Carroll County, Mississippi

Carroll County
County
Carroll County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi
Mississippi's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 33°27′N89°55′W / 33.45°N 89.92°W / 33.45; -89.92
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
Founded	1833
Named for	Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Seat	Carrollton (Northern District) Vaiden (Southern District)
Largest town	Vaiden
Area
• Total	635 sq mi (1,640 km2)
• Land	628 sq mi (1,630 km2)
• Water	6.3 sq mi (16 km2)  1.0%
Population  (2020)
• Total	9,998
• Estimate  (2022)	9,731
• Density	16/sq mi (6.1/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	carrollcountyms.org

Carroll County is a county in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,998. ^[1] Its county seats are Carrollton and Vaiden. ^[2] The county is named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton, ^[3] the last surviving signatory of the Declaration of Independence.

Carroll County is part of the Greenwood, Micropolitan Statistical Area. Bordered by the Yazoo River on the west and the Big Black River to the east, it is considered to lie within the Mississippi Delta region. Most of its land, however, is in the hill country.

The Porter Wagoner song "The Carroll County Accident" was set here. The county is referred to in the third verse of Bobbie Gentry's 1967 hit song, "Ode to Billie Joe".

History

This area was developed by European Americans for cotton plantations near the rivers. These were dependent on the labor of large gangs of enslaved African Americans. After the American Civil War, many freedmen worked as sharecroppers or tenant farmers on the plantations. Other areas were harvested for timber.

In the period from 1877 to 1950, Carroll County had 29 documented lynchings of African Americans, the second-highest number in the state. ^[4]

Geography

Carroll County consists of rolling hills, largely covered with trees. ^[5] The county's highest point is adjacent to State Highway 35, 8 miles (13 km) WSW of Winona, at 540 ft (160 m) ASL. ^[6] According to the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 635 square miles (1,640 km²), of which 628 square miles (1,630 km²) is land and 6.3 square miles (16 km²) (1.0%) is water. ^[7]

Major highways

• Interstate 55
• U.S. Route 51
• U.S. Route 82
• Mississippi Highway 17
• Mississippi Highway 35

Adjacent counties

• Grenada County - north
• Montgomery County - east
• Attala County - southeast
• Holmes County - southwest
• Leflore County - west

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1840	10,481		—
1850	18,491		76.4%
1860	22,035		19.2%
1870	21,047		−4.5%
1880	17,795		−15.5%
1890	18,773		5.5%
1900	22,116		17.8%
1910	23,139		4.6%
1920	20,324		−12.2%
1930	19,765		−2.8%
1940	20,651		4.5%
1950	15,499		−24.9%
1960	11,177		−27.9%
1970	9,397		−15.9%
1980	9,776		4.0%
1990	9,237		−5.5%
2000	10,769		16.6%
2010	10,597		−1.6%
2020	9,998		−5.7%
2023 (est.)	9,535	[8]	−4.6%
US Decennial Census [9] 1790-1960 [10] 1900-1990 [11] 1990-2000 [12] 2010-2013 [13]

Swamp in Carroll County in winter

From 1940 to 1970, the county population declined markedly, as many African Americans left in the Great Migration to West Coast cities that had a growing defense industry. Others went North to Chicago and other industrial cities. Rural whites also moved to cities to find work.

2020 census

Carroll County racial composition ^[14]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	6,529	65.3%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	3,030	30.31%
Native American	15	0.15%
Asian	29	0.29%
Other/Mixed	241	2.41%
Hispanic or Latino	154	1.54%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,998 people, 3,827 households, and 2,685 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States Census, ^[15] there were 10,769 people, 4,071 households, and 3,069 families in the county. The population density was 17 per square mile (6.6/km²). There were 4,888 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile (3.1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 62.67% White, 36.61% Black or African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.13% from other races, and 0.36% from two or more races. 0.73% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,071 households, out of which 32.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.20% were married couples living together, 15.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.60% were non-families. 22.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.01.

