Tunica County, Mississippi

Tunica County
Tunica County
County
	Tunica County Courthouse in Tunica
	Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi
	Mississippi's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 34°40′N 90°23′W / 34.66°N 90.38°W
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
Founded	1836
Named for	Tunica-Biloxi tribe
Seat	Tunica
Largest town	Tunica Resorts
Area
• Total	481 sq mi (1,250 km2)
• Land	455 sq mi (1,180 km2)
• Water	26 sq mi (70 km2) 5.4%
Population (2020)
• Total	9,782
• Density	20/sq mi (7.9/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	www.tunicacountymississippi.com

Tunica County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,782.^[1] Its county seat is Tunica.^[2] The county is named for the Tunica Native Americans. Most migrated to central Louisiana during the colonial period.

Tunica County is part of the Memphis, TN-MS-AR Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located in the Mississippi Delta region.

Since the late 20th century, it is known for Tunica Resorts (formerly Robinsonville), an unincorporated community that is the site of six casino resorts. It is one of the top six destinations in the country in terms of gambling revenues.^[3]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 481 square miles (1,250 km²), of which 455 square miles (1,180 km²) is land and 26 square miles (67 km²) (5.4%) is water.^[4]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Crittenden County, Arkansas (north)
DeSoto County (northeast)
Tate County (east)
Panola County (southeast)
Quitman County (south)
Coahoma County (southwest)
Phillips County, Arkansas (southwest)
Lee County, Arkansