Humphreys 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 In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 7,785. 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 ...

is Belzoni. The county is named for Benjamin G. Humphreys. Humphreys County is Mississippi's newest county, having been formed in 1918. Humphreys County is located in the

Mississippi Delta The Mississippi Delta, also known as the Yazoo–Mississippi Delta, or simply the Delta, is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi (and portions of Arkansas and Louisiana) that lies between the Mississippi and Yazo ...

region. It was named 'Farm-Raised Catfish Capital of the World' in 1976 by then Governor

Cliff Finch Charles Clifton Finch (April 4, 1927 – April 22, 1986) was an American politician who served as the 57th governor of Mississippi from 1976 to 1980. Early life Finch was born on April 4, 1927 in the village of Pope in Panola County, Missis ...

, since it produced more farm-raised

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order (biology), order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Catfish are common name, named for their prominent barbel (anatomy), barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, though not ...

than any other U.S. county. Forty thousand acres (160 square kilometers) of the county are underwater and used to grow

. About 60% of U.S. farm-raised

is raised within a radius of the

, Belzoni. The title "Catfish Capital" has also been claimed by

Savannah, Tennessee Savannah is a city in and the county seat of Hardin County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 7,213 at the 2020 census. Savannah is located along the east side of the Tennessee River. Savannah hosted the National Association of Interco ...

, and Des Allemands, Louisiana. In March 2023, the towns of Rolling Fork,

Midnight Midnight is the transition time from one day to the next – the moment when the date changes, on the local official clock time for any particular jurisdiction. By clock time, midnight is the opposite of noon, differing from it by 12 hours. ...

and Silver City were struck by an EF4. Part of the Tornado outbreak of March 24–25, 2023.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (3.0%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 49W U.S. Route 49W (US 49W) is an U.S. Highway in the Delta region of Mississippi, passing through Yazoo, Humphreys, Sunflower, and Tallahatchie counties. Route description US 49W begins just north of downtown Yazoo City at an interchange be ...

Mississippi Highway 7 Mississippi Highway 7 (MS 7) runs generally north–south from the Tennessee state line in Benton County, Mississippi, Benton County to Belzoni, Mississippi. It travels approximately , serving Humphreys County, Mississippi, Humphreys, Lef ...

Mississippi Highway 12 Mississippi Highway 12 (MS 12) is a state highway in northern Mississippi that runs west–east from MS 1 west of Hollandale at the Mississippi River to State Route 18 (SR 18) at the Alabama state line northeast of Columbus. MS 12 trav ...

Mississippi Highway 14 Mississippi Highway 14 (MS 14) is a state highway that runs from west to east in the U.S. State of Mississippi. MS 14 serves the counties of Issaquena County, MS, Issaquena, Sharkey County, MS, Sharkey, Humphreys County, MS, Humphreys, Holmes C ...

Mississippi Highway 16 Mississippi Highway 16 (MS 16) is a state highway in central Mississippi. It runs east–west for , from the Mississippi Delta region to the Alabama state line. MS 16 serves 8 counties: Issaquena, Sharkey, Yazoo, Humphreys, Madison, Leak ...

Adjacent counties

* Sunflower County (north) *

Leflore County Leflore County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,339. The county seat is Greenwood. The county is named for Choctaw leader Greenwood LeFlore, who signed a treaty to cede his pe ...

(northeast) * Holmes County (east) * Yazoo County (south) * Sharkey County (southwest) * Washington County (west)

National protected area

* Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge (part) * Sky Lake Wildlife Management Area; the area contains some of the oldest and largest

bald cypress ''Taxodium distichum'' (baldcypress, bald-cypress, bald cypress, swamp cypress; ; ''cipre'' in Louisiana) is a deciduous conifer in the family Cupressaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States. Hardy and tough, this tree adapts to a w ...

trees in the world.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 7,785 people, 3,186 households, and 2,078 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 9,375 people living in the county: 74.5% were Black or African American, 23.5%

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 ...

, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% Native American, 0.9% of some other race and 0.7% of two or more races, and 2.2% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

2000 census

At the 2000

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

, there were 11,206 people, 3,765 households and 2,695 families living 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 4,138 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 27.17%

, 71.51%

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 American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

, 0.10% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.64% from other races, and 0.31% from two or more races. 1.50% 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 3,765 households, of which 36.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.30% 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, 27.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.40% were non-families. Of all households, 24.90% were made up of individuals, and 10.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.54. Age distribution was 32.70% under the age of 18, 10.70% from 18 to 24, 25.80% from 25 to 44, 18.80% from 45 to 64, and 12.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 87.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.70 males. The median household income was $20,566, and the median family income was $23,719. Males had a median income of $24,948 versus $19,201 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 $10,926. About 32.40% of families and 38.20% 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 50.30% of those under age 18 and 31.00% of those age 65 or over. Humphreys County has the seventh-lowest per capita income in Mississippi and the 56th-lowest in the United States. In April 2019, Propublica identified Humphreys County as the county most intensely audited by the IRS.

Politics

Like most counties in the Delta, Humphreys County is solidly Democratic. A Republican has not won the county since 1972. In 2001 the Humphreys County Sheriff's Department named J. D. Roseman the first black Chief Deputy. In 2008 he became the first black Sheriff of Humphreys County.

Media

* Radio stations (both located in Belzoni) ** WELZ 1460AM (

Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

) ** WBYP 107.1FM (Country) * Newspapers ** ''The Belzoni Banner'', distributed weekly ** ''

The Enterprise-Tocsin ''The Enterprise-Tocsin'' is a newspaper 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 n ...

'', a newspaper based in Indianola in Sunflower County, is distributed in portions of northern Humphreys County.

Communities

City

* Belzoni (county seat)

Towns

* Isola * Louise * Silver City

Unincorporated communities

* Bellewood * Deovolente * Lodi *

Education

There is one school district:

Humphreys County School District The Humphreys County School District is a public school district with its administrative offices in Belzoni, Mississippi (USA). The district's boundaries parallel that of Humphreys County. History In 2019, the state Board of Education voted t ...

, which has boundaries matching that of the county.
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References

{{authority control Mississippi counties 1918 establishments in Mississippi Populated places established in 1918 Black Belt (U.S. region) Majority-minority counties in Mississippi