Lawrence County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located in the U.S. state of

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,016. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

is Monticello. The county is named for the naval hero James Lawrence.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.2%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Route 84 U.S. Route 84 (US 84) is an east–west U.S. Highway that started as a short Georgia–Alabama route in the original 1926 scheme. Later, in 1941, it had been extended all the way to Colorado. The highway's eastern terminus is a short distan ...

Mississippi Highway 27 Mississippi Highway 27 (MS 27) is a state highway in Mississippi. It runs from south to north for across the western and south-central parts of the state, serving 5 counties: Walthall, Lawrence, Copiah, Hinds, and Warren. The segment between ...

Mississippi Highway 43 Mississippi Highway 43 (MS 43) is a state highway in Mississippi that generally runs north–south in three segments: the first from US 90 near Bay St. Louis to MS 13 south of Columbia, resuming at MS 13 in southern Jefferson Davis County ...

Mississippi Highway 44 Mississippi Highway 44 (MS 44) is a disconnected state highway comprising three segments in south-central Mississippi. The first, and longest, section runs from U.S. Highway 51 (US 51) in McComb to MS 27 near Topeka. The second, an ...

Adjacent counties

* Simpson County (northeast) * Jefferson Davis County (east) * Marion County (southeast) * Walthall County (south) * Lincoln County (west) *

Copiah County Copiah County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,368. The county seat is Hazlehurst. With an eastern border formed by the Pearl River, Copiah County is part of the Jackson, MS Me ...

(northwest)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 12,016 people, 4,849 households, and 3,385 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 13,258 people, 5,040 households, and 3,749 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 31 people per square mile (12/km²). There were 5,688 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 66.94%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 32.07%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.17% Native American, 0.27%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.09% from other races, and 0.44% from two or more races. 0.67% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. There were 5,040 households, out of which 35.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.90% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 14.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.60% were non-families. 24.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.40% 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 3.10. In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.30% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 13.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $28,495, and the median income for a family was $37,899. Males had a median income of $28,925 versus $18,707 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $14,469. About 16.60% of families and 19.60% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 26.10% of those under age 18 and 19.50% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Towns

* Monticello * New Hebron * Silver Creek

Unincorporated communities

* Arm * Jayess * Oak Vale (partly in Jefferson Davis County) * Sontag * Topeka

Education

Public education State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary schools that educate all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in pa ...

is governed by the Lawrence County School District, which encompasses the entire county.

Notable people

Earl W. Bascom Earl Wesley Bascom (June 19, 1906 – August 28, 1995) was an American painter, printmaker, sculptor, cowboy, rodeo performer, inventor, and Hollywood actor. Raised in Canada, he portrayed in works of fine art his own experiences of cowboying ...

(1906-1995), rodeo champion, cowboy artist, inventor, Mississippi Rodeo Hall of Fame inductee, "Father of Modern Rodeo" "Father of Mississippi Rodeo" *

Edgar Godbold Edgar S. Godbold (December 2, 1879 – November 21, 1952) was the fourth president of Southern Baptist-affiliated Louisiana College in Pineville, Louisiana, a position which he held from 1942 until his retirement in 1951. Background A nati ...

(1872-1952), president of two

Southern Baptist The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The word ...

colleges, was a school principal in Lawrence County from 1905 to 1906. * Rod Paige, Secretary of Education from 2001 to 2004 under President George W. Bush. Rod Paige was born and raised in Lawrence County.

Politics

References

External links

Lawrence County Courthouse Pictures

Lawrence County Mississippi Genealogy and History
{{authority control Mississippi counties 1814 establishments in Mississippi Territory Populated places established in 1814