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Stone County, Mississippi facts for kids

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Stone County
Stone County Courthouse in Wiggins
Stone County Courthouse in Wiggins
Map of Mississippi highlighting Stone County
Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi
Map of the United States highlighting Mississippi
Mississippi's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Mississippi
Founded 1916
Named for John M. Stone
Seat Wiggins
Largest city Wiggins
Area
 • Total 448 sq mi (1,160 km2)
 • Land 445 sq mi (1,150 km2)
 • Water 2.6 sq mi (7 km2)  0.6%
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 17,786
 • Estimate 
(2018)
18,717
 • Density 39.70/sq mi (15.329/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 4th

Stone County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 17,786. Its county seat is Wiggins. Stone County was formed from the northern portion of Harrison County on June 5, 1916. The county was named for John M. Stone, who served as Governor of Mississippi from 1876 to 1882 and again from 1890 to 1896.

Stone County is included in the Gulfport-Biloxi, MS Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1918, the Stone County Courthouse was completed at a cost of $29,515.18, and is still in use today, after several renovations.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 448 square miles (1,160 km2), of which 445 square miles (1,150 km2) is land and 2.6 square miles (6.7 km2) (0.6%) is water.

Major highways

  • US 49.svg U.S. Highway 49
  • Circle sign 15.svg Mississippi Highway 15
  • Circle sign 26.svg Mississippi Highway 26
  • Circle sign 29.svg Mississippi Highway 29

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1920 6,528
1930 5,704 −12.6%
1940 6,155 7.9%
1950 6,264 1.8%
1960 7,013 12.0%
1970 8,101 15.5%
1980 9,716 19.9%
1990 10,750 10.6%
2000 13,622 26.7%
2010 17,786 30.6%
2018 (est.) 18,717 5.2%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2013

2020 census

Stone County Racial Composition
Race Num. Perc.
White 13,822 75.39%
Black or African American 3,239 17.67%
Native American 79 0.43%
Asian 89 0.49%
Pacific Islander 9 0.05%
Other/Mixed 651 3.55%
Hispanic or Latino 444 2.42%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 18,333 people, 6,334 households, and 4,560 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 17,786 people, 6,165 households, and 4,539 families residing in the county. The population density was 39.9 people per square mile (15.33/km2). There were 7,161 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile (6/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 78.6% White, 19.1% Black or African American, with 2.3% being of other racial categories. 1.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

31.5% of households had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male household with no wife present, and 26.4% were non-families. 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.13.

24.4% were under the age of 18, 29.4% were under the age of 20, 32.3% from 20 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.9 years. 50.1% of the population was male, and 49.9% was female.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,862, and the median family income was $48,083. Males had a median income of $42,773 versus $31,000 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,806. About 14.1% of families and 18.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.9% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.

circa 1920
2010
Stone County Courthouse. Photos taken from Cavers Avenue, Wiggins, Mississippi.

Arts and culture

On April 25, during the 2012 regular session of the Mississippi Legislature, Concurrent Resolution 643 was adopted by the state Senate and state House of Representatives, stating that Stone County be named and declared the Mural County of Mississippi. During the previous 8 years, a Telling Trees Project was developed in Stone County to document and celebrate Stone County's history and heritage. As part of that project, 23 murals, in the form of paintings and mosaic tiles, were created in cooperation with the Art Department, Perkinston campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and are on public display throughout the county. The murals tell visual stories of Stone County's ecosystems, people, landmarks, and industries.

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Education

Public school districts

  • Stone County School District

Colleges

  • Perkinston campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Stone (Misisipi) para niños

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