Perry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,511. The county seat is New Augusta. The county is named after the War of 1812 naval hero, Oliver Hazard Perry.

Perry County is part of the Hattiesburg, MS Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Until 1906, the county seat was the old town of Augusta, near the center of the county on the east bank of the Leaf River. At Old Augusta, the outlaw James Copeland was executed by hanging on October 30, 1857. Old Augusta remains a small village today. New Augusta, two miles south of Old Augusta, was made the county seat of Perry County, because it was situated on the Mobile, Jackson & Kansas City Railroad.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.5%) is water.

Major highways

  • 20px U.S. Highway 98
  • 20px Mississippi Highway 15
  • 20px Mississippi Highway 29
  • 20px Mississippi Highway 42

Adjacent counties

  • Wayne County (northeast)
  • Greene County (east)
  • George County (southeast)
  • Stone County (south)
  • Forrest County (west)
  • Jones County (northwest)

National protected area

  • De Soto National Forest (part)
  • Black Creek Wilderness
  • Leaf River Wildlife Management Area

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

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

|+Perry 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)

|7,666

|8,300

|9,194

|9,514

|style='background: #ffffe6; |8,868

|77.72%

|76.39%

|75.75%

|77.67%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |77.04%

|-

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|2,101

|2,447

|2,713

|2,449

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,097

|21.30%

|22.52%

|22.35%

|19.99%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |18.22%

|-

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|5

|66

|38

|32

|style='background: #ffffe6; |45

|0.05%

|0.61%

|0.31%

|0.26%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.39%

|-

|Asian alone (NH)

|5

|5

|14

|14

|style='background: #ffffe6; |29

|0.05%

|0.05%

|0.12%

|0.11%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.25%

|-

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|x

|x

|6

|0

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3

|x

|x

|0.05%

|0.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.03%

|-

|Other race alone (NH)

|0

|1

|0

|12

|style='background: #ffffe6; |13

|0.00%

|0.01%

|0.00%

|0.10%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.11%

|-

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|x

|x

|51

|110

|style='background: #ffffe6; |302

|x

|x

|0.42%

|0.90%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.62%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|87

|46

|122

|119

|style='background: #ffffe6; |154

|0.88%

|0.42%

|1.01%

|0.97%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.34%

|-

|Total

|9,864

|10,865

|12,138

|12,250

|style='background: #ffffe6; |11,511

|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 11,511. The median age was 43.5 years. 21.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.7 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 77.7% White, 18.2% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.5% from some other race, and 2.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.3% of the population.

There were 4,653 households in the county, of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.3% were married-couple households, 18.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

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Education

There are two school districts in the county: Perry County Schools and Richton School District.

The county is in the zone for Jones College.

See also

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

References

  • Mississippi Courthouses – Perry County