Lamar County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 64,222. Its county seat is Purvis. Named for Confederate Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, the county was carved out of Marion County to the west in 1904.

Lamar County is part of the Hattiesburg metropolitan area. It is largely a rural county, except for its northeast quarter.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.7%) is water.

Major highways

  • 20px Interstate 59
  • 20px U.S. Highway 11
  • 20px U.S. Highway 98
  • 20px Mississippi Highway 13
  • 20px Mississippi Highway 42
  • 20px Mississippi Highway 44

Adjacent counties

  • Covington County (north)
  • Forrest County (east)
  • Pearl River County (south)
  • Marion County (west)
  • Jefferson Davis County (northwest)

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Lamar County, Mississippi – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>

!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>

!Pop 1980

!Pop 1990

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020

!% 1980

!% 1990

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|-

|White alone (NH)

|20,959

|26,477

|33,090

|42,296

|style='background: #ffffe6; |43,865

|87.99%

|87.03%

|84.69%

|75.99%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |68.30%

|-

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|2,539

|3,628

|5,027

|10,834

|style='background: #ffffe6; |14,296

|10.66%

|11.92%

|12.87%

|19.47%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |22.26%

|-

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|15

|37

|61

|109

|style='background: #ffffe6; |108

|0.06%

|0.12%

|0.16%

|0.20%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.17%

|-

|Asian alone (NH)

|53

|113

|245

|655

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,091

|0.22%

|0.37%

|0.63%

|1.18%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.70%

|-

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|x

|x

|4

|19

|style='background: #ffffe6; |50

|x

|x

|0.01%

|0.03%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.08%

|-

|Other race alone (NH)

|13

|1

|12

|33

|style='background: #ffffe6; |206

|0.05%

|0.00%

|0.03%

|0.06%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.32%

|-

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|x

|x

|205

|507

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,244

|x

|x

|0.52%

|0.91%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.49%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|242

|168

|426

|1,205

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,362

|1.02%

|0.55%

|1.09%

|2.17%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.68%

|-

|Total

|23,821

|30,424

|39,070

|55,658

|style='background: #ffffe6; |64,222

|100.00%

|100.00%

|100.00%

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

|}

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 64,222. The median age was 34.8 years. 25.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 86.8 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 69.2% White, 22.4% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.9% from some other race, and 4.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.7% of the population.

There were 25,001 households in the county, of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.3% were married-couple households, 16.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

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Government and infrastructure

The Mississippi Department of Mental Health operates the South Mississippi State Hospital in unincorporated Lamar County, near Purvis.

Communities

Cities

  • Hattiesburg (mostly in Forrest County)
  • Lumberton (partly in Pearl River County)
  • Purvis (county seat)

Town

  • Sumrall

Census-designated places

  • Arnold Line
  • Baxterville
  • Oak Grove
  • West Hattiesburg

Other unincorporated communities

  • Bellevue
  • Okahola
  • Oloh
  • Talowah

Education

School districts include:

  • Hattiesburg Public School District
  • Lamar County School District

Former school districts:

  • Lumberton Public School District - Merged into the Lamar County district in 2018.

The county is in the service area of Pearl River Community College.

See also

  • Salmon Site, nuclear tests site
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Lamar County, Mississippi

References

  • Official City of Lumberton Business Website
  • Mississippi Courthouses – Lamar County