Lee County, Mississippi

County in Mississippi, United States

County in Mississippi

Lee County

County

County of Lee

Clock tower of the Lee County Courthouse

Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi

Mississippi's location within the U.S.

Coordinates: 34°17′N 88°41′W﻿ / ﻿34.29°N 88.68°W﻿ / 34.29; -88.68
Country|  United States
State|  Mississippi
Founded| October 26, 1866
(158 years ago) (1866-10-26)
Named after| Gen. Robert E. Lee
Seat| Tupelo
Largest city| Tupelo
Area

• Total

| 453 sq mi (1,170 km2)
• Land| 450 sq mi (1,200 km2)
• Water| 3.2 sq mi (8 km2)  0.7%
Population

(2020)

• Total

| 83,343
• Density| 180/sq mi (71/km2)
Time zone| UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes|

38801, 38804, 38824, 38826, 38828, 38843, 38849, 38857, 38858, 38860, 38862, 38866, 38868, 38879

Area code| 662
Congressional district| 1st
Website| leecoms.com

Lee County is a county in U.S. state of Mississippi. At the 2020 census, the population was 83,343. Its county seat is Tupelo. Lee County is included in the Tupelo Micropolitan Statistical Area.

## History

[edit]

Lee County was established by the Mississippi Legislature on October 26, 1866, and named for General Robert E. Lee,[1] General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate States. It was formed from Itawamba and Pontotoc counties; therefore, the record and list of early settlers mentioned in those counties embrace a great number who were residents of what is present day Lee County.[2]

## Geography

[edit]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 453 square miles (1,170 km2), of which 450 square miles (1,200 km2) is land and 3.2 square miles (8.3 km2) (0.7%) is water.[3]

### Major highways

[edit]

* Interstate 22
* U.S. Highway 45
* U.S. Highway 78
* U.S. Route 278
* Natchez Trace Parkway
* Mississippi Highway 6
* Mississippi Highway 145
* Mississippi Highway 178
* Mississippi Highway 363
* Mississippi Highway 245
* Mississippi Highway 371
* Mississippi Highway 370

### Adjacent counties

[edit]

* Prentiss County (north)
* Itawamba County (east)
* Monroe County (southeast)
* Chickasaw County (southwest)
* Pontotoc County (west)
* Union County (northwest)

### National protected areas

[edit]

* Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site
* Natchez Trace Parkway (part)
* Tupelo National Battlefield

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1870| 15,955| | —
1880| 20,470| | 28.3%
1890| 20,040| | −2.1%
1900| 21,956| | 9.6%
1910| 28,894| | 31.6%
1920| 29,618| | 2.5%
1930| 35,313| | 19.2%
1940| 38,838| | 10.0%
1950| 38,237| | −1.5%
1960| 40,589| | 6.2%
1970| 46,148| | 13.7%
1980| 57,061| | 23.6%
1990| 65,581| | 14.9%
2000| 75,755| | 15.5%
2010| 82,910| | 9.4%
2020| 83,343| | 0.5%
2023 (est.)| 82,799| [4]| −0.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[5]
1790-1960[6] 1900-1990[7]
1990-2000[8] 2010-2013[9] 2018[10]
Family in a wagon in Lee County, 1935. Photo by Arthur Rothstein.

### 2020 census

[edit]

Lee County Racial Composition[11] Race  | Num.  | Perc.

|
|

White | 52,854  | 63.42%
Black or African American | 24,131  | 28.95%
Native American | 94  | 0.11%
Asian | 920  | 1.1%
Pacific Islander | 25  | 0.03%
Other/Mixed | 2,491  | 2.99%
Hispanic or Latino | 2,828  | 3.39%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 83,343 people, 30,378 households, and 21,437 families residing in the county.

### 2000 census

[edit]

As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 75,755 people, 29,200 households, and 20,819 families residing in the county. The population density was 168 inhabitants per square mile (65/km2). There were 31,887 housing units at an average density of 71 per square mile (27/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 73.66% White, 24.51% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. 1.16% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 29,200 households, out of which 36.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.60% were married couples living together, 14.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.70% were non-families. 25.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.05. In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.70% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 30.50% from 25 to 44, 21.80% from 45 to 64, and 11.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.50 males. The median income for a household in the county was $36,165, and the median income for a family was $43,149. Males had a median income of $31,039 versus $22,235 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,956. About 10.50% of families and 13.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.90% of those under age 18 and 15.50% of those age 65 or over. Lee County has the ninth highest per capita income in the state of Mississippi.

## Communities

[edit]

### Cities

[edit]

* Baldwyn (partly in Prentiss County)
* Saltillo
* Tupelo (county seat)
* Verona
* Nettleton (Partly in Monroe County)
* Guntown

\
Towns

* Plantersville
* Shannon
* Sherman (partly in Pontotoc County and Union County)

### Census-designated places

[edit]

* Mooreville

### Unincorporated communities

[edit]

* Barrett Ridge
* Belden
* Brewer
* Eggville
* Jug Fork

## Education

[edit]

Lee County is served by the Baldwyn, Lee County, Nettleton, and Tupelo school districts.[13]

## Politics

[edit]

Lee County has been a Republican stronghold since the mid-1980s. The last Democratic presidential candidate who carried this county was Jimmy Carter in the election of 1980.

