Greene County, Mississippi Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Greene County
U.S. county
Leaksville Junior High School
Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi
Mississippi's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
Founded	1811
Named for	Nathanael Greene
Seat	Leakesville
Largest town	Leakesville
Area
• Total	719 sq mi (1,860 km²)
• Land	713 sq mi (1,850 km²)
• Water	5.9 sq mi (15 km²) 0.8%
Population (2020)
• Total	13,530
• Density	18.818/sq mi (7.266/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	4th

Greene County is a county located on the southeast border of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,530. Its county seat is Leakesville. Established in 1811, the county was named for General Nathanael Greene of the American Revolutionary War.

History
Geography
Demographics
- 2015
- 2020 census
Communities
Education
See also

History

Historically this area of the state was occupied by the Choctaw people, who constituted the largest tribe. French, Spanish and English colonists traded with them in the early colonial years. in 1830, President Andrew Jackson gained passage of the Indian Removal Act by Congress, and proceeded to force the Choctaw and other of the Five Civilized Tribes out of the Southeast to lands west of the Mississippi River. The land was sold to European-American settlers.

County boundaries went through numerous changes as population increased and new counties were created. Along with neighboring Jones and Perry counties, Greene is characterized by its sandy soil and Piney Woods. These characteristics limited the productivity of farming.

The county economy originally depended on subsistence farmers who ran herds of cattle and hogs, which were allowed to roam freely in the pine forests and bush. Together with the game they hunted, residents sold the meat animals to markets in Mobile, Alabama, the nearest commercial center. While some farmers tried to cultivate cotton because of the high prices when the market was strong, most in this area had small farms and the owners held few enslaved African Americans. The soil did not support very successful cotton crops; in 1860 only 16 of the 213 farmers in this county raised cotton.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 719 square miles (1,860 km²), of which 713 square miles (1,850 km²) is land and 5.9 square miles (15 km²) (0.8%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 45
U.S. Highway 98
Mississippi Highway 42
Mississippi Highway 57
Mississippi Highway 63

Adjacent counties

National protected area

De Soto National Forest (part)

Demographics

The rural county had strong declines in population from 1940 to 1960, a period when many African Americans left for the West Coast in the second wave of the Great Migration. The buildup of defense industries in California and other states before and during World War II attracted many migrants for work opportunities.

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1820	1,345	—
1830	1,854	37.8%
1840	1,636	−11.8%
1850	2,018	23.3%
1860	2,232	10.6%
1870	2,038	−8.7%
1880	3,194	56.7%
1890	3,906	22.3%
1900	6,795	74.0%
1910	6,050	−11.0%
1920	10,430	72.4%
1930	10,644	2.1%
1940	9,512	−10.6%
1950	8,215	−13.6%
1960	8,366	1.8%
1970	8,545	2.1%
1980	9,827	15.0%
1990	10,220	4.0%
2000	13,299	30.1%
2010	14,400	8.3%
2020	13,530	−6.0%
2023 (est.)	13,601	−5.5%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

2015

As of 2015^[update] the largest self-reported ancestry groups in Greene County, Mississippi are:

African - 26.18%
English - 18.9%
American - 17.6%
Irish - 7.9%
German - 4.9%
Scots-Irish - 4.0%
Scottish - 3.4%
French (except Basque) - 1.5%
Dutch - 1.1%
Italian - 0.7%
Welsh - 0.4%
French-Canadian - 0.1%
Russian - 0.1%
Norwegian - 0.1%

2020 census

Greene County racial composition
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	9,809	72.5%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	3,143	23.23%
Native American	60	0.44%
Asian	21	0.16%
Pacific Islander	3	0.02%
Other/Mixed	323	2.39%
Hispanic or Latino	171	1.26%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 13,530 people, 3,925 households, and 2,624 families residing in the county.

Communities

United States presidential election results for Greene County, Mississippi
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	4,794	82.48%	966	16.62%	52	0.89%
2016	4,335	80.74%	974	18.14%	60	1.12%
2012	4,531	76.51%	1,325	22.37%	66	1.11%
2008	4,361	75.33%	1,366	23.60%	62	1.07%
2004	3,850	72.66%	1,421	26.82%	28	0.53%
2000	3,082	69.48%	1,317	29.69%	37	0.83%
1996	1,947	53.71%	1,347	37.16%	331	9.13%
1992	2,406	51.90%	1,664	35.89%	566	12.21%
1988	2,837	57.08%	1,637	32.94%	496	9.98%
1984	2,744	67.55%	1,297	31.93%	21	0.52%
1980	1,772	50.04%	1,740	49.14%	29	0.82%
1976	1,538	40.80%	2,127	56.42%	105	2.79%
1972	2,884	83.52%	513	14.86%	56	1.62%
1968	132	3.97%	449	13.50%	2,744	82.53%
1964	1,845	89.52%	216	10.48%	0	0.00%
1960	247	15.65%	550	34.85%	781	49.49%
1956	351	28.56%	734	59.72%	144	11.72%
1952	506	28.86%	1,247	71.14%	0	0.00%
1948	14	1.38%	118	11.59%	886	87.03%
1944	109	10.73%	907	89.27%	0	0.00%
1940	66	6.65%	926	93.35%	0	0.00%
1936	46	5.23%	830	94.43%	3	0.34%
1932	29	3.42%	818	96.46%	1	0.12%
1928	342	36.58%	593	63.42%	0	0.00%
1924	31	6.37%	456	93.63%	0	0.00%
1920	24	6.59%	337	92.58%	3	0.82%
1916	32	7.36%	399	91.72%	4	0.92%
1912	13	4.18%	268	86.17%	30	9.65%

Education

Greene County School District is the only school district.

Greene County, Mississippi facts for kids

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