History

Jasper County was formed in 1833 from the middle section of what been Jones County. It was named for Sgt. William Jasper

William Jasper

William Jasper was a noted American soldier in the Revolutionary War. He was a sergeant in the 2nd South Carolina Regiment.Jasper distinguished himself in the defense of Fort Moultrie on June 28, 1776...

 who first distinguished himself in the defense of Fort Moultrie in 1776. When a shell from a British warship shot away the flagstaff, he recovered the flag, raised it on a temporary staff, and held it under fire until a new staff was installed. Sgt. Jasper was killed in the Siege of Savannah

Siege of Savannah

The Siege of Savannah or the Second Battle of Savannah was an encounter of the American Revolutionary War in 1779. The year before, the city of Savannah, Georgia, had been captured by a British expeditionary corps under Lieutenant-Colonel Archibald Campbell. The siege itself consisted of a joint...

 in 1779.

Demographics

As of the census

Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 18,149 people, 6,708 households, and 4,957 families residing in the county. The population density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 27 people per square mile (10/km²). There were 7,671 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 52.88% Black

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 or African American

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 46.47% White

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.07% Native American

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.07% Asian

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.03% Pacific Islander

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.08% from other races

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.41% from two or more races. 0.64% of the population were Hispanic

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 or Latino

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 of any race.

There were 6,708 households out of which 35.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.90% were married couples

Marriage

Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 18.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.10% were non-families. 24.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the county the population was spread out with 27.90% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 91.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $24,441, and the median income for a family was $29,951. Males had a median income of $27,183 versus $17,260 for females. The per capita income

Per capita income

Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the county was $12,889. About 19.30% of families and 22.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.90% of those under age 18 and 23.70% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

• Cities
  • Bay Springs
    Bay Springs, Mississippi
    Bay Springs is a city in Jasper County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 2,097 at the 2000 census. It is located at the intersection of state highways 15 and 18. The area was settled in the 1880s by Joe Blankenship, who built the saw mill that became the town's industrial base...
    
    

• Towns
  • Heidelberg
    Heidelberg, Mississippi
    Heidelberg is a town in Jasper County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 840 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Heidelberg is located at ....
    
    
  • Louin
    Louin, Mississippi
    Louin is a town in Jasper County, Mississippi, United States located along route 15. The population was 339 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Louin is located at ....
    
    
  • Montrose
    Montrose, Mississippi
    Montrose is a town in Jasper County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 127 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Montrose is located at ....
    
    

• Unincorporated places
  • Baxter
  • Garlandville
  • Moss
    Moss, Mississippi
    Moss is an unincorporated community in Jasper County, Mississippi, United States.-References:...
    
    
  • Paulding
    Paulding, Mississippi
    Paulding is an unincorporated community in and one of the two county seats of Jasper County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only unincorporated county seat in Mississippi. It was named in honor of Revolutionary War hero John Paulding....
    
    
  • Rose Hill
  • Stringer
    Stringer, Mississippi
    Stringer is an unincorporated community in southwestern Jasper County, Mississippi, United States. It lies at the intersections of State Highways 15 and County Road 10, just north of Mississippi State Highway 533, between Bay Springs and Laurel. The population was 2,406 at the 2000 census....
    
    
  • Vossburg

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Jasper County, Mississippi

External links

• Jasper County Courthouse Pictures
• History of Jasper County
• Jasper County, MS Register of Motor Vehicles & Motorcyles [sic] (MUM00242) at the University of Mississippi, Archives and Special Collections.