Harrison 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 ...

located 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, Harrison County is the second-most populous county in Mississippi with a population of 208,621; although the most recent population estimate from 2024 suggests Harrison County has overtaken Hinds County to become the state's most populous county, with a population of 213,730. 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

Biloxi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. It lies on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast in southern Mississippi, bordering the city of Gulfport, Mississippi, Gulfport to its west. The adjacent cities ar ...

and Gulfport. The county is named after U.S. President

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was the ninth president of the United States, serving from March 4 to April 4, 1841, the shortest presidency in U.S. history. He was also the first U.S. president to die in office, causin ...

. Harrison County is part of the Gulfport-Biloxi metropolitan area. The county was severely damaged from both

Hurricane Camille Hurricane Camille was a powerful, deadly and destructive tropical cyclone which became the second most intense on record to strike the United States (behind the 1935 Labor Day hurricane) and is one of the four Category 5 hurricanes to make ...

on August 17, 1969, and

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

on August 29, 2005, causing catastrophic effects.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the county has a total area of , of which (41%) are covered by water. The Tchoutacabouffa River has its mouth at Biloxi Bay just north of the city of Biloxi.

Gulfport, Mississippi Gulfport ( ) is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States, and its co-county seat. It had a population of 72,926 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Mississippi, second-most populous ...

, is the chief port in the state, with access to the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

through a ship channel. This is the second-largest county in Mississippi by total area.

Wildlife

A single pond in the county contains the critically endangered dusky gopher frog.

Major highways

* * * * * * * * *

Adjacent counties and parishes

* Stone County (north) * Jackson County (east) * Hancock County (west) * St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana (southwest)

National protected areas

* De Soto National Forest (part) * Gulf Islands National Seashore (part)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, 208,621 people, 74,628 households, and 50,074 families were residing in the county.

Corrections system

Harrison County has been studied by CNN and other media, which have reported on the beatings of inmates in the Harrison County Jail in Gulfport. Inmate Jessie Lee Williams Jr. died while in custody on February 4, 2006. In 2006 and 2007, six Harrison County Sheriff's Department deputies pleaded guilty to crimes related to the abuse of inmates at the jail. while Sheriff George Payne was in office. Sheriff Melvin Brisolara-R was elected in 2008, for Harrison County.

Communities

Cities

(county seat) * D'Iberville * Gulfport (county seat) * Long Beach * Pass Christian

Census-designated places

* DeLisle * Henderson Point * Lyman * Saucier

Unincorporated communities

* Cuevas * Howison * Lizana * Mississippi City * Wool Market

Politics

Since 1964, Harrison County has voted overwhelmingly Republican. The last Democrat to receive over 40% of the vote was Jimmy Carter in 1976.

Education

School districts include:
Text list
/ref> * Biloxi Public School District * Gulfport School District * Harrison County School District * Long Beach School District * Pass Christian Public School District

References

External links

Official county site

Harrison County Sheriff
*
Mississippi Courthouses – Harrison County
{{coord, 30.42, -89.09, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MS_source:UScensus1990 Mississippi counties Gulfport–Biloxi metropolitan area 1841 establishments in Mississippi Populated places established in 1841