Warren County, Mississippi

Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. Its western border is formed by the Mississippi River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,722. Its county seat is Vicksburg. Established by legislative act of December 22, 1809, Warren County is named for American Revolutionary War officer Joseph Warren.

Part of the Mississippi Delta and the historic cotton culture, Warren County had major plantations. Vicksburg was an important river port. Today the county is included in the Vicksburg, MS Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Jackson-Vicksburg-Brookhaven, MS Combined Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (4.9%) is water.

The county exists in two sections, connected only by a narrow 500-foot wide section between Madison Parish, Louisiana and Issaquena County, Mississippi along the delta of the Yazoo River. This area was once along the Mississippi River, but has since become an oxbow lake and marsh and no roads traverse this strip of land. The community of Eagle Bend is in this area.

Major highways

20px Interstate 20
20px U.S. Route 61
20px U.S. Route 80
20px Mississippi Highway 3
20px Mississippi Highway 27

Adjacent counties and parishes

Issaquena County (north)
Yazoo County (northeast)
Hinds County (east)
Claiborne County (south)
Tensas Parish, Louisiana (southwest)
Madison Parish, Louisiana (west)

National protected areas

Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Vicksburg National Military Park (part)

Demographics

thumb|left|150px|Age pyramid Warren County

2020 census

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

|+Warren 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)

|31,582

|28,743

|27,049

|24,143

|style='background: #ffffe6; |20,909

|61.17%

|60.03%

|54.49%

|49.50%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |46.75%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|19,064

|18,609

|21,341

|22,836

|style='background: #ffffe6; |21,290

|36.93%

|38.87%

|42.99%

|46.82%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |47.61%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|42

|44

|109

|106

|style='background: #ffffe6; |67

|0.08%

|0.09%

|0.22%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.15%

|Asian alone (NH)

|316

|223

|303

|412

|style='background: #ffffe6; |364

|0.61%

|0.47%

|0.61%

|0.84%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.81%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|10

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0

|0.01%

|0.02%

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

|Other race alone (NH)

|41

|31

|15

|style='background: #ffffe6; |99

|0.08%

|0.01%

|0.06%

|0.03%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.22%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|292

|355

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,117

|0.59%

|0.73%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.50%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|582

|254

|514

|896

|style='background: #ffffe6; |876

|1.13%

|0.53%

|1.04%

|1.84%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.96%

|Total

|51,627

|47,880

|49,644

|48,773

|style='background: #ffffe6; |44,722

|100.00%

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

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 44,722. The median age was 40.9 years. 23.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 86.3 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 47.2% White, 47.9% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.0% of the population.

There were 18,480 households in the county, of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 37.7% were married-couple households, 20.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 36.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. there were 49,644 people, 18,756 households, and 13,222 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 20,789 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 54.97% White, 43.19% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.33% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 1.04% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2005 census estimates based on the American Community Survey suggested that non-Hispanic whites were 51.5% of Warren County's population. Warren County was the only county in Mississippi along the Mississippi River, in addition to Desoto, where whites made up a majority of the population. African Americans were 46.0% of the county's population. People identifying as of two or more races were 0.6%, less than in the previous ACS. The Latino population was 1.2% of the total for the county.

In 2000 there were 18,756 households, out of which 35.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.80% were married couples living together, 19.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.50% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.50% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 28.40% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 11.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 88.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,056, and the median income for a family was $41,706. Males had a median income of $33,566 versus $21,975 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,527. About 15.00% of families and 18.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.80% of those under age 18 and 16.20% of those age 65 or over.

Warren County has the seventh highest per capita income in the state of Mississippi.

Government and politics

Warren County was historically Democratic until 1948, then was a Republican stronghold until 2008 (when it was narrowly carried by John McCain), and has recently become a bellwether. It voted for Barack Obama in 2012, Donald Trump in 2016, Joe Biden in 2020, and Donald Trump in 2024. Warren County is one of two counties (the other being Nash County, North Carolina) to alternate its presidential vote the last five elections.

Board of Supervisors

Members are elected from each of the five supervisory districts. The Board of Supervisors guides and establishes policies for the county government. Members of the board of make decisions regarding economic development, public health and welfare and county roads.

Communities

thumb|right|The Warren County sheriff's department is located in an annex building across from the courthouse.

thumb|right|The Warren County Board of Supervisors meets in this mall building in Vicksburg.

thumb|right|Old Courthouse Museum, also known as the Eva W. Davis Memorial is located in Vicksburg across the street from the 1940 courthouse.

City

Vicksburg (county seat and only municipality)

Unincorporated areas

Census-designated places

Beechwood
Bovina
Eagle Bend
Redwood

Other communities

Flowers
LeTourneau settled by the Lynn family in 1910
Rose Hill
Waltersville
Warrenton
Yokena

Ghost town

Brunswick
Nanachehaw

Education

All of the county is in the Vicksburg Warren School District.

The county is in the district of Hinds Community College. The college operates a Rankin Campus in Pearl.

Notable people

Lawrence Owen Cooper Sr. (1908 – 1986), founder of Mississippi Chemical Corporation and past president of Southern Baptist Convention
Sarah Gibson Humphreys (1830 – 1907), author and woman suffragist

Notes

References

External links