Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index

Clay County, Mississippi

\nClay County is a county located in the U.S. State of Mississippi. As of 2000, the population is 21,979. Its name is in honor of Henry Clay, famous American statesman, member of the United States Senate from Kentucky and United States Secretary of State in the 19th century. Its county seat is West Point6.

Table of contents
1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Cities and towns

Geography

\nAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,077 km² (416 mi²). 1,058 km² (409 mi²) of it is land and 19 km² (7 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.79% water.

Demographics

\nAs of the
census2 of 2000, there are 21,979 people, 8,152 households, and 5,885 families residing in the county. The population density is 21/km² (54/mi²). There are 8,810 housing units at an average density of 8/km² (22/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 42.82% White, 56.33% Black or African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 0.42% from two or more races. 0.86% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 8,152 households out of which 35.70% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.80% are married couples living together, 22.40% have a female householder with no husband present, and 27.80% are non-families. 25.50% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.00% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.64 and the average family size is 3.19. In the county the population is spread out with 28.80% under the age of 18, 10.40% from 18 to 24, 26.50% from 25 to 44, 21.10% from 45 to 64, and 13.10% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 89.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 83.60 males. The median income for a household in the county is $27,372, and the median income for a family is $35,461. Males have a median income of $30,038 versus $19,473 for females. The per capita income for the county is $14,512. 23.50% of the population and 19.20% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 34.20% are under the age of 18 and 21.90% are 65 or older.

Cities and towns

\n*
West Point