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Lafayette County, Mississippi
Lafayette Co Mississippi courthouse during Double Decker Festival
Lafayette County courthouse in Oxford
Map of Mississippi highlighting Lafayette County
Location in the state of Mississippi
Map of the U.S
Mississippi's location in the U.S.
Founded 1836
Named for Marquis de Lafayette
Seat Oxford
Largest city Oxford
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

679 sq mi (1,759 km²)
632 sq mi (1,637 km²)
47 sq mi (122 km²), 7.0
Population
 - (2020)
 - Density

55,813
Congressional district 1st
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website http://lafayettems.com/

Lafayette County is a county in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 55,813.[1] Its county seat is Oxford.[2] The local pronunciation of the name is "la-FAY-et." The county's name honors Marquis de Lafayette, a French military hero and American general who fought during the American Revolutionary War.[3]

The Oxford, MS Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Lafayette County. The county is policed by the Lafayette County Sheriff's Department.

Lafayette County is often regarded as the inspiration for Yoknapatawpha County, the fictional setting of many of William Faulkner's works.

Geography[]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 679 square miles (1,760 km2), of which 632 square miles (1,640 km2) is land and 47 square miles (120 km2) (7.0%) is water.[4]

Major highways[]

  • US 278 U.S. Route 278
  • Circle sign 6 Mississippi Highway 6
  • Circle sign 7 Mississippi Highway 7
  • Circle sign 9W Mississippi Highway 9W
  • Circle sign 30 Mississippi Highway 30
  • Circle sign 334 Mississippi Highway 334
  • Circle sign 331 Mississippi Highway 331
  • Circle sign 315 Mississippi Highway 315

Adjacent counties[]

National protected area[]

  • Holly Springs National Forest (part)

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1840 6,531
1850 14,069 115.4%
1860 16,125 14.6%
1870 18,802 16.6%
1880 21,671 15.3%
1890 20,553 −5.2%
1900 22,110 7.6%
1910 21,883 −1.0%
1920 19,243 −12.1%
1930 19,978 3.8%
1940 21,257 6.4%
1950 22,798 7.2%
1960 21,355 −6.3%
1970 24,181 13.2%
1980 31,030 28.3%
1990 31,826 2.6%
2000 38,744 21.7%
2010 47,351 22.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[5]
1790–1960[6] 1900–1990[7]
1990–2000[8] 2010–2020[9]

2020 census[]

Lafayette County Racial Composition[10]
Race Num. Perc.
White 38,766 69.46%
Black or African American 11,300 20.25%
Native American 68 0.12%
Asian 1,685 3.02%
Pacific Islander 24 0.04%
Other/Mixed 1,828 3.28%
Hispanic or Latino 2,142 3.84%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 55,813 people, 18,721 households, and 11,111 families residing in the county.

2010 Census[11]

As of the census of 2010, there were 45,859 people. There were 21,646 housing units. The medium age was 26.8 years old. The racial makeup of the county was 71.5% white, 23.9% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, and 2.0% Asian. 2.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 Census

As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 38,744 people, 14,373 households, and 8,321 families residing in the county. The population density was 61 people per square mile (24/km2). There were 16,587 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile (10/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 71.85% White, 25.05% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 1.67% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.42% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. 1.10% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The largest European ancestry groups in Lafayette county are:[13]

Many people in Mississippi may claim Irish ancestry because of the term "Scots-Irish", but most of the time in Mississippi this term is used for those with Ulster Scots roots rather than Irish Catholics.[14]

In 2000, there were 14,373 households, out of which 26.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.20% were married couples living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.10% were non-families. 29.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 19.50% under the age of 18, 27.10% from 18 to 24, 26.30% from 25 to 44, 17.10% from 45 to 64, and 9.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females there were 96.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,517, and the median income for a family was $42,910. Males had a median income of $30,964 versus $21,207 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,406. About 10.20% of families and 21.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.60% of those under age 18 and 19.40% of those age 65 or over.


