Rankin County
County
Rankin County Courthouse in Brandon
Rankin County Courthouse in Brandon
Map of Mississippi highlighting Rankin County
Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi
Map of the United States highlighting Mississippi
Mississippi's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°16′N 89°57′W / 32.26°N 89.95°W / 32.26; -89.95
Country United States
State Mississippi
FoundedFebruary 4, 1828
Named forChristopher Rankin
SeatBrandon
Largest cityPearl
Area
 • Total806 sq mi (2,090 km2)
 • Land775 sq mi (2,010 km2)
 • Water31 sq mi (80 km2)  3.8%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total157,031
 • Density190/sq mi (75/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district3rd
Websitewww.rankincounty.org

Rankin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The western border of the county is formed by the Pearl River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 157,031,[1] making it the fourth-most populous county in Mississippi. The county seat is Brandon.[2] The county is named in honor of Christopher Rankin, a Mississippi Congressman who served from 1819 to 1826.

Rankin County is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 806 square miles (2,090 km2), of which 775 square miles (2,010 km2) is land and 31 square miles (80 km2) (3.8%) is water.[3]

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18302,083—
18404,631122.3%
18507,22756.1%
186013,63588.7%
187012,977−4.8%
188016,75229.1%
189017,9227.0%
190020,95516.9%
191023,94414.3%
192020,272−15.3%
193020,3530.4%
194027,93437.2%
195028,8813.4%
196034,32218.8%
197043,93328.0%
198069,42758.0%
199087,16125.5%
2000115,32732.3%
2010141,61722.8%
2020157,03110.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[4]
1790-1960[5] 1900-1990[6]
1990-2000[7] 2010-2019[8]

2020 census

Rankin County racial composition[9]
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 111,990 71.32%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 32,430 20.65%
Native American 255 0.16%
Asian 2,260 1.44%
Pacific Islander 94 0.06%
Other/Mixed 4,935 3.14%
Hispanic or Latino 5,067 3.23%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 157,031 people, 57,011 households, and 39,676 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 115,327 people, 42,089 households, and 31,145 families residing in the county. The population density was 149 inhabitants per square mile (58/km2). There were 45,070 housing units at an average density of 58 per square mile (22/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 81.03% White, 17.12% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.41% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. 1.32% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

According to the census[10] of 2000, the largest ancestry groups in Rankin County were English 52.8%, Scots-Irish 15%, African 17.12%, Irish 5.1% and Scottish 3.2%.

There were 42,089 households, out of which 36.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.10% were married couples living together, 12.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.00% were non-families. 21.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.90% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 32.40% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 9.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $44,946, and the median income for a family was $51,707. Males had a median income of $36,097 versus $26,096 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,412. About 7.30% of families and 9.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.20% of those under age 18 and 11.70% of those age 65 or over.

Rankin County has the second highest per capita income in the state of Mississippi.


Transportation

Major highways

Airport

Jackson Evers International Airport is located in unincorporated Rankin County.

Government

The Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) operates the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility (CMCF), located in unincorporated Rankin County.[11][12] CMCF houses the state's female death row inmates.[11] MDOC also operates the Brandon Probation and Parole Office in Brandon.[13] In 2007 the Mississippi Highway Patrol opened a driver's license facility across the highway from the prison.[14]

The Mississippi State Hospital of the Mississippi Department of Mental Health is in Whitfield in unincorporated Rankin County.[15][16] It occupies the former Rankin Farm prison grounds.[17] In 1935, the Mississippi State Insane Asylum moved from a complex of 19th-century buildings in northern Jackson, the capital, to its current location.[18]

The Mississippi Department of Public Safety operates the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers' Training Academy (MLEOTA) on a 243-acre (98 ha) property in Rankin County, near CMCF and the MSH, 10 miles (16 km) from Jackson.[19]

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality operates the Central Regional Office and the MDEQ Laboratory in unincorporated Rankin County.[20][21]

Rankin County is one of the most conservative counties in the state, with Republican candidates normally receiving 70% or so of the popular vote.

