km2) | |
GrenadaCounty | 043 | Grenada | GR | 1870 | Formed from Carroll, Choctaw, Tallahatchie and Yalobusha Counties | Spanish province of Granada (spelling variation) | 21,065 | 422 sq mi (1,093 km2) | |
HancockCounty | 045 | Bay St. Louis | HA | 1812 | Formed from Unorganized | John Hancock, first signer of the Declaration of Independence | 46,159 | 477 sq mi (1,235 km2) | |
HarrisonCounty | 047 | Gulfport, Biloxi | HR | 1841 | Formed from Hancock County | William Henry Harrison, ninth U.S. President | 210,612 | 581 sq mi (1,505 km2) | |
HindsCounty | 049 | Jackson, Raymond | HI | 1821 | Formed from Unorganized (Choctaw Cession of 1820) | Thomas Hinds, War of 1812 general and U.S. Representative from Mississippi | 214,870 | 869 sq mi (2,251 km2) | |
HolmesCounty | 051 | Lexington | HO | 1833 | Formed from Yazoo County | David Holmes, first Governor of Mississippi | 15,777 | 756 sq mi (1,958 km2) | |
HumphreysCounty | 053 | Belzoni | HU | 1918 | Formed from Holmes, Sunflower, Washington and Yazoo Counties | Benjamin G. Humphreys, Reconstruction-era Governor of Mississippi | 7,216 | 418 sq mi (1,083 km2) | |
IssaquenaCounty | 055 | Mayersville | IS | 1844 | Formed from Washington County | Choctaw word meaning "Deer River" [6] | 1,256 | 413 sq mi (1,070 km2) | |
ItawambaCounty | 057 | Fulton | IT | 1836 | Formed from Monroe County | Itawamba, Chickasaw chief | 24,093 | 532 sq mi (1,378 km2) | |
JacksonCounty | 059 | Pascagoula | JA | 1812 | Formed from Unorganized | Andrew Jackson, War of 1812 hero and seventh U.S. President | 146,389 | 727 sq mi (1,883 km2) | |
JasperCounty | 061 | Bay Springs, Paulding | JS | 1833 | Formed from Jones and Wayne Counties | William Jasper, Revolutionary War sergeant | 16,013 | 676 sq mi (1,751 km2) | |
JeffersonCounty | 063 | Fayette | JE | 1799 | One of two original Counties (formerly Pickering) | Thomas Jefferson, third U.S. President and principal author of the Declaration of Independence | 6,941 | 519 sq mi (1,344 km2) | |
Jefferson DavisCounty | 065 | Prentiss | JD | 1906 | Formed from Covington and Lawrence Counties | Jefferson Davis, C.S. President | 10,969 | 408 sq mi (1,057 km2) | |
JonesCounty | 067 | Laurel, Ellisville | JO | 1826 | Formed from Covington and Wayne Counties (formerly Davis (1865-1869 (Civil War)) | John Paul Jones, Revolutionary War naval captain | 66,250 | 694 sq mi (1,797 km2) | |
KemperCounty | 069 | De Kalb | KE | 1833 | Formed from Lowndes, Rankin and Wayne Counties | Reuben Kemper, American pioneer and revolutionary in Spanish Florida | 8,584 | 766 sq mi (1,984 km2) | |
LafayetteCounty | 071 | Oxford | LA | 1836 | Formed from Monroe County | Marquis de la Fayette, French-born Revolutionary War general | 58,467 | 631 sq mi (1,634 km2) | |
LamarCounty | 073 | Purvis | LM | 1904 | Formed from Marion and Pearl River Counties | Lucius Q. C. Lamar, U.S. Senator from Mississippi and United States Secretary of the Interior | 66,217 | 497 sq mi (1,287 km2) | |
LauderdaleCounty | 075 | Meridian | LD | 1833 | Formed from Rankin and Wayne Counties | James Lauderdale, War of 1812 colonel | 70,527 | 704 sq mi (1,823 km2) | |
LawrenceCounty | 077 | Monticello | LW | 1814 | Formed from Marion County | James Lawrence, War of 1812 naval captain | 11,741 | 431 sq mi (1,116 km2) | |
LeakeCounty | 079 | Carthage | LK | 1833 | Formed from Madison and Rankin Counties | Walter Leake, Governor of Mississippi | 21,258 | 583 sq mi (1,510 km2) | |
