Stone County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 17,786. Its county seat is

Wiggins Team Wiggins Le Col (), also known as ''Team Wiggins'' in media, was a professional developmental cycling team based in the United Kingdom, which began competing in elite road bicycle racing and track cycling in 2015. The team folded at the e ...

. Stone County was formed from the northern portion of Harrison County on June 5, 1916. The county was named for

John M. Stone John Marshall Stone (April 30, 1830March 26, 1900) was an American politician from Mississippi. A Democrat, he served longer as governor of that state than anyone else, from 1876 to 1882 and again from 1890 to 1896. He approved a new constitut ...

, who served as Governor of Mississippi from 1876 to 1882 and again from 1890 to 1896. Stone County is included in the Gulfport-Biloxi, MS Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1918, the Stone County Courthouse was completed at a cost of $29,515.18, and is still in use today, after several renovations.

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 (0.6%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 49 U.S. Route 49 (US 49) is a north–south United States highway. The highway's northern terminus is in Piggott, Arkansas, at an intersection with US Route 62/Highway 1/ Highway 139 (US 62/AR 1/AR 139). Its southern terminus is ...

* Mississippi Highway 15 *

Mississippi Highway 26 Mississippi Highway 26 (MS 26) is a state highway in southern Mississippi. It runs from a continuation of Louisiana Highway 10 (LA 10) east through Pearl River, Stone, and George counties to MS 198 in Lucedale. Along the way it ...

Mississippi Highway 29 Mississippi Highway 29 (MS 29) is a state highway in southern Mississippi. It runs from north to south for and serves three counties: Jones, Perry, Stone. Route description MS 29 begins in Stone County at an interchange between MS 26 (W Centr ...

Adjacent counties

Perry County Perry County may refer to: United States *Perry County, Alabama *Perry County, Arkansas *Perry County, Illinois *Perry County, Indiana *Perry County, Kentucky *Perry County, Mississippi *Perry County, Missouri *Perry County, Ohio *Perry Coun ...

(northeast) *

George County George County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 22,578. Its county seat is Lucedale. The county is named for James Z. George, US Senator from Mississippi. George County is in ...

(east) * Jackson County (southeast) * Harrison County (south) *

Pearl River County Pearl River County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The population was 55,834 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is Poplarville. Pearl River County comprises the Picayune, MS Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is inc ...

(west) * Forrest County (northwest)

National protected areas

* De Soto National Forest (part) *

Sweetbay Bogs Preserve Sweetbay Bogs Preserve was established in 1989 by the Mississippi Chapter of the Nature Conservancy. Located in the western portion of Stone County, Mississippi, the property contains a classic example of a hillside seepage bog which the Conserva ...

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 18,333 people, 6,334 households, and 4,560 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 17,786 people, 6,165 households, and 4,539 families residing in the county. The population density was 39.9 people per square mile (15.33/km²). There were 7,161 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 78.6% White, 19.1% Black or African American, with 2.3% being of other racial categories. 1.3% of the population were Hispanic or

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. 31.5% of households had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% 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, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male household with no wife present, and 26.4% were non-families. 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.13. 24.4% were under the age of 18, 29.4% were under the age of 20, 32.3% from 20 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.9 years. 50.1% of the population was male, and 49.9% was female. The median income for a household in the county was $42,862, and the median family income was $48,083. Males had a median income of $42,773 versus $31,000 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,806. About 14.1% of families and 18.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.9% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

On April 25, during the 2012 regular session of the

Mississippi Legislature The Mississippi Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The bicameral Legislature is composed of the lower Mississippi House of Representatives, with 122 members, and the upper Mississippi State Senate, with 52 me ...

, Concurrent Resolution 643 was adopted by the state Senate and state House of Representatives, stating that Stone County be named and declared the ''Mural County of Mississippi''. During the previous 8 years, a Telling Trees Project was developed in Stone County to document and celebrate Stone County's history and heritage. As part of that project, 23

murals A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spanish ...

, in the form of paintings and mosaic tiles, were created in cooperation with the Art Department, Perkinston campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and are on public display throughout the county. The murals tell visual stories of Stone County's ecosystems, people, landmarks, and industries.Nicole Dow. 2012. Stone County named state's mural county.'' Sun Herald'' (Biloxi, MS), Vol. 128, No, 213, page 2A, May 3, 2012.

Communities

Cities

(county seat)

Census-designated place

* Bond

Unincorporated communities

Beatrice Beatrice may refer to: * Beatrice (given name) Places In the United States * Beatrice, Alabama, a town * Beatrice, Humboldt County, California, a locality * Beatrice, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Beatrice, Indiana, an unincorporated ...

* Big Level * McHenry * Perkinston * Ramsey Springs * Silver Run * Ten Mile * Texas

Education

Public school districts

Stone County School District The Stone County School District is a public school district based in Wiggins, Mississippi (USA). The district's boundaries parallel that of Stone County. Schools * Stone High School *Stone Middle School *Stone Elementary School *Perkinston ...

Colleges

* Perkinston campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

Politics

References

{{authority control Mississippi counties Gulfport–Biloxi metropolitan area 1916 establishments in Mississippi Populated places established in 1916