Clarke County, Mississippi

Clarke County, Mississippi
Clarke County courthouse Quitman
Location in the U.S. state of Mississippi
Mississippi's location in the U.S.
Founded	December 23, 1833
Seat	Quitman
Largest city	Quitman
Area
• Total	694 sq mi (1,797 km2)
• Land	692 sq mi (1,792 km2)
• Water	2.0 sq mi (5 km2), 0.3%
Population
• (2010)	16,732
• Density	24/sq mi (9/km²)
Congressional district	4th
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5

Clarke County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 16,732. Its county seat is Quitman. Clarke County is named for Joshua G. Clarke, the first Mississippi state chancellor and judge.

The county is part of the Meridian, MS Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 694 square miles (1,800 km²), of which 692 square miles (1,790 km²) is land and 2.0 square miles (5.2 km²) (0.3%) is water.

Major highways

• Interstate 59
• U.S. Highway 11
• U.S. Highway 45
• Mississippi Highway 18

Adjacent counties

• Lauderdale County (north)
• Choctaw County, Alabama (east)
• Wayne County (south)
• Jasper County (west)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1840	2,986		—
1850	5,477		83.4%
1860	10,771		96.7%
1870	7,505		−30.3%
1880	15,021		100.1%
1890	15,826		5.4%
1900	17,741		12.1%
1910	21,630		21.9%
1920	17,927		−17.1%
1930	19,679		9.8%
1940	20,596		4.7%
1950	19,362		−6.0%
1960	16,493		−14.8%
1970	15,049		−8.8%
1980	16,945		12.6%
1990	17,313		2.2%
2000	17,955		3.7%
2010	16,732		−6.8%
Est. 2014	16,299		−2.6%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

As of the census of 2000, there were 17,955 people, 6,978 households, and 5,024 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile (10/km²). There were 8,100 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 64.49% White, 34.81% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.30% from two or more races. 0.67% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,978 households out of which 33.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.00% were married couples living together, 15.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 25.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.80% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 15.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 91.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $26,610, and the median income for a family was $33,396. Males had a median income of $27,580 versus $19,402 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,288. About 18.80% of families and 23.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.50% of those under age 18 and 24.10% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Quitman (county seat)

Towns

• Enterprise
• Pachuta
• Shubuta
• Stonewall

Unincorporated communities

• De Soto
• Energy
• Sykes

Ghost town

• Gin

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Clarke County, Mississippi
• Dry counties