LeeCounty | 081 | Tupelo | LE | 1866 | Formed from Itawamba and Pontotoc Counties | Robert E. Lee, General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate States | 82,799 | 450 sq mi (1,165 km2) | |
LefloreCounty | 083 | Greenwood | LF | 1871 | Formed from Carroll and Sunflower Counties | Greenwood LeFlore, mixed-race advocate of citizenship for Native Americans and state senator | 26,378 | 592 sq mi (1,533 km2) | |
LincolnCounty | 085 | Brookhaven | LI | 1870 | Formed from Amite, Copiah, Franklin, Lawrence and Pike Counties | Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth U.S. President | 34,702 | 586 sq mi (1,518 km2) | |
LowndesCounty | 087 | Columbus | LO | 1830 | Formed from Monroe County and Unorganized | William Jones Lowndes, U.S. Representative from South Carolina | 57,283 | 502 sq mi (1,300 km2) | |
MadisonCounty | 089 | Canton | MD | 1828 | Formed from Yazoo County | James Madison, fourth U.S. President | 112,511 | 719 sq mi (1,862 km2) | |
MarionCounty | 091 | Columbia | MA | 1811 | Formed from Amite, Franklin and Wayne Counties | Francis Marion, Revolutionary War general | 24,224 | 542 sq mi (1,404 km2) | |
MarshallCounty | 093 | Holly Springs | MR | 1836 | Formed from Monroe County | John Marshall, Chief Justice of the United States who shaped the Supreme Court's power | 34,123 | 706 sq mi (1,829 km2) | |
MonroeCounty | 095 | Aberdeen | MO | 1821 | Formed from Unorganized (Chickasaw Cession of 1816) | James Monroe, fifth U.S. President | 33,609 | 764 sq mi (1,979 km2) | |
MontgomeryCounty | 097 | Winona | MT | 1871 | Formed from Carroll and Choctaw Counties | Richard Montgomery, Revolutionary War general | 9,600 | 407 sq mi (1,054 km2) | |
NeshobaCounty | 099 | Philadelphia | NE | 1833 | Formed from Jones, Madison, Rankin and Wayne Counties | Choctaw word for "gray wolf" [6] | 28,789 | 570 sq mi (1,476 km2) | |
NewtonCounty | 101 | Decatur | NW | 1836 | Formed from Neshoba County | Isaac Newton, English scientist | 21,019 | 578 sq mi (1,497 km2) | |
NoxubeeCounty | 103 | Macon | NO | 1833 | Formed from Lowndes and Rankin Counties | Choctaw for "stinking water" | 9,914 | 695 sq mi (1,800 km2) | |
OktibbehaCounty | 105 | Starkville | OK | 1833 | Formed from Lowndes County | Choctaw word for "bloody water" | 51,203 | 458 sq mi (1,186 km2) | |
PanolaCounty | 107 | Batesville, Sardis | PA | 1836 | Formed from Monroe and Washington Counties | Choctaw for "cotton" | 32,669 | 684 sq mi (1,772 km2) | |
Pearl RiverCounty | 109 | Poplarville | PR | 1890 | Formed from Hancock and Marion Counties | Pearl River | 57,978 | 812 sq mi (2,103 km2) | |
PerryCounty | 111 | New Augusta | PE | 1820 | Formed from Greene County | Oliver Hazard Perry, War of 1812 naval captain | 11,315 | 647 sq mi (1,676 km2) | |
PikeCounty | 113 | Magnolia | PI | 1815 | Formed from Marion County | Zebulon Pike, western explorer | 39,394 | 409 sq mi (1,059 km2) | |
PontotocCounty | 115 | Pontotoc | PO | 1836 | Formed from Monroe County | Chickasaw for "land of hanging grapes" | 31,535 | 497 sq mi (1,287 km2) | |
PrentissCounty | 117 | Booneville | PS | 1870 | Formed from Itawamba and Tishomingo Counties | Seargent Smith Prentiss, U.S. Representative from Mississippi | 25,135 | 415 sq mi (1,075 km2) | |
QuitmanCounty | 119 | Marks | QU | 1877 | Formed from Coahoma, Panola, Tallahatchie and Tunica Counties | John A. Quitman, Governor of Mississippi | 5,546 | 405 sq mi (1,049 km2) | |
RankinCounty | 121 | Brandon | RA | 1828 | Formed from Hinds County | Christopher Rankin, U.S. Representative from Mississippi | 160,417 | 775 sq mi (2,007 km2) | |
