Named for Reuben Kemper Congressional district 3rd Founded 1833 Population 10,294 (2013) Cities De Kalb, Scooba | Largest Town De Kalb Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5 Area 1,986 km² County seat De Kalb | |
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Rivers Sucarnoochee River, Wright Creek, Tifallili Creek University East Mississippi Community College | ||
Kemper County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,456. Its county seat is De Kalb. The county is named in honor of Reuben Kemper.
Contents
- Map of Kemper County MS USA
- History
- Geography
- Major highways
- Adjacent counties
- Demographics
- Education
- Electric power plant
- Towns
- Census designated place
- Unincorporated communities
- Ghost town
- References
Map of Kemper County, MS, USA
The county is part of the Meridian, MS Micropolitan Statistical Area.
United States Senator John C. Stennis, who served from 1947 to 1988, was born in Kemper County. Another Kemper County native was Texas Ranger Captain Bill McDonald.
East Mississippi Community College is located in Kemper County in the town of Scooba, at the junction of US 45 and Mississippi Highway 16.
History
In 1934, three African American defendants from Kemper County were forced to confess to murder after being repeatedly whipped. In Brown v. Mississippi, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled the forced confessions were inadmissible.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 767 square miles (1,990 km2), of which 766 square miles (1,980 km2) is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km2) (0.1%) is water.
Major highways
Adjacent counties
Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 10,456 people residing in the county. 60.1% were Black or African American, 35.3% White, 3.7% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% of some other race and 0.7% of two or more races. 0.5% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).
As of the census of 2000, there were 10,453 people, 3,909 households, and 2,787 families residing in the county. The population density was 14 people per square mile (5/km²). There were 4,533 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 39.03% White, 58.13% Black or African American, 2.06% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.11% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. 0.73% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 3,909 households out of which 32.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.70% were married couples living together, 20.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.70% were non-families. 26.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the county, the population was spread out with 25.40% under the age of 18, 12.50% from 18 to 24, 25.20% from 25 to 44, 21.80% from 45 to 64, and 15.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 92.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $23,998, and the median income for a family was $30,248. Males had a median income of $24,431 versus $18,199 for females. The per capita income for the county was $11,985. About 21.20% of families and 26.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.30% of those under age 18 and 26.70% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Kemper County is within the service area of the East Mississippi Community College system. The main campus of EMCC, including the college system's administrative headquarters, is in the Scooba Campus in Scooba.
Electric power plant
In 2010, the Mississippi Public Service Commission approved the construction of a lignite coal plant in Kemper County that would be financed by customers in twenty-three southeastern Mississippi counties being served by Mississippi Power Company. The plant drew strong opposition from former Republican State Chairman Clarke Reed of Greenville, who favored a less-expensive natural gas-fueled plant. Reed called the project "...a horrible thing", and thought it would be a political issue that could be used against Republicans for years.
The Kemper Project is scheduled to open in the third quarter of 2016, more than two years behind schedule, at a cost of $6.6 billion—three times original cost estimate.