Communities[]

Template:Lafayette County, Mississippi image map

City[]

  • Oxford (county seat and largest municipality)

Town[]

  • Abbeville
  • Taylor
  • Harmontown

Census-designated places[]

  • Paris
  • Tula
  • University

Unincorporated communities[]

  • Denmark
  • Harmontown
  • Springdale
  • Yocona

Ghost towns[]

  • Dogtown
  • Orwood

Politics[]

Unlike many counties dominated by college towns, Lafayette County tilts Republican. It last supported a Democrat for president in 1980. However, it is not as heavily Republican as other counties in north Mississippi, particularly those in the Memphis area. The Democrats have received at least 40 percent of the vote in every election since 1988, a period when much of north Mississippi swung hard to the GOP.

Sheriff F. D. “Buddy" East died in office in September 2018. He had been elected to office twelve times, starting in 1972 and was the state's longest-serving sheriff and at the time of his death the longest-serving sheriff in the nation.[15]

United States presidential election results for Lafayette County, Mississippi[16]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 12,949 55.28% 10,070 42.99% 404 1.72%
2016 10,872 55.35% 7,969 40.57% 802 4.08%
2012 11,075 56.78% 8,091 41.48% 339 1.74%
2008 10,278 55.68% 7,997 43.32% 185 1.00%
2004 9,004 58.46% 6,218 40.37% 179 1.16%
2000 7,081 55.85% 5,139 40.53% 458 3.61%
1996 4,753 47.18% 4,646 46.12% 675 6.70%
1992 5,251 46.07% 5,224 45.84% 922 8.09%
1988 5,841 59.29% 3,967 40.27% 44 0.45%
1984 6,006 62.05% 3,646 37.67% 28 0.29%
1980 4,366 45.62% 4,887 51.06% 318 3.32%
1976 3,735 44.73% 4,375 52.39% 241 2.89%
1972 5,391 76.89% 1,545 22.04% 75 1.07%
1968 1,235 20.11% 1,578 25.69% 3,329 54.20%
1964 3,202 81.64% 720 18.36% 0 0.00%
1960 705 24.13% 1,308 44.76% 909 31.11%
1956 575 21.29% 1,968 72.86% 158 5.85%
1952 868 26.86% 2,363 73.14% 0 0.00%
1948 48 2.42% 744 37.58% 1,188 60.00%
1944 87 3.89% 2,148 96.11% 0 0.00%
1940 65 2.88% 2,188 97.03% 2 0.09%
1936 26 1.54% 1,652 98.16% 5 0.30%
1932 26 1.40% 1,831 98.39% 4 0.21%
1928 131 7.35% 1,652 92.65% 0 0.00%
1924 89 4.51% 1,848 93.62% 37 1.87%
1920 321 26.62% 873 72.39% 12 1.00%
1916 47 3.29% 1,370 95.80% 13 0.91%
1912 28 2.63% 973 91.28% 65 6.10%



See also[]

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Lafayette County, Mississippi
  • University of Mississippi (Ole Miss)

References[]

  1. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/28/28071.html. 
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. 
  3. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Government Printing Office. pp. 178. https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ. 
  4. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_28.txt. 
  5. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html. 
  6. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. 
  7. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ms190090.txt. 
  8. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf. 
  9. ^ "2020 Population and Housing State Data". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/2020-population-and-housing-state-data.html. 
  10. ^ "Explore Census Data". https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US28071&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2. 
  11. ^ Bureau, U. S. Census. "U.S. Census website" (in en). https://www.census.gov. 
  12. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov. 
  13. ^ American FactFinder Archived 2020-02-12 at archive.today. Factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2013-08-17.
  14. ^ Census 2000 Map - Top U.S. Ancestries by County
  15. ^ Apel, Therese (8 October 2018). "Mississippi's longest-serving sheriff dies after 46 years in office". Clarion-Ledger. https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/local/2018/09/08/mississippis-longest-serving-sheriff-dies-after-46-years-office/1240308002/. 
  16. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS. 

External links[]

Coordinates: 34°22′N 89°29′W / 34.36, -89.49


This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Lafayette County, Mississippi. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
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