Rankin County's sheriff's office is under investigation for civil rights violations arising from allegations of excessive force employed by sheriff deputies against black suspects.[22]

United States presidential election results for Rankin County, Mississippi[23]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 50,895 71.89% 18,847 26.62% 1,057 1.49%
2016 47,178 74.76% 14,110 22.36% 1,822 2.89%
2012 48,444 75.52% 14,988 23.37% 713 1.11%
2008 48,140 76.20% 14,372 22.75% 665 1.05%
2004 43,054 78.67% 11,005 20.11% 667 1.22%
2000 32,983 79.60% 8,050 19.43% 402 0.97%
1996 24,585 69.40% 8,614 24.32% 2,224 6.28%
1992 24,537 67.76% 8,155 22.52% 3,518 9.72%
1988 22,937 78.41% 6,201 21.20% 116 0.40%
1984 22,393 79.10% 5,874 20.75% 41 0.14%
1980 16,650 66.25% 8,047 32.02% 435 1.73%
1976 11,507 60.95% 6,937 36.75% 434 2.30%
1972 12,187 85.19% 1,913 13.37% 205 1.43%
1968 1,124 9.12% 1,975 16.03% 9,224 74.85%
1964 7,541 95.78% 332 4.22% 0 0.00%
1960 818 17.11% 850 17.77% 3,114 65.12%
1956 556 18.00% 1,537 49.76% 996 32.24%
1952 1,545 42.66% 2,077 57.34% 0 0.00%
1948 23 0.83% 57 2.07% 2,679 97.10%
1944 98 3.96% 2,374 96.04% 0 0.00%
1940 35 1.63% 2,110 98.09% 6 0.28%
1936 54 2.78% 1,884 97.06% 3 0.15%
1932 52 3.27% 1,536 96.60% 2 0.13%
1928 180 11.96% 1,325 88.04% 0 0.00%
1924 34 2.35% 1,415 97.65% 0 0.00%
1920 43 4.51% 905 94.96% 5 0.52%
1916 8 0.71% 1,104 98.22% 12 1.07%
1912 7 0.92% 718 93.86% 40 5.23%

Communities

Cities

Towns

Village

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Former communities

Education

Pearl Public School District and Rankin County School District are the two school districts in the county.[24]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Rankin County, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  4. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  5. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  6. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  7. ^ "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 7, 2014.
  8. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  9. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  10. ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  11. ^ a b "State Prisons Archived 2002-12-06 at the Wayback Machine." Mississippi Department of Corrections. Retrieved on May 21, 2010.
  12. ^ "MDOC QUICK REFERENCE." Mississippi Department of Corrections. Retrieved on May 21, 2010.
  13. ^ "Rankin County." Mississippi Department of Corrections. Retrieved on September 15, 2010.
  14. ^ "New Driver's License Facility Opens In Pearl", WAPT-TV. April 23, 2007. Retrieved on May 21, 2010.
  15. ^ "Whitfield Campus Map." Mississippi State Hospital. Retrieved on August 10, 2010.
  16. ^ "Driving Directions to MSH." Mississippi State Hospital. Retrieved on August 10, 2010.
  17. ^ Sixteenth Census of the United States: 1940: Population. Bureau of the Census, 1941. 572. Retrieved on Google Books on August 12, 2011.
  18. ^ Cole, Hunter. The Legs Murder Scandal. University Press of Mississippi. 331. Retrieved from Google Books on October 31, 2010. ISBN 1-60473-722-0, ISBN 978-1-60473-722-6
  19. ^ "Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers’ Training Academy Archived 2012-04-14 at the Wayback Machine," Mississippi Department of Public Safety. Retrieved on April 16, 2012.
  20. ^ "Central Regional Office." Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. Retrieved on September 21, 2010.
  21. ^ "Locations and Driving Directions to MDEQ Offices." Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. Retrieved on September 21, 2010.
  22. ^ Goldberg, Michael (March 27, 2023). "Deputies accused of shoving guns in mouths of 2 Black men". Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  23. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  24. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Rankin County, MS" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 9, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2022. - Text list

External links

Coordinates: 32°16′N 89°57′W / 32.26°N 89.95°W / 32.26; -89.95

Places adjacent to Rankin County, Mississippi
Municipalities and communities of Rankin County, Mississippi, United States
State of Mississippi
Authority control
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