Sharkey County, Mississippi

Sharkey County, Mississippi
Sharkey County courthouse in Rolling Fork, Mississippi
Location in the state of Mississippi
Mississippi's location in the U.S.
Founded	1876
Seat	Rolling Fork
Largest city	Rolling Fork
Area
• Total	434.88 sq mi (1,126 km2)
• Land	427.71 sq mi (1,108 km2)
• Water	7.17 sq mi (19 km2), 1.65%
Population
• (2010)	4,916
• Density	16/sq mi (6/km²)

Sharkey County is a county located in the Mississippi Delta region of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 4,916.^[1] Its county seat is Rolling Fork^[2]. It is named after William L. Sharkey, the provisional Governor of Mississippi in 1865.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 434.88 square miles (1,126.3 km²), of which 427.71 square miles (1,107.8 km²) (or 98.35%) is land, and 7.17 square miles (18.6 km²) (or 1.65%) is water.^[3]

Major highways

• U.S. Route 61
• Mississippi Highway 14
• Mississippi Highway 16

Adjacent counties

• Washington County (north)
• Humphreys County (northeast)
• Yazoo County (east)
• Issaquena County (south & west)

		Washington County	Humphreys County
	Issaquena County		Yazoo County
	Sharkey County, Mississippi
		Issaquena County

National protected area

• Delta National Forest
• Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 4,916 people residing in the county. 71.0% were Black or African American, 27.9% White, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% Native American, 0.4% of some other race and 0.4% or two or more races. 0.8% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

As of the census^[5] of 2000, there were 6,580 people, 2,163 households, and 1,589 families residing in the county. The population density was 15 people per square mile (6/km²). There were 2,416 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 29.36% White, 69.32% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.27% from other races, and 0.59% from two or more races. 1.31% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,163 households out of which 36.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.00% were married couples living together, 26.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.50% were non-families. 23.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.56.

In the county the population was spread out with 33.00% under the age of 18, 10.40% from 18 to 24, 24.80% from 25 to 44, 20.40% from 45 to 64, and 11.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 88.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $22,285, and the median income for a family was $26,786. Males had a median income of $26,563 versus $17,931 for females. The per capita income for the county was $11,396. About 30.50% of families and 38.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 50.00% of those under age 18 and 24.20% of those age 65 or over.

Sharkey County has the tenth lowest per capita income in Mississippi and the 73rd lowest in the United States.

Communities

Crossing the Sunflower River southeast of Rolling Fork, 1965

• Cities
  • Rolling Fork

• Towns
  • Anguilla
  • Cary

• Unincorporated places
  • Delta City
  • Nitta Yuma
  • Onward
  • Panther Burn
  • Patmos

Education

• Public School Districts
  • South Delta School District

• Private Schools
  • Sharkey-Issaquena Academy (Rolling Fork)

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Sharkey County, Mississippi

References

v t e Municipalities and communities of Sharkey County, Mississippi, United States County seat: Rolling Fork City Rolling Fork Towns Anguilla Cary Unincorporated communities Delta City Nitta Yuma Onward Panther Burn Patmos

v t e  State of Mississippi Jackson (capital) Topics Mississippians Delegations Governors Lieutenant Governors Legislature State Parks State Landmarks Music History Geography Visitor attractions Society Culture Crime Demographics Economy Education Politics Regions The Delta Golden Triangle Gulf Coast Mississippi Plain Natchez District North Mississippi Pine Belt Tennessee Valley Metros Gulfport-Biloxi Hattiesburg Jackson Memphis (TN) Pascagoula Larger cities Biloxi Clarksdale Clinton Columbus Greenville Gulfport Hattiesburg Jackson Meridian Olive Branch Pascagoula Pearl Ridgeland Southaven Starkville Tupelo Vicksburg Smaller cities Bay St. Louis Brandon Brookhaven Canton Cleveland Corinth Gautier Greenwood Grenada Horn Lake Indianola Itta Bena Laurel Long Beach Madison McComb Moss Point Natchez Ocean Springs Oxford Pass Christian Picayune Tunica Waveland West Hattiesburg (Oak Grove) West Point Yazoo City Counties Adams Alcorn Amite Attala Benton Bolivar Calhoun Carroll Chickasaw Choctaw Claiborne Clarke Clay Coahoma Copiah Covington DeSoto Forrest Franklin George Greene Grenada Hancock Harrison Hinds Holmes Humphreys Issaquena Itawamba Jackson Jasper Jefferson Jefferson Davis Jones Kemper Lafayette Lamar Lauderdale Lawrence Leake Lee Leflore Lincoln Lowndes Madison Marion Marshall Monroe Montgomery Neshoba Newton Noxubee Oktibbeha Panola Pearl River Perry Pike Pontotoc Prentiss Quitman Rankin Scott Sharkey Simpson Smith Stone Sunflower Tallahatchie Tate Tippah Tishomingo Tunica Union Walthall Warren Washington Wayne Webster Wilkinson Winston Yalobusha Yazoo

Coordinates: 32°53′N 90°49′W / 32.88°N 90.81°W / 32.88; -90.81