# Adams County, Mississippi

Adams County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 29,538. The county seat is Natchez. The county is the first to have been organized in the former Mississippi Territory. It is named for the second President of the United States, John Adams, who held that office when the county was organized in 1799. Adams County is part of the Natchez micropolitan area which consists of Adams County, Mississippi and Concordia Parish, Louisiana.

## History

Adams County was created on April 2, 1799, from part of Pickering Territorial County. The county was organized eighteen years before Mississippi became a state. Five Mississippi governors have come from Adams County: David Holmes, George Poindexter, John A. Quitman, Gerard Brandon, and William Allain.
In 1860, before the US Civil War, Adams County was the richest county in the United States.

## Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 488 square miles (1,260 km$^2$), of which 462 square miles (1,200 km$^2$) is land and 25 square miles (65 km$^2$) (5.2%) is water.

### Major highways

* U.S. Highway 61
* U.S. Highway 84
* U.S. Highway 98
* U.S. Highway 425
* Natchez Trace Parkway

### Adjacent counties and parishes

* Jefferson County (north)
* Franklin County (east)
* Wilkinson County (south)
* Concordia Parish, Louisiana (southwest)
* Tensas Parish, Louisiana (northwest)

### National protected areas

* Homochitto National Forest (part)
* Natchez National Historical Park
* Natchez Trace Parkway (part)
* St. Catherine Creek National Wildlife Refuge

## Demographics
### Population

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 29,538 people, 11,237 households, and 6,650 families residing in the county.

### Race

County racial composition as of 2020 :
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
| White | 10,926 | 36.99% |
| Black or African American | 16,709 | 56.57% |
| Native American | 56 | 0.19% |
| Asian | 165 | 0.56% |
| Pacific Islander | 7 | 0.02% |
| Other/Mixed | 663 | 2.24% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1,012 | 3.43% |
In 2020, its racial makeup was 56.57% Black/African American, 36.99% non-Hispanic white, 0.19% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.24% other or mixed, and 3.43% Hispanic or Latino of any race. In 2010, 53.5% were Black or African American, 42.7% White, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 1.7% of some other race and 1.4% of two or more races. 6.7% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

## Education

All residents of the county are in the Natchez-Adams School District.
Alcorn State University, a historically black college that was designated as a land-grant institution, has its School of Business and School of Nursing at Natchez. The School of Business offers Masters of Business Administration degree and some undergraduate classes at the School of Business, Natchez campus.
It is in the district of Copiah–Lincoln Community College, and has been since 1971. There is a campus in Natchez. This is adjacent to the Natchez campus of Alcorn State University.

## Economy

Adams County Correctional Center, a private prison operated by the Corrections Corporation of America on behalf of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, is in an unincorporated area in the county.

### Top employers

The top employers of Adams County are as follows: 1. Natchez-Adams School District (620) 2. Merit Health Natchez (425) 3. Adams County Correctional Center (380) 4. Walmart (365) 5. City of Natchez (275) 6. Magnolia Bluffs Casino (250) 7. Jordan Carriers (250) 8. Supermarket Operations (250) 9. Adams County Government (220) 10. Energy Drilling (220)

## Communities
### City

* Natchez (county seat and only municipality)

### Unincorporated areas
#### Census-designated places

* Cloverdale
* Morgantown

#### Other communities

* Cranfield
* Kingston
* Pine Ridge
* Sibley
* Stanton
* Washington

### Ghost/extinct towns

* Arnot
* Briers
* Ellis Cliffs
* Hutchins Landing
* Kienstra
* Selsertown

## Politics

United States presidential election results for Adams County, Mississippi :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 5,081 | 42.60% | 6,743 | 56.53% | 104 | 0.87% |
| 2020 | 5,696 | 41.40% | 7,917 | 57.54% | 146 | 1.06% |
| 2016 | 5,874 | 42.45% | 7,757 | 56.06% | 205 | 1.48% |
| 2012 | 6,293 | 40.74% | 9,061 | 58.66% | 93 | 0.60% |
| 2008 | 6,566 | 41.83% | 9,021 | 57.47% | 109 | 0.69% |
| 2004 | 6,996 | 45.20% | 8,423 | 54.42% | 60 | 0.39% |
| 2000 | 6,691 | 44.97% | 8,065 | 54.20% | 123 | 0.83% |
| 1996 | 5,378 | 37.29% | 8,218 | 56.99% | 825 | 5.72% |
| 1992 | 5,831 | 36.73% | 8,255 | 51.99% | 1,791 | 11.28% |
| 1988 | 8,116 | 50.74% | 7,732 | 48.34% | 146 | 0.91% |
| 1984 | 9,440 | 54.32% | 7,849 | 45.17% | 89 | 0.51% |
| 1980 | 7,523 | 48.97% | 7,228 | 47.05% | 612 | 3.98% |
| 1976 | 6,431 | 46.40% | 6,619 | 47.75% | 811 | 5.85% |
| 1972 | 8,500 | 67.16% | 3,697 | 29.21% | 460 | 3.63% |
| 1968 | 1,475 | 10.93% | 5,214 | 38.62% | 6,812 | 50.46% |
| 1964 | 5,900 | 84.37% | 1,093 | 15.63% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 1,227 | 23.57% | 1,452 | 27.90% | 2,526 | 48.53% |
| 1956 | 1,664 | 40.64% | 1,279 | 31.24% | 1,151 | 28.11% |
| 1952 | 2,372 | 58.29% | 1,697 | 41.71% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 95 | 4.32% | 71 | 3.23% | 2,034 | 92.45% |
| 1944 | 282 | 14.69% | 1,638 | 85.31% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 166 | 8.15% | 1,869 | 91.80% | 1 | 0.05% |
| 1936 | 124 | 6.67% | 1,732 | 93.12% | 4 | 0.22% |
| 1932 | 384 | 21.11% | 1,420 | 78.06% | 15 | 0.82% |
| 1928 | 840 | 38.59% | 1,337 | 61.41% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 304 | 26.30% | 836 | 72.32% | 16 | 1.38% |
| 1920 | 114 | 15.02% | 642 | 84.58% | 3 | 0.40% |
| 1916 | 42 | 5.88% | 671 | 93.98% | 1 | 0.14% |
| 1912 | 31 | 4.06% | 491 | 64.35% | 241 | 31.59% |
Adams County, typical of other counties in the Solid South, was heavily Democratic during the first half of the 20th century. After supporting Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond in 1948, it began to lean more Republican, and remained that way until the 1980s. Since 1992, Adams County has returned to the Democratic fold.