# Lamar County, Mississippi

Lamar County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 64,222. Its county seat is Purvis. Named for Confederate Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, the county was carved out of Marion County to the west in 1904.
Lamar County is part of the Hattiesburg, MS Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is largely a rural county, except for its northeast quarter.

## Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 500 square miles (1,300 km$^2$), of which 497 square miles (1,290 km$^2$) is land and 3.4 square miles (8.8 km$^2$) (0.7%) is water.

### Major highways

* Interstate 59
* U.S. Highway 11
* U.S. Highway 98
* Mississippi Highway 13
* Mississippi Highway 42
* Mississippi Highway 44

### Adjacent counties

* Covington County (north)
* Forrest County (east)
* Pearl River County (south)
* Marion County (west)
* Jefferson Davis County (northwest)

## Demographics

Lamar County racial composition as of 2020 :
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 43,865 | 68.3% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 14,296 | 22.26% |
| Native American | 108 | 0.17% |
| Asian | 1,091 | 1.7% |
| Pacific Islander | 50 | 0.08% |
| Other/Mixed | 2,450 | 3.81% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 2,362 | 3.68% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 64,222 people, 22,116 households, and 15,584 families residing in the county.

## Politics

Lamar County, historically, is one of the most conservative counties in Mississippi. The county has voted for Republican presidential candidates with 60 percent or more of the vote in the past twelve elections.
United States presidential election results for Lamar County, Mississippi :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 20,775 | 73.51% | 7,038 | 24.90% | 449 | 1.59% |
| 2020 | 20,704 | 72.57% | 7,340 | 25.73% | 486 | 1.70% |
| 2016 | 18,751 | 76.25% | 5,190 | 21.10% | 651 | 2.65% |
| 2012 | 19,101 | 76.74% | 5,494 | 22.07% | 294 | 1.18% |
| 2008 | 18,497 | 77.36% | 5,159 | 21.58% | 254 | 1.06% |
| 2004 | 16,410 | 80.19% | 3,923 | 19.17% | 132 | 0.65% |
| 2000 | 12,795 | 77.07% | 3,478 | 20.95% | 329 | 1.98% |
| 1996 | 8,609 | 67.39% | 3,169 | 24.81% | 996 | 7.80% |
| 1992 | 8,259 | 63.37% | 3,208 | 24.62% | 1,565 | 12.01% |
| 1988 | 9,145 | 77.86% | 2,535 | 21.58% | 66 | 0.56% |
| 1984 | 7,929 | 79.85% | 1,964 | 19.78% | 37 | 0.37% |
| 1980 | 5,395 | 63.13% | 3,005 | 35.16% | 146 | 1.71% |
| 1976 | 4,056 | 54.71% | 3,109 | 41.93% | 249 | 3.36% |
| 1972 | 5,022 | 88.38% | 493 | 8.68% | 167 | 2.94% |
| 1968 | 546 | 10.27% | 351 | 6.60% | 4,422 | 83.14% |
| 1964 | 3,372 | 90.99% | 334 | 9.01% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 636 | 27.26% | 651 | 27.90% | 1,046 | 44.83% |
| 1956 | 429 | 24.97% | 805 | 46.86% | 484 | 28.17% |
| 1952 | 1,034 | 45.07% | 1,260 | 54.93% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 36 | 2.45% | 91 | 6.19% | 1,342 | 91.35% |
| 1944 | 93 | 8.03% | 1,065 | 91.97% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 55 | 4.57% | 1,148 | 95.43% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 91 | 6.97% | 1,210 | 92.65% | 5 | 0.38% |
| 1932 | 31 | 2.90% | 1,033 | 96.63% | 5 | 0.47% |
| 1928 | 410 | 36.35% | 718 | 63.65% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 80 | 8.78% | 795 | 87.27% | 36 | 3.95% |
| 1920 | 192 | 21.74% | 672 | 76.10% | 19 | 2.15% |
| 1916 | 89 | 10.09% | 744 | 84.35% | 49 | 5.56% |
| 1912 | 16 | 3.17% | 399 | 79.01% | 90 | 17.82% |

## Government and infrastructure

The Mississippi Department of Mental Health operates the South Mississippi State Hospital in unincorporated Lamar County, near Purvis.

## Communities
### Cities

* Hattiesburg (mostly in Forrest County)
* Lumberton (partly in Pearl River County)
* Purvis (county seat)

### Town

* Sumrall

### Census-designated places

* Arnold Line
* Baxterville
* Oak Grove
* West Hattiesburg

### Other unincorporated communities

* Bellevue
* Okahola
* Oloh
* Talowah

## Education

School districts include:
* Hattiesburg Public School District
* Lamar County School District
Former school districts:
* Lumberton Public School District - Merged into the Lamar County district in 2018.
The county is in the service area of Pearl River Community College.