Rankin County, Mississippi

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Rankin County, Mississippi
County
Rankin County Courthouse.jpg
Rankin County Courthouse in Brandon
Map of Mississippi highlighting Rankin County.svg
Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi
Coordinates: 32°16′N89°57′W / 32.26°N 89.95°W / 32.26; -89.95
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
StateFlag of Mississippi.svg Mississippi
FoundedFebruary 4, 1828
Named after Christopher Rankin
Seat Brandon
Largest city Pearl
Area
 • Total
806 sq mi (2,090 km2)
 • Land775 sq mi (2,010 km2)
 • Water31 sq mi (80 km2)  3.8%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
157,031
 • Estimate 
(2024)
160,573 Increase2.svg
 • Density203/sq mi (78.2/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 3rd
Website www.rankincounty.org

Rankin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The western border of the county is formed by the Pearl River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 157,031, [1] making it the fourth-most populous county in Mississippi. The county seat is Brandon. [2] The county is named in honor of Christopher Rankin, a Mississippi Congressman who served from 1819 to 1826.

Contents

Rankin County is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 806 square miles (2,090 km2), of which 775 square miles (2,010 km2) is land and 31 square miles (80 km2) (3.8%) is water. [3]

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1830 2,083—
1840 4,631122.3%
1850 7,22756.1%
1860 13,63588.7%
1870 12,977−4.8%
1880 16,75229.1%
1890 17,9227.0%
1900 20,95516.9%
1910 23,94414.3%
1920 20,272−15.3%
1930 20,3530.4%
1940 27,93437.2%
1950 28,8813.4%
1960 34,32218.8%
1970 43,93328.0%
1980 69,42758.0%
1990 87,16125.5%
2000 115,32732.3%
2010 141,61722.8%
2020 157,03110.9%
2024 (est.)160,573 [4] 2.3%
U.S. Decennial Census [5]
1790-1960 [6] 1900-1990 [7]
1990-2000 [8] 2010-2019 [9]
Rankin County racial composition as of 2020 [10]
RaceNum.Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)111,99071.32%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)32,43020.65%
Native American 2550.16%
Asian 2,2601.44%
Pacific Islander 940.06%
Other/Mixed 4,9353.14%
Hispanic or Latino 5,0673.23%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 157,031. The median age was 38.5 years. 23.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.4 males age 18 and over. [11] [12]

The racial makeup of the county was 71.9% White, 20.7% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.8% from some other race, and 3.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.2% of the population. [12]

67.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 33.0% lived in rural areas. [13]

There were 59,626 households in the county, of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.0% were married-couple households, 15.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. [11]

There were 63,611 housing units, of which 6.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 75.0% were owner-occupied and 25.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.9%. [11]

Transportation

Major highways

Airport

Jackson Evers International Airport is located in unincorporated Rankin County.

Government

The Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) operates the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility (CMCF), located in unincorporated Rankin County. [14] [15] CMCF houses the state's female death row inmates. [14] MDOC also operates the Brandon Probation and Parole Office in Brandon. [16] In 2007 the Mississippi Highway Patrol opened a driver's license facility across the highway from the prison. [17]

The Mississippi State Hospital of the Mississippi Department of Mental Health is in Whitfield in unincorporated Rankin County. [18] [19] It occupies the former Rankin Farm prison grounds. [20] In 1935, the Mississippi State Insane Asylum moved from a complex of 19th-century buildings in northern Jackson, the capital, to its existing location. [21]

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality operates the Central Regional Office and the MDEQ Laboratory in unincorporated Rankin County. [22] [23]

Rankin County is one of the most conservative counties in the state, with Republican candidates normally receiving 70% or so of the popular vote. The county last supported the official Democratic candidate for president in 1956, which is also the last time a Democrat got even 40 percent of the county's vote. While conservative Democrats held most local offices well into the 1980s, there are almost no elected Democrats remaining above the county level.

Law enforcement

The Mississippi Department of Public Safety operates the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers' Training Academy (MLEOTA) on a 243-acre (98 ha) property in Rankin County, near CMCF and the MSH, 10 miles (16 km) from Jackson. [24]

"The Rankin County Sheriff’s Department, which runs the jail, has a documented history of brazen violence." [25]

Department of Justice torture investigation

In February 2023, the Department of Justice opened a civil rights investigation into conduct of the Rankin County Sheriffs department. The investigation is centered on a January 24, 2023, incident where deputies searched the house of Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker. Jenkins and Parker, both African-Americans, experienced six deputies turning-off their body cameras, torturing the men for two hours, shocking them with tasers, repeatedly shouting racial slurs, and shooting one of them in the mouth. All accused officers pled guilty and were convicted. [26] [27] [28]

In June 2023, Jenkins and Parker filed a $400M lawsuit against Sheriff Bryan Bailey and six deputies. In late June, the Sheriff announced that some deputies involved had been terminated or resigned from their jobs, and that the department hired a "compliance officer" to monitor the Sheriff department's daily operations. [29] [30] An investigation by the Associated Press determined that the Sheriff's Special Response Team had been involved in four violent incidents with African-Americans since 2019, resulting in two deaths. [31] [32]

United States presidential election results for Rankin County, Mississippi [33]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
№ %№ %№ %
1912 70.92%71893.86%405.23%
1916 80.71%1,10498.22%121.07%
1920 434.51%90594.96%50.52%
1924 342.35%1,41597.65%00.00%
1928 18011.96%1,32588.04%00.00%
1932 523.27%1,53696.60%20.13%
1936 542.78%1,88497.06%30.15%
1940 351.63%2,11098.09%60.28%
1944 983.96%2,37496.04%00.00%
1948 230.83%572.07%2,67997.10%
1952 1,54542.66%2,07757.34%00.00%
1956 55618.00%1,53749.76%99632.24%
1960 81817.11%85017.77%3,11465.12%
1964 7,54195.78%3324.22%00.00%
1968 1,1249.12%1,97516.03%9,22474.85%
1972 12,18785.19%1,91313.37%2051.43%
1976 11,50760.95%6,93736.75%4342.30%
1980 16,65066.25%8,04732.02%4351.73%
1984 22,39379.10%5,87420.75%410.14%
1988 22,93778.41%6,20121.20%1160.40%
1992 24,53767.76%8,15522.52%3,5189.72%
1996 24,58569.40%8,61424.32%2,2246.28%
2000 32,98379.60%8,05019.43%4020.97%
2004 43,05478.67%11,00520.11%6671.22%
2008 48,14076.20%14,37222.75%6651.05%
2012 48,44475.52%14,98823.37%7131.11%
2016 47,17874.76%14,11022.36%1,8222.89%
2020 50,89571.89%18,84726.62%1,0571.49%
2024 50,89672.83%18,06025.84%9311.33%

Communities

Cities

Towns

Village

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Former communities

Education

Pearl Public School District and Rankin County School District are the two public school districts located in the county. The former serves the Pearl city limits, and the latter serves all other areas in Rankin County. [34]

Private schools located in the county are Hartfield Academy in Flowood, Jackson Preparatory School in Flowood, Park Place Christian Academy in Pearl, East Rankin Academy in Pelahatchie, and Discovery Christian School in Florence.

Rankin County is also home of Hinds Community College. [35] The college operates a Rankin Campus in Pearl. [36]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Census - Geography Profile: Rankin County, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. 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 7, 2014.
  4. ↑ "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  5. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  8. ↑ "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 7, 2014.
  9. ↑ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  11. 1 2 3 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  12. 1 2 "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  13. ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  14. 1 2 "State Prisons Archived 2002-12-06 at the Wayback Machine ." Mississippi Department of Corrections. Retrieved on May 21, 2010.
  15. ↑ "MDOC QUICK REFERENCE." Mississippi Department of Corrections. Retrieved on May 21, 2010.
  16. ↑ "Rankin County." Mississippi Department of Corrections. Retrieved on September 15, 2010.
  17. ↑ "New Driver's License Facility Opens In Pearl", WAPT-TV . April 23, 2007. Retrieved on May 21, 2010.
  18. ↑ "Whitfield Campus Map." Mississippi State Hospital. Retrieved on August 10, 2010.
  19. ↑ "Driving Directions to MSH." Mississippi State Hospital. Retrieved on August 10, 2010.
  20. ↑ Sixteenth Census of the United States: 1940: Population. Bureau of the Census, 1941. 572. Retrieved on Google Books on August 12, 2011.
  21. ↑ Cole, Hunter. The Legs Murder Scandal. University Press of Mississippi. 331. Retrieved from Google Books on October 31, 2010. ISBN   1-60473-722-0, ISBN   978-1-60473-722-6
  22. ↑ "Central Regional Office." Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. Retrieved on September 21, 2010.
  23. ↑ "Locations and Driving Directions to MDEQ Offices." Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. Retrieved on September 21, 2010.
  24. ↑ "Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers’ Training Academy Archived 2012-04-14 at the Wayback Machine ," Mississippi Department of Public Safety. Retrieved on April 16, 2012.
  25. ↑ Howey, Brian; Joshi, Mukta; Rosenfield, Nate (November 14, 2025). "In a Brutal Mississippi Jail, Inmates Say They Were Enlisted as Enforcers". The New York Times . Archived from the original on November 14, 2025.
  26. ↑ "Statement from FBI Jackson". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  27. ↑ Adams, Ross (February 18, 2023), Rankin County Sheriff's Office subject of federal civil rights investigation , retrieved July 5, 2023
  28. ↑ Goldberg, Michael (March 27, 2023). "Deputies accused of shoving guns in mouths of 2 Black men". Associated Press . Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  29. ↑ Elamroussi, Shawn Nottingham, Aya (June 28, 2023). "Multiple deputies fired after 2 Black men file lawsuit alleging torture and attempted sexual assault in Mississippi". CNN. Retrieved July 5, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  30. ↑ "Five Mississippi deputies in alleged violent episode against 2 Black men fired or quit - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. June 28, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  31. ↑ "Deputies accused of shoving guns in mouths of 2 Black men". AP News. March 27, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  32. ↑ "Deputies accused of abusing Black men are fired by Mississippi sheriff amid federal probe". AP News. June 27, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  33. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  34. ↑ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Rankin County, MS" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 9, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2022. - Text list
  35. ↑ "Admission Guide 2019-2020" (PDF). Hinds Community College. p. 10 (PDF p. 12/20). Retrieved September 27, 2024. [...]located in the Hinds Community College District (Hinds, Rankin, Warren, Claiborne, and Copiah counties)[...]
  36. ↑ "Rankin". Hinds Community College . Retrieved September 27, 2024.

32°16′N89°57′W / 32.26°N 89.95°W / 32.26; -89.95

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