Yazoo County, Mississippi


Yazoo County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,743, and was estimated to be 23,024 in 2024. The county seat is Yazoo City. It is named for the Yazoo River, which forms its western border. Its name is said to come from a Choctaw language word meaning "River of Death".

History

The area which is now Yazoo County was acquired by the State of Mississippi from the Choctaw Indians in 1820. Yazoo County was established on January 21, 1823. It was the 19th county established in the State of Mississippi and remains the largest in area. It was developed for cotton plantations, which lined the major river to have transportation access.
The first county seat was at Beatties Bluff. As population increased, In 1829 the county seat was moved to Benton. In 1849 the county seat was moved again, to Yazoo City, where it remains.
Yazoo County was a battlefield in 1863 and 1864 during the American Civil War. After the war, whites committed violence against freedmen to assert their dominance. Such violence continued after Reconstruction. In the period from 1877 to 1950, Yazoo County had 18 documented lynchings of African Americans. Most occurred around the turn of the 20th century, as part of white imposition of Jim Crow conditions and suppression of black voting.
In 1900 a railroad disaster killed engineer Casey Jones; it took place in Yazoo County just north of Vaughan. The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 did much damage in Yazoo County.
It experienced two accidents relating to carbon dioxide pipelines owned by Denbury Resources. In 2011, a pipeline had a "blowout" in Tinsley, Mississippi, causing the sickening of one worker and killing deer, fish and birds. In 2020, a pipeline ruptured less than half a mile from Satartia. More than 300 people were evacuated and 46 hospitalized with carbon dioxide poisoning.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. It is the 1st largest county in Mississippi by total area and the 1st largest by total area.

Adjacent counties

As of the third quarter of 2024, the median home value in Yazoo County was $138,610.
As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 8,892 estimated households in Yazoo County with an average of 2.45 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $40,974. Approximately 30.9% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Yazoo County has an estimated 43.2% employment rate, with 13.3% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 74.7% holding a high school diploma.
The top five reported ancestries were English, Spanish, Indo-European, Asian and Pacific Islander, and Other.

Racial and ethnic composition

Yazoo County, Mississippi – racial and ethnic composition
Race / ethnicity Pop. 1980Pop. 1990Pop. 2000Pop. 2010
White alone 13,131
11,923
11,558
10,477
9,184
Black or African American alone 13,755
13,401
15,074
15,893
15,812
Native American or Alaska Native alone 17
30
53
59
50
Asian alone 28
49
97
124
115
Pacific Islander alone ——1
4
6
Other race alone 23
0
1
5
36
Mixed race or multiracial ——132
202
464
Hispanic or Latino 395
103
1,233
1,301
1,076
Total27,349
25,506
28,149
28,065
26,743

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 26,743. The median age was 39.7 years. 21.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 124.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 129.9 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 37.4% White, 59.6% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.4% from some other race, and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.0% of the population.
56.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 43.7% lived in rural areas.
There were 9,012 households in the county, of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 32.2% were married-couple households, 21.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 40.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 10,432 housing units, of which 13.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 65.1% were owner-occupied and 34.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.5%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 28,065 people, 8,860 households, and 6,280 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 10,074 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 39.95% White, 57.06% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.71% from some other races and 1.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 4.64% of the population.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 28,149 people, 9,178 households, and 6,644 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 10,015 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 44.74% White, 53.96% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from some other races and 0.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 4.38% of the population.
35.60% of the 9,178 households had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.20% were married couples living together, 23.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.60% were non-families. 24.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.35.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.50% under the age of 18, 9.80% from 18 to 24, 29.20% from 25 to 44, 20.10% from 45 to 64, and 12.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 103.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $24,795, and the median income for a family was $29,395. Males had a median income of $28,553 versus $19,797 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,062. About 25.40% of families and 31.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.90% of those under age 18 and 22.50% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Major highways

is located in an unincorporated area in Yazoo County, west of central Yazoo City.

Education

Originally a solid Democratic stronghold, Yazoo has been a swing county since the 1950s. The 2008 election, when Barack Obama carried the county with a decisive majority, began a 12-year Democratic streak there, broken in 2024 when Donald Trump narrowly flipped it Republican. In 2024, Yazoo County was the most Black county or equivalent to vote for Donald Trump. This was even more stark because the county's Black population share has been increasing in recent decades.

Communities

Cities

Yazoo County, Mississippi has been featured in an Independent Lens series documenting bullying.

Notable people