United States presidential election results for Lee County, Mississippi[14] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies)

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2024 | 24,339  | 68.87% | 10,616  | 30.04%  | 383  | 1.08%
2020 | 24,207  | 65.51% | 12,189  | 32.98%  | 558  | 1.51%
2016 | 22,220  | 67.51% | 10,029  | 30.47%  | 664  | 2.02%
2012 | 22,415  | 63.49% | 12,563  | 35.58%  | 328  | 0.93%
2008 | 22,694  | 64.91% | 12,021  | 34.39%  | 245  | 0.70%
2004 | 20,254  | 66.11% | 10,127  | 33.05%  | 258  | 0.84%
2000 | 15,551  | 61.97% | 9,142  | 36.43%  | 401  | 1.60%
1996 | 11,815  | 54.48% | 8,438  | 38.91%  | 1,433  | 6.61%
1992 | 12,231  | 54.36% | 7,710  | 34.27%  | 2,560  | 11.38%
1988 | 13,767  | 66.42% | 6,604  | 31.86%  | 357  | 1.72%
1984 | 13,312  | 67.47% | 6,208  | 31.46%  | 210  | 1.06%
1980 | 8,326  | 44.08%  | 10,047  | 53.19% | 516  | 2.73%
1976 | 7,366  | 45.10%  | 8,504  | 52.07% | 463  | 2.83%
1972 | 10,730  | 82.60% | 1,632  | 12.56%  | 629  | 4.84%
1968 | 2,522  | 18.45%  | 1,912  | 13.99%  | 9,232  | 67.55%
1964 | 5,165  | 68.19% | 2,409  | 31.81%  | 0  | 0.00%
1960 | 1,550  | 23.34%  | 3,653  | 55.01% | 1,438  | 21.65%
1956 | 929  | 18.01%  | 3,883  | 75.30% | 345  | 6.69%
1952 | 2,002  | 32.42%  | 4,174  | 67.58% | 0  | 0.00%
1948 | 82  | 2.13%  | 636  | 16.54%  | 3,128  | 81.33%
1944 | 230  | 6.15%  | 3,509  | 93.85% | 0  | 0.00%
1940 | 120  | 3.05%  | 3,814  | 96.93% | 1  | 0.03%
1936 | 42  | 1.16%  | 3,585  | 98.84% | 0  | 0.00%
1932 | 129  | 3.36%  | 3,704  | 96.51% | 5  | 0.13%
1928 | 367  | 11.75%  | 2,757  | 88.25% | 0  | 0.00%
1924 | 152  | 5.48%  | 2,621  | 94.52% | 0  | 0.00%
1920 | 302  | 15.38%  | 1,652  | 84.11% | 10  | 0.51%
1916 | 91  | 5.12%  | 1,683  | 94.60% | 5  | 0.28%
1912 | 39  | 2.62%  | 1,390  | 93.54% | 57  | 3.84%

## See also

[edit]

* List of memorials to Robert E. Lee
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Lee County, Mississippi

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States (Report). U.S. Geological survey. Bulletin no. 258 (2nd ed.). Washington: Government Printing Office. p. 184\. LCCN 05000751. OCLC 1156805 - via United States Geological Survey.
2. ^ Lowry, Robert; McCardle, William H. (1891). A History of Mississippi, From the Discovery of the Great River by Hernando De Soto, Including the Earliest Settlement Made by the French, Under Iberville, to the Death of Jefferson Davis. Jackson, Miss.: R. H. Henry & Co. p. 520\. LCCN 01002485. OCLC 2109804. OL 271554M.
3. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
4. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
5. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
6. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
7. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
8. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
9. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
10. ^ "Lee County, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
11. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
12. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
13. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Lee County, MS" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022. \- Text list
14. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 5, 2018.

## External links

[edit]

Lee County, Mississippi at Wikipedia's sister projects

* Definitions from Wiktionary
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Government

* Official website

General information

* Geographic data related to Lee County, Mississippi at OpenStreetMap
* Lee County, Mississippi at Ballotpedia
* Lee County, Mississippi at MSGenWeb
* Lee-Itawamba Library System

* v
* t
* e

Places adjacent to Lee County, Mississippi

| Union County |
| Prentiss County

|
|

|  |
Pontotoc County |

Lee County, Mississippi

| Itawamba County
|  |
Chickasaw County |
| Monroe County

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Lee County, Mississippi, United States

County seat: Tupelo

Cities|

* Baldwyn‡
* Guntown
* Nettleton‡
* Saltillo
* Tupelo
* Verona

Map of Mississippi highlighting Lee County

Towns|

* Plantersville
* Shannon
* Sherman‡

CDP|

* Mooreville

Other
communities|

* Barrett Ridge
* Belden
* Brewer
* Eggville
* Jug Fork

Ghost town|

* Pontocola

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

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