Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. It was formed in 1870 from Tippah and Pontotoc counties, and in 1874 a portion of Lee County was added. Its county seat is New Albany. According to most sources, the county received its name by being a union of pieces of several large counties, like other Union counties in other states. However, other sources say that the name was meant to mark the re-union of Mississippi and the other Confederate states after the Civil War (at the time, the state had a Republican government under Reconstruction).
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.3%) is water.
Major highways
- 20px Interstate 22
- 20px U.S. Route 78
- 20px Mississippi Highway 9
- 20px Mississippi Highway 15
- 20px Mississippi Highway 30
- 20px Mississippi Highway 178
- 20px Mississippi Highway 348
- 20px Mississippi Highway 349
- 20px Mississippi Highway 355
Adjacent counties
- Benton County (north)
- Tippah County (north)
- Prentiss County (east)
- Lee County (southeast)
- Pontotoc County (south)
- Lafayette County (southwest)
- Marshall County (northwest)
National protected area
- Holly Springs National Forest (part)
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Union 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)
|18,595
|18,744
|20,969
|21,649
|style='background: #ffffe6; |21,560
|85.53%
|84.87%
|82.68%
|79.79%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |77.62%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|2,974
|3,202
|3,784
|3,911
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,950
|13.68%
|14.50%
|14.92%
|14.41%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |14.22%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|18
|9
|32
|29
|style='background: #ffffe6; |27
|0.08%
|0.04%
|0.13%
|0.11%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.10%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|10
|25
|38
|46
|style='background: #ffffe6; |109
|0.05%
|0.11%
|0.15%
|0.17%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.39%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|x
|x
|1
|5
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|x
|x
|0.00%
|0.02%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|4
|2
|5
|16
|style='background: #ffffe6; |76
|0.02%
|0.01%
|0.02%
|0.06%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.27%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|x
|x
|120
|268
|style='background: #ffffe6; |754
|x
|x
|0.47%
|0.99%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.71%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|140
|103
|413
|1,210
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,301
|0.64%
|0.47%
|1.63%
|4.46%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.68%
|-
|Total
|21,741
|22,085
|25,362
|27,134
|style='background: #ffffe6; |27,777
|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 27,777. The median age was 40.2 years. 24.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.1 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 78.3% White, 14.3% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.2% from some other race, and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.7% of the population.
There were 10,809 households in the county, of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.8% were married-couple households, 17.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2000, there were 25,362 people, 9,786 households, and 7,241 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 10,693 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 83.42% White, 14.95% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.67% from other races, and 0.62% from two or more races. 1.63% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
As of the census
Northeast Mississippi Community College is the community college for Union County.
Politics
A solidly Democratic county through 1960, Union County has since trended powerfully Republican. The last Democrat to carry the county, and indeed to win over 40% of its vote, was Jimmy Carter in 1980.
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See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Union County, Mississippi