National protected areas

• Homochitto National Forest
  Homochitto National Forest
  Homochitto National Forest is a U.S. National Forest in southwestern Mississippi comprising . In the mid-1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps began reforestation of the area and developing a system of roadways and recreational areas.-Geography:...
  
   (part)
• Natchez Trace Parkway
  Natchez Trace Parkway
  The Natchez Trace Parkway is a National Park Service unit in the southeastern United States that commemorates the historic Old Natchez Trace and preserves sections of the original trail....
  
   (part)

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 9,740 people, 3,308 households, and 2,338 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 19 people per square mile (7/km²). There were 3,819 housing units at an average density of 7 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 13.06% 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...

, 86.49% 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...

, 0.08% 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...

, 0.10% 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...

, 0.01% 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...

, 0.02% 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 0.24% from two or more races. 0.66% 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. Jefferson County has the highest percentage of black residents of any U.S. county.

There were 3,308 households out of which 36.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.00% 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, 28.50% 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 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.36.

In the county the population was much younger than the national average with 28.80% under the age of 18, 12.10% from 18 to 24, 28.50% from 25 to 44, 19.60% from 45 to 64, and 10.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 99.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $18,447, and the median income for a family was $23,188. Males had a median income of $25,726 versus $18,000 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 $9,709. About 32.50% of families and 36.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 46.00% of those under age 18 and 34.40% of those age 65 or over.

Jefferson County has the lowest

Mississippi locations by per capita income

Mississippi is the poorest state in the United States of America, with a per capita income of $15,853 .- Mississippi Counties Ranked by Per Capita Income :1. Madison County - $32,469 2. DeSoto County - $20,468 3. Rankin County - $20,412...

 per capita income in Mississippi and the 17th lowest

Lowest-income counties in the United States

-100 counties with lowest per capita income:Number of counties by state in the 100 poorest counties: Texas, 17; Kentucky, 16; Mississippi, 14; South Dakota, 10; Louisiana, 5; Alabama, 4; Georgia, 4; Montana, 4; New Mexico, 4; North Dakota, 3; Arizona, 2; Idaho, 2; Nebraska, 2; Tennessee, 2; West...

 in the United States.

In 2009 Jefferson County was the fourth poorest county in the United States.

Communities

• Cities
  • Fayette
    Fayette, Mississippi
    Fayette is a city in Jefferson County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 2,242 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Jefferson County.-Geography:Fayette is located at ....
    
    

• Unincorporated places
  • Church Hill
    Church Hill, Mississippi
    Church Hill is a small unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Mississippi, United States. It is located on the bluffs of the Mississippi River, approximately 18 miles north of Natchez. The geographic features are different from those in the rest of the state; there are high and steep bluffs...
    
    
  • Harriston
  • Lorman
    Lorman, Mississippi
    Lorman is an unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Mississippi, United States. It is home to Alcorn State University, which was attended by Medgar Evers and Steve McNair ....
    
    
  • Perth
  • Red Lick
  • Union Church

• Ghost towns
  • Rodney
    Rodney, Mississippi
    Rodney was a city in Jefferson County in southwest Mississippi, approximately northeast of Natchez. Rodney was founded in 1828, and in the 19th century, it was only three votes away from becoming the capital of the Mississippi Territory. Its population declined to nearly zero after the Mississippi...
    
    

Trivia

According to a May 2004 Time Magazine article on obesity

Obesity

Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, Jefferson County had the highest percentage of obese adult residents (26.1%) of any county in the U.S. In that context, the percentage measured were those with a body mass index

Body mass index

The body mass index , or Quetelet index, is a heuristic proxy for human body fat based on an individual's weight and height. BMI does not actually measure the percentage of body fat. It was invented between 1830 and 1850 by the Belgian polymath Adolphe Quetelet during the course of developing...

between 30 and 40 (any measure greater than 40 corresponds to morbid obesity).

Jefferson County has one of the highest rates of Bank Card Delinquency rates in the United States at 6.21% (2009Q1).