ScottCounty | 123 | Forest | SC | 1833 | Formed from Covington, Jones and Rankin Counties | Abram M. Scott, Governor of Mississippi | 27,507 | 609 sq mi (1,577 km2) | |
SharkeyCounty | 125 | Rolling Fork | SH | 1876 | Formed from Issaquena, Warren and Washington Counties | William L. Sharkey, Mississippi Supreme Court justice | 3,336 | 428 sq mi (1,109 km2) | |
SimpsonCounty | 127 | Mendenhall | SI | 1824 | Formed from Copiah County | Josiah Simpson, first federal judge appointed in the state | 25,715 | 589 sq mi (1,526 km2) | |
SmithCounty | 129 | Raleigh | SM | 1833 | Formed from Covington, Jones and Rankin Counties | David Smith, Revolutionary War major | 14,099 | 636 sq mi (1,647 km2) | |
StoneCounty | 131 | Wiggins | ST | 1916 | Formed from Harrison County | John M. Stone, Governor of Mississippi | 18,756 | 445 sq mi (1,153 km2) | |
SunflowerCounty | 133 | Indianola | SU | 1844 | Formed from Bolivar County | Sunflower River | 24,468 | 694 sq mi (1,797 km2) | |
TallahatchieCounty | 135 | Charleston, Sumner | TL | 1833 | Formed from Washington and Yazoo Counties | Tallahatchie River | 11,837 | 644 sq mi (1,668 km2) | |
TateCounty | 137 | Senatobia | TA | 1873 | Formed from DeSoto and Marshall Counties | Thomas Simpson Tate, the county's original settler | 28,261 | 404 sq mi (1,046 km2) | |
TippahCounty | 139 | Ripley | TI | 1836 | Formed from Monroe County | Chickasaw word for "cut off" | 21,287 | 458 sq mi (1,186 km2) | |
TishomingoCounty | 141 | Iuka | TS | 1836 | Formed from Monroe County | Chief Tishomingo, Chickasaw leader | 18,507 | 424 sq mi (1,098 km2) | |
TunicaCounty | 143 | Tunica | TU | 1836 | Formed from Washington County and Unorganized | Tunica Native Americans | 9,234 | 455 sq mi (1,178 km2) | |
UnionCounty | 145 | New Albany | UN | 1870 | Formed from Lee, Pontotoc and Tippah Counties | Reunion of Confederacy with the United States | 28,284 | 416 sq mi (1,077 km2) | |
WalthallCounty | 147 | Tylertown | WL | 1912 | Formed from Marion and Pike Counties | Edward Walthall, U.S. Senator from Mississippi | 13,863 | 404 sq mi (1,046 km2) | |
WarrenCounty | 149 | Vicksburg | WR | 1809 | Formed from Claiborne County | Joseph Warren, Revolutionary War general | 42,298 | 587 sq mi (1,520 km2) | |
WashingtonCounty | 151 | Greenville | WS | 1827 | Formed from Warren and Yazoo Counties | George Washington, first U.S. President | 41,946 | 724 sq mi (1,875 km2) | |
WayneCounty | 153 | Waynesboro | WA | 1809 | Formed from Washington County (AL) | Anthony Wayne, Revolutionary War general | 19,703 | 810 sq mi (2,098 km2) | |
WebsterCounty | 155 | Walthall | WE | 1874 | Formed from Chickasaw, Choctaw and Montgomery Counties (formerly Sumner County) | Daniel Webster, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts and giant of Nineteenth Century politics | 9,988 | 423 sq mi (1,096 km2) | |
WilkinsonCounty | 157 | Woodville | WK | 1802 | Formed from Adams County | James Wilkinson, Revolutionary War general | 8,058 | 677 sq mi (1,753 km2) | |
WinstonCounty | 159 | Louisville | WI | 1833 | Formed from Lowndes, Rankin, and Wayne Counties | Louis L. Winston, Mississippi Territory official | 17,416 | 607 sq mi (1,572 km2) | |
YalobushaCounty | 161 | Water Valley, Coffeeville | YA | 1833 | Formed from Monroe, Washington and Yazoo Counties | Yalobusha River, from Choctaw name meaning "tadpole place" | 12,386 | 467 sq mi (1,210 km2) | |
YazooCounty | 163 | Yazoo City | YZ | 1823 | Formed from Hinds County | Yazoo River, named for the Yazoo people | 25,796 | 920 sq mi (2,383 km2) |