Carroll County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the U.S. state of

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,998. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

s are Carrollton and Vaiden. The county is named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last surviving signatory of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

. Carroll County is part of the Greenwood, Micropolitan Statistical Area. Bordered by the Yazoo River on the west and the Big Black River to the east, it is considered to lie within the Mississippi Delta region. Most of its land, however, is in the hill country. The county is referred to in the third verse of Bobbie Gentry's 1967 hit song, " Ode to Billie Joe".

History

This area was developed by European Americans for cotton plantations near the rivers. These were dependent on the labor of large gangs of enslaved African Americans. After the American Civil War, many freedmen worked as sharecroppers or tenant farmers on the plantations. Other areas were harvested for timber. In the period from 1877 to 1950, Carroll County had 29 documented lynchings of African Americans, the second-highest number in the state.

Geography

Carroll County consists of rolling hills, largely covered with trees. The county's highest point is adjacent to State Highway 35, WSW of Winona, at ASL. According to the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.0%) is water.

Major highways

Interstate 55 Interstate 55 (I-55) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The ...

U.S. Route 51 U.S. Route 51 or U.S. Highway 51 (US 51) is a major south–north United States highway that extends from the western suburbs of New Orleans, Louisiana, to within of the Wisconsin–Michigan state line. As most of the United States Numbered Hi ...

* U.S. Route 82 * Mississippi Highway 17 * Mississippi Highway 35

Adjacent counties

* Grenada County - north * Montgomery County - east * Attala County - southeast * Holmes County - southwest * Leflore County - west

Demographics

From 1940 to 1970, the county population declined markedly, as many African Americans left in the Great Migration to West Coast cities that had a growing defense industry. Others went North to Chicago and other industrial cities. Rural whites also moved to cities to find work.

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,998 people, 3,827 households, and 2,685 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 10,769 people, 4,071 households, and 3,069 families in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 4,888 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 62.67%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 36.61%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.07% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 0.13% from other races, and 0.36% from two or more races. 0.73% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 4,071 households, out of which 32.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.20% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 15.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.60% were non-families. 22.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.01. The largest ancestry groups in Carroll County were English 51%, African 38.6%, and Scots-Irish 12.1% The county population contained 24.50% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 25.70% from 45 to 64, and 13.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.00 males. The median income for a household in the county was $28,878, and the median income for a family was $35,711. Males had a median income of $28,459 versus $19,695 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $15,744. About 13.70% of families and 16.00% 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 ...

, including 17.30% of those under age 18 and 23.50% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Carroll County School District is the area public school district. It operates one high school, J. Z. George High School, and formerly operated Vaiden High School. Carroll Academy is an area private school that is financially supported by the

Council of Conservative Citizens The Council of Conservative Citizens (CofCC or CCC) is an American white supremacist organization. Founded in 1985, it advocates white nationalism, and supports some paleoconservative causes. In the organization's statement of principles, it st ...

, a white supremacist group. Pillow Academy in unincorporated Leflore County, near Greenwood, enrolls some students from Carroll County. It originally was a segregation academy.

Communities

Towns

* Carrollton (2nd county seat) * North Carrollton * Vaiden (1st county seat)

Unincorporated places

* Avalon * Black Hawk * Coila * McCarley *

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

* Teoc * Valley Hill

Notable people

* Henry Pinckney McCain - US Army General, born in Carroll County 1861 * Lafayette Joseph Lott – Democratic politician, born in Carroll County 1863 * John S. McCain, Sr. - (US Navy Admiral), born in Carroll County 1884 * Mississippi John Hurt - Musician, born in Carroll County 1893

Politics

Carroll County is a Republican stronghold. The last time it voted for a Democratic candidate was

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

in 1976.

References

{{authority control Mississippi counties Greenwood, Mississippi micropolitan area 1833 establishments in Mississippi Populated places established in 1833