The largest ancestry groups in Carroll County were English 51%, African 38.6%, and Scots-Irish 12.1%

The county population contained 24.50% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 25.70% from 45 to 64, and 13.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,878, and the median income for a family was $35,711. Males had a median income of $28,459 versus $19,695 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,744. About 13.70% of families and 16.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.30% of those under age 18 and 23.50% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Carroll County School District is the area public school district. It operates one high school, J. Z. George High School, and formerly operated Vaiden High School.

Carroll Academy is an area private school that is financially supported by the Council of Conservative Citizens, a white supremacist group. ^[16]

Pillow Academy in unincorporated Leflore County, near Greenwood, enrolls some students from Carroll County. ^[17] It originally was a segregation academy. ^[18]

Communities

Towns

• Carrollton (county seat)
• North Carrollton
• Vaiden (county seat)

Unincorporated places

• Avalon
• Black Hawk
• Coila
• McCarley
• Oklahoma
• Teoc
• Valley Hill

Notable people

• Henry Pinckney McCain - US Army General, born in Carroll County 1861
• Lafayette Joseph Lott – Democratic politician, born in Carroll County 1863
• John S. McCain, Sr. - (US Navy Admiral), born in Carroll County 1884
• Mississippi John Hurt - Musician, born in Carroll County 1893

Politics

Carroll County is a statewide bellwether. Since 1840, every statewide winner has carried Carroll County in presidential elections.

United States presidential election results for Carroll County, Mississippi ^[19]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	3,924	68.83%	1,729	30.33%	48	0.84%
2016	3,799	68.72%	1,680	30.39%	49	0.89%
2012	3,960	66.09%	2,007	33.49%	25	0.42%
2008	3,902	65.41%	2,037	34.15%	26	0.44%
2004	3,664	65.52%	1,900	33.98%	28	0.50%
2000	3,165	64.28%	1,726	35.05%	33	0.67%
1996	2,629	53.28%	2,041	41.37%	264	5.35%
1992	1,695	54.96%	1,182	38.33%	207	6.71%
1988	2,628	62.51%	1,560	37.11%	16	0.38%
1984	2,823	65.70%	1,462	34.02%	12	0.28%
1980	2,153	50.92%	2,037	48.18%	38	0.90%
1976	1,561	49.29%	1,566	49.45%	40	1.26%
1972	1,777	73.31%	580	23.93%	67	2.76%
1968	138	4.32%	925	28.96%	2,131	66.72%
1964	2,043	95.42%	98	4.58%	0	0.00%
1960	207	14.06%	425	28.87%	840	57.07%
1956	234	15.09%	1,080	69.63%	237	15.28%
1952	535	31.42%	1,168	68.58%	0	0.00%
1948	14	1.14%	74	6.04%	1,138	92.82%
1944	68	4.52%	1,438	95.48%	0	0.00%
1940	38	2.63%	1,408	97.37%	0	0.00%
1936	19	1.81%	1,030	98.10%	1	0.10%
1932	9	0.75%	1,189	99.17%	1	0.08%
1928	49	4.26%	1,102	95.74%	0	0.00%
1924	70	7.25%	895	92.75%	0	0.00%
1920	184	21.30%	669	77.43%	11	1.27%
1916	34	3.42%	943	94.96%	16	1.61%
1912	16	2.09%	653	85.36%	96	12.55%

See also

• Mississippi portal

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

References

1. "Census - Geography Profile: Carroll 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. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p.  70.
4. Lynching in America, 3rd ed. Archived October 23, 2017, at the Wayback Machine , Supplement by County, p. 6
5. Carroll County MS (Google Maps, accessed 25 January 2020)
6. Carroll County High Point, Mississippi (PeakBagger.com - accessed 25 January 2020)
7. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". US Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
8. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
9. "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
10. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
11. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
12. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
13. "State & County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
14. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
15. "U.S. Census website". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
16. Beirich, Heidi (October 28, 2010). "White Supremacist Group Backs Private Academies in Mississippi". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
17. Profile of Pillow Academy 2010-2011 Archived December 1, 2001, at the Library of Congress Web Archives. Pillow Academy. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
18. Lynch, Adam (November 18, 2009). "Ceara's Season". Jackson Free Press . Retrieved August 19, 2011.
19. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 4, 2018.

33°27′N89°55′W / 33.45°N 89.92°W / 33.45; -89.92