Named for James Monroe Congressional district 1st Website www.monroems.com Area 2,000 km² County seat Aberdeen | Largest city Amory Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5 Founded 1821 Population 36,116 (2013) Unemployment rate 7.2% (Apr 2015) | |
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Cities Amory, Aberdeen, Smithville, Hatley, Gattman Rivers Buttahatchee River, Town Creek, Tombigbee River | ||
Monroe County is a county on the northeast border of the U.S. state of Mississippi next to Alabama. As of the 2010 census, the population was 36,989. Its county seat is Aberdeen.
Contents
- Map of Monroe County MS USA
- History
- Geography
- Major highways
- Adjacent counties
- Demographics
- Cities
- Towns
- Village
- Census designated places
- Ghost towns
- References
Map of Monroe County, MS, USA
History
The county is named in honor of James Monroe, fifth President of the United States. Part of the county east of the Tombigbee River originally made-up part of the Alabama Territory, belonging to Marion County, until new lines of demarcation put it in the State of Mississippi in 1821.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 772 square miles (2,000 km2), of which 765 square miles (1,980 km2) is land and 7.0 square miles (18 km2) (0.9%) is water.
Major highways
Adjacent counties
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 38,014 people, 14,603 households, and 10,660 families residing in the county. The population density was 50 people per square mile (19/km²). There were 16,236 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 68.37% White, 30.77% Black or African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.11% from other races, and 0.47% from two or more races. 0.69% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 14,603 households out of which 34.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.00% were married couples living together, 17.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.00% were non-families. 24.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.80% 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 3.07.
In the county, the population was spread out with 27.20% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 14.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 89.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,307, and the median income for a family was $36,749. Males had a median income of $30,232 versus $20,411 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,072. About 13.60% of families and 17.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.30% of those under age 18 and 21.70% of those age 65 or over.