Stone County, Mississippi

Last updated

Stone County, Mississippi
County
StoneCountyCourthouse 1.JPG
Stone County Courthouse in Wiggins
Map of Mississippi highlighting Stone County.svg
Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi
Coordinates: 30°47′N89°07′W / 30.79°N 89.12°W / 30.79; -89.12
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
StateFlag of Mississippi.svg Mississippi
Founded1916
Named after John M. Stone
Seat Wiggins
Largest cityWiggins
Area
 • Total
448 sq mi (1,160 km2)
 • Land445 sq mi (1,150 km2)
 • Water2.6 sq mi (6.7 km2)  0.6%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
18,333
 • Estimate 
(2024)
19,569 Increase2.svg
 • Density41.2/sq mi (15.9/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 4th
Website www.stonecountyms.gov

Stone County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,333. [1] Its county seat is Wiggins. [2] Stone County was formed from the northern portion of Harrison County on June 5, 1916. [3] The county was named for John M. Stone, who served as Governor of Mississippi from 1876 to 1882 and again from 1890 to 1896. Stone County is included in the Gulfport-Biloxi, MS Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1918, the Stone County Courthouse was completed at a cost of $29,515.18, [4] and is still in use today, after several renovations.

Contents

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 448 square miles (1,160 km2), of which 445 square miles (1,150 km2) is land and 2.6 square miles (6.7 km2) (0.6%) is water. [5]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1920 6,528—
1930 5,704−12.6%
1940 6,1557.9%
1950 6,2641.8%
1960 7,01312.0%
1970 8,10115.5%
1980 9,71619.9%
1990 10,75010.6%
2000 13,62226.7%
2010 17,78630.6%
2020 18,3333.1%
2024 (est.)19,569 [7] 6.7%
U.S. Decennial Census [8]
1790-1960 [9] 1900-1990 [10]
1990-2000 [11] 2010-2013 [12]
Stone County by race as of 2020 [13]
RaceNum.Perc.
White 13,82275.39%
Black or African American 3,23917.67%
Native American 790.43%
Asian 890.49%
Pacific Islander 90.05%
Other/Mixed 6513.55%
Hispanic or Latino 4442.42%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 18,333. The median age was 39.4 years. 22.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 108.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 108.7 males age 18 and over. [14] [15]

The racial makeup of the county was 76.0% White, 17.7% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.4% from some other race, and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.4% of the population. [15]

<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas. [16]

There were 6,572 households in the county, of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.2% were married-couple households, 17.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. [14]

There were 7,499 housing units, of which 12.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 78.0% were owner-occupied and 22.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.2%. [14]

StoneCountyCourthouse CaversAve.jpg
circa 1920
S.C.Courthouse.JPG
2010
Stone County Courthouse historical timeline

Arts and culture

On April 25, during the 2012 regular session of the Mississippi Legislature, Concurrent Resolution 643 was adopted by the state Senate and state House of Representatives, stating that Stone County be named and declared the Mural County of Mississippi. [17] During the previous 8 years, a Telling Trees Project was developed in Stone County to document and celebrate Stone County's history and heritage. As part of that project, 23 murals, in the form of paintings and mosaic tiles, were created in cooperation with the Art Department, Perkinston campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and are on public display throughout the county. The murals tell visual stories of Stone County's ecosystems, people, landmarks, and industries. [18]

Communities

Cities

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

Education

Public school districts

Colleges

Politics

Stone County has been a Republican stronghold for decades. The last Democrat to carry it was Jimmy Carter in 1976. In recent elections the county has been especially friendly to Republicans; Donald Trump in 2024 earned the highest share of the vote for any Republican since Nixon in 1972.

United States presidential election results for Stone County, Mississippi [19]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
№ %№ %№ %
1916 316.37%45192.61%51.03%
1920 165.00%29993.44%51.56%
1924 5611.97%41288.03%00.00%
1928 43662.82%25837.18%00.00%
1932 326.99%42492.58%20.44%
1936 233.29%67596.43%20.29%
1940 283.37%80296.63%00.00%
1944 434.17%98995.83%00.00%
1948 171.51%504.45%1,05694.03%
1952 56937.09%96562.91%00.00%
1956 29325.09%76165.15%1149.76%
1960 27519.15%34323.89%81856.96%
1964 1,77690.84%1799.16%00.00%
1968 2589.51%31411.58%2,14078.91%
1972 2,46788.49%29310.51%281.00%
1976 1,57548.05%1,64850.27%551.68%
1980 1,88849.21%1,82147.46%1283.34%
1984 2,98071.07%1,18528.26%280.67%
1988 3,00766.84%1,45232.27%400.89%
1992 2,29554.53%1,44734.38%46711.10%
1996 2,28853.45%1,55136.23%44210.32%
2000 3,70267.03%1,67730.36%1442.61%
2004 4,14672.29%1,52826.64%611.06%
2008 5,14971.06%1,99627.55%1011.39%
2012 5,42071.96%2,00326.59%1091.45%
2016 5,30675.32%1,57322.33%1662.36%
2020 5,96475.70%1,80222.87%1121.42%
2024 6,21478.47%1,62020.46%851.07%

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Census - Geography Profile: Stone County, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ↑ A History of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Archived September 8, 2006, at the Wayback Machine accessed January 1, 2007.
  4. ↑ Stone County Archived February 11, 2009, at the Wayback Machine accessed February 18, 2010.
  5. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Sweetbay Bogs Preserve | The Nature Conservancy". www.nature.org. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  7. ↑ "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  8. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  11. ↑ "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.
  12. ↑ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  14. 1 2 3 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  15. 1 2 "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  16. ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  17. ↑ Mississippi Senate Concurrent Resolution 643 Retrieved May 3, 2012
  18. ↑ Nicole Dow. 2012. Stone County named state's mural county. Sun Herald (Biloxi, MS), Vol. 128, No, 213, page 2A, May 3, 2012.
  19. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 17, 2018.

30°47′N89°07′W / 30.79°N 89.12°W / 30.79; -89.12

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