| County: | Adams County |
| State: | Mississippi |
| Flag: | Flag of Adams County, Mississippi.png |
| Seal: | Seal of Adams County, Mississippi.png |
| Founded: | 1799 |
| Seat Wl: | Natchez |
| Largest City Wl: | Natchez |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 488 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 462 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 25 |
| Area Percentage: | 5.2 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 29538 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Web: | https://www.adamscountyms.net/ |
| District: | 2nd |
| Time Zone: | Central |
| Ex Image: | Adams County Courthouse, Natchez, MS IMG_6982.JPG |
| Ex Image Size: | 250 |
| Ex Image Cap: | Adams County Courthouse |
Adams County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,538.[1] The county seat is Natchez.[2]
The county is the first to have been organized in the former Mississippi Territory. It is named for the second President of the United States, John Adams, who held that office when the county was organized in 1799. Adams County is part of the Natchez micropolitan area which consists of Adams County, Mississippi and Concordia Parish, Louisiana.
Adams County was created on April 2, 1799, from part of Pickering Territorial County. The county was organized eighteen years before Mississippi became a state. Five Mississippi governors have come from Adams County: David Holmes, George Poindexter, John A. Quitman, Gerard Brandon, and William Allain.
In 1860, before the US Civil War, Adams County was the richest county in the United States.[3]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (5.2%) is water.[4]
As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 29,538 people, 11,237 households, and 6,650 families residing in the county.
| White | 10,926 | 36.99% | |
| Black or African American | 16,709 | 56.57% | |
| Native American | 56 | 0.19% | |
| Asian | 165 | 0.56% | |
| Pacific Islander | 7 | 0.02% | |
| Other/Mixed | 663 | 2.24% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1,012 | 3.43% |
Alcorn State University, a historically black college that was designated as a land-grant institution, has its School of Business and School of Nursing at Natchez. The School of Business offers Masters of Business Administration degree and some undergraduate classes at the School of Business, Natchez campus. Adjacent to the Natchez campus of Alcorn State University is Copiah-Lincoln Community College.
Adams County Correctional Center, a private prison operated by the Corrections Corporation of America on behalf of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, is in an unincorporated area in the county.[6]
The top employers of Adams County are as follows:
1. Natchez-Adams School District (620)
2. Merit Health Natchez (425)
3. Adams County Correctional Center (380)
4. Walmart (365)
5. City of Natchez (275)
6. Magnolia Bluffs Casino (250)
7. Jordan Carriers (250)
8. Supermarket Operations (250)
9. Adams County Government (220)
10. Energy Drilling (220)
Adams County, typical of other counties in the Solid South, was heavily Democratic during the first half of the 20th century. After supporting Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond in 1948, it began to lean more Republican, and remained that way until the 1980s. Since 1992, Adams County has returned to the Democratic fold.