Calhoun County, Mississippi

Calhoun County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,266.^[1] Its county seat is Pittsboro.^[2] The county is named after John C. Calhoun, the U.S. Vice President and U.S. Senator from South Carolina.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 588 square miles (1,520 km²), of which 587 square miles (1,520 km²) is land and 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²) (0.2%) is water.^[3]

• Lafayette County (north)
• Pontotoc County (northeast)
• Chickasaw County (east)
• Webster County (south)
• Grenada County (southwest)
• Yalobusha County (west)

• Mississippi Highway 8
• Mississippi Highway 9
• Mississippi Highway 32
• Mississippi Highway 9W

The Calhoun County Airport is a county-owned public-use airport located one nautical mile (1.2 mi; 1.9 km) southwest of the central business district of Pittsboro, Mississippi.^[4]

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 13,266. The median age was 44.9 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.6 males age 18 and over.^[11][12]

The racial makeup of the county was 66.2% White, 26.1% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.7% from some other race, and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.6% of the population.^[12]

<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.^[13]

There were 5,543 households in the county, of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 41.9% were married-couple households, 20.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 32.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.^[11]

There were 6,720 housing units, of which 17.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.5% were owner-occupied and 28.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 25.6%.^[11]

As of the census^[14] of 2000, there were 15,069 people, 6,019 households, and 4,255 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile (10 people/km²). There were 6,902 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile (4.6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 69.41% White or Caucasian, 28.65% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.11% from other races, and 0.59% from two or more races. 2.11% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

According to the census^[14] of 2000, the largest ancestry groups in Calhoun County were English 64.4%, African 29% and Scots-Irish 4.5%

There were 6,019 households, out of which 31.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.00% were married couples living together, 15.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% were non-families. 27.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.20% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 27.00% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 16.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 90.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,113, and the median income for a family was $34,407. Males had a median income of $26,458 versus $19,491 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,106. About 14.90% of families and 18.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.20% of those under age 18 and 21.80% of those age 65 or over.

In addition to the public high schools of Bruce, Calhoun City, and Vardaman, Calhoun Academy is a small K-12 private school which was founded as a segregation academy, located between Pittsboro and Calhoun City. This private school serves Calhoun and the surrounding counties. Calhoun academy's sports mascot is the cougar; Bruce's mascot is a Trojan; Calhoun City's mascot is a wildcat; and Vardaman's mascot is a ram.^[15]

• Bruce
• Calhoun City
• Derma
• Vardaman

• Big Creek
• Pittsboro (county seat)
• Slate Springs

• Hopewell
• Old Town

• Dry counties
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Calhoun County, Mississippi

• Leon Burgess, M.D.L. Stephens and Calhoun County, Mississippi. Carrollton, MS: Pioneer Publishing Co., 1998.
• Calhoun County Historical and Genealogical Society, Calhoun County Mississippi: A Pictorial History. Humboldt, TN: Rose Publishing Company, 1997.
• Ken Nail, History of Calhoun County. n.c.: Calhoun County School District, 1975.
• J.S. Ryan and Thomas Martin Murphree, History of Calhoun County, Mississippi. Pittsboro, MS: Calhoun Monitor, 1904.
• David G. Sansing, A History of Calhoun County, Mississippi. MA thesis. Mississippi College, 1959.

33°56′N 89°20′W / 33.94°N 89.34°W / 33.94; -89.34