# Harrison County, Mississippi

Harrison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 208,621. Its county seats are Biloxi and Gulfport. The county is named after U.S. President William Henry Harrison. Harrison County is part of the Gulfport-Biloxi metropolitan area. The county was severely damaged from both Hurricane Camille on August 17, 1969, and Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005, causing catastrophic effects.

## Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 976 square miles (2,530 km$^2$), of which 402 square miles (1,040 km$^2$) (41%) are covered by water. The Tchoutacabouffa River has its mouth at Biloxi Bay just north of the city of Biloxi. Gulfport, Mississippi, is the chief port in the state, with access to the Gulf of Mexico through a ship channel. This is the second-largest county in Mississippi by total area.

### Wildlife

A single pond in the county contains the critically endangered dusky gopher frog.

### Major highways

* Interstate 10
* Interstate 110
* U.S. Highway 49
* U.S. Highway 90
* Mississippi Highway 15
* Mississippi Highway 53
* Mississippi Highway 67
* Mississippi Highway 605
* Mississippi Highway 43

### Adjacent counties and parishes

* Stone County (north)
* Jackson County (east)
* Hancock County (west)
* St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana (southwest)

### National protected areas

* De Soto National Forest (part)
* Gulf Islands National Seashore (part)

## Demographics
### 2020 census

Harrison County racial composition :
| Race | Number | Percent |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 125,092 | 59.96% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 51,143 | 24.51% |
| Native American | 786 | 0.38% |
| Asian | 5,913 | 2.83% |
| Pacific Islander | 257 | 0.12% |
| Other/mixed | 11,454 | 5.49% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 13,976 | 6.7% |
As of the 2020 United States census, 208,621 people, 74,628 households, and 50,074 families were residing in the county.

## Corrections system

Harrison County has been studied by CNN and other media, which have reported on the beatings of inmates in the Harrison County Jail in Gulfport. Inmate Jessie Lee Williams Jr. died while in custody on February 4, 2006. In 2006 and 2007, six Harrison County Sheriff's Department deputies pleaded guilty to crimes related to the abuse of inmates at the jail. while Sheriff George Payne was in office. Sheriff Melvin Brisolara-R was elected in 2008, for Harrison County.

## Communities
### Cities

* Biloxi (county seat)
* D'Iberville
* Gulfport (county seat)
* Long Beach
* Pass Christian

### Census-designated places

* DeLisle
* Henderson Point
* Lyman
* Saucier

### Unincorporated communities

* Cuevas
* Howison
* Lizana
* Mississippi City
* Wool Market

## Politics

Since 1964, Harrison County has voted overwhelmingly Republican. The last Democrat to receive over 40% of the vote was Jimmy Carter in 1976.
United States presidential election results for Harrison County, Mississippi :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 48,497 | 63.88% | 26,555 | 34.98% | 871 | 1.15% |
| 2020 | 46,822 | 61.70% | 27,728 | 36.54% | 1,335 | 1.76% |
| 2016 | 40,354 | 63.74% | 21,169 | 33.44% | 1,790 | 2.83% |
| 2012 | 39,470 | 62.33% | 23,119 | 36.51% | 739 | 1.17% |
| 2008 | 38,757 | 62.55% | 22,673 | 36.59% | 527 | 0.85% |
| 2004 | 39,703 | 62.73% | 23,076 | 36.46% | 509 | 0.80% |
| 2000 | 32,256 | 61.30% | 19,142 | 36.38% | 1,218 | 2.31% |
| 1996 | 25,486 | 52.84% | 18,775 | 38.92% | 3,974 | 8.24% |
| 1992 | 25,049 | 52.84% | 15,268 | 32.21% | 7,090 | 14.96% |
| 1988 | 32,892 | 68.88% | 14,439 | 30.24% | 423 | 0.89% |
| 1984 | 33,995 | 72.83% | 12,495 | 26.77% | 187 | 0.40% |
| 1980 | 25,175 | 58.70% | 16,318 | 38.05% | 1,395 | 3.25% |
| 1976 | 19,207 | 51.72% | 16,569 | 44.61% | 1,363 | 3.67% |
| 1972 | 28,962 | 84.02% | 4,761 | 13.81% | 747 | 2.17% |
| 1968 | 6,542 | 22.37% | 4,549 | 15.55% | 18,157 | 62.08% |
| 1964 | 16,301 | 75.14% | 5,393 | 24.86% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 5,177 | 30.89% | 8,961 | 53.47% | 2,621 | 15.64% |
| 1956 | 5,742 | 44.17% | 6,549 | 50.37% | 710 | 5.46% |
| 1952 | 5,960 | 45.35% | 7,181 | 54.65% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 415 | 5.56% | 692 | 9.28% | 6,351 | 85.16% |
| 1944 | 622 | 9.43% | 5,976 | 90.57% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 633 | 10.19% | 5,577 | 89.75% | 4 | 0.06% |
| 1936 | 495 | 10.44% | 4,208 | 88.78% | 37 | 0.78% |
| 1932 | 449 | 9.72% | 4,124 | 89.28% | 46 | 1.00% |
| 1928 | 1,485 | 28.57% | 3,712 | 71.43% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 523 | 13.99% | 3,044 | 81.41% | 172 | 4.60% |
| 1920 | 314 | 19.29% | 1,270 | 78.01% | 44 | 2.70% |
| 1916 | 197 | 11.96% | 1,395 | 84.70% | 55 | 3.34% |
| 1912 | 45 | 2.82% | 1,292 | 80.95% | 259 | 16.23% |

## Education

School districts include:
* Biloxi Public School District
* Gulfport School District
* Harrison County School District
* Long Beach School District
* Pass Christian Public School District