Sharkey County, Mississippi

Sharkey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. Part of the eastern border is formed by the Yazoo River. According to the 2020 census, the population was 3,800, making it the second-least populous county in Mississippi, after Issaquena County. Its county seat is Rolling Fork. The county is named after William L. Sharkey, the provisional Governor of Mississippi in 1865.

Sharkey County is located in the Mississippi Delta region.

Historic Weather

On the afternoon of Sunday, February 21, 1971, a large and long-tracked F5 tornado impacted areas of Sharkey County. On March 24, 2023, a high-end EF4 tornado hit the city of Rolling Fork with estimated wind speeds of 195 mph (314kph), causing catastrophic damage throughout the community. The tornado was responsible for 17 fatalities and 165 injuries.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.8%) is water.

Major highways

20px U.S. Route 61
20px Mississippi Highway 14
20px Mississippi Highway 16

Adjacent counties

Washington County (north)
Humphreys County (northeast)
Yazoo County (east)
Issaquena County (southwest)

National protected area

Delta National Forest
Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

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

|+Sharkey County, Mississippi – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!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)

|2,689

|2,337

|1,911

|1,366

|style='background: #ffffe6; |962

|33.76%

|33.07%

|29.04%

|27.79%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |25.32%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|5,135

|4,653

|4,527

|3,475

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,671

|64.48%

|65.85%

|68.80%

|70.69%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |70.29%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|16

|12

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0

|0.20%

|0.10%

|0.18%

|0.06%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%

|Asian alone (NH)

|17

|21

|17

|11

|style='background: #ffffe6; |14

|0.21%

|0.30%

|0.26%

|0.22%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.37%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3

|0.00%

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

|Other race alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1

|0.00%

|0.02%

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

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|27

|21

|style='background: #ffffe6; |88

|0.41%

|0.43%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.32%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|107

|48

|86

|39

|style='background: #ffffe6; |61

|1.34%

|0.68%

|1.31%

|0.79%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.61%

|Total

|7,964

|7,066

|6,580

|4,916

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,800

|100.00%

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

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 3,800. The median age was 42.8 years. 23.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 84.3 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 25.5% White, 70.8% Black or African American, <0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.3% from some other race, and 2.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.6% of the population.

There were 1,509 households in the county, of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 29.9% were married-couple households, 21.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 41.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2000, there were 6,580 people, 2,163 households, and 1,589 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 2,416 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 69.32% Black or African American, 29.36% White, 0.18% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.27% from other races, and 0.59% from two or more races. 1.31% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,163 households, out of which 36.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.00% were married couples living together, 26.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.50% were non-families. 23.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.56.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 33.00% under the age of 18, 10.40% from 18 to 24, 24.80% from 25 to 44, 20.40% from 45 to 64, and 11.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 88.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $22,285, and the median income for a family was $26,786. Males had a median income of $26,563 versus $17,931 for females. The per capita income for the county was $11,396. About 30.50% of families and 38.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 50.00% of those under age 18 and 24.20% of those age 65 or over.

Sharkey County has the tenth-lowest per capita income in Mississippi and the 73rd lowest in the United States.

Education

Public School Districts
South Delta School District, which operates South Delta High School
Private Schools
Sharkey-Issaquena Academy (Rolling Fork)

Communities

thumb|right|Crossing the [[Sunflower River by ferry southeast of Rolling Fork, 1965]]

City

Rolling Fork (county seat)

Towns

Anguilla
Cary

Census-designated places

Delta City
Nitta Yuma
Panther Burn

Unincorporated communities

Egremont
Issaquena
Lorenzen
Onward
Patmos

Politics

Sharkey County is, like the rest of the Mississippi Delta region, heavily Democratic. It has voted for the Democratic nominee for president in every election since 1976, and no Republican has broken 40% of the vote since George H. W. Bush in 1988. In the 2024 election, Sharkey was the only county in Mississippi that voted more Democratic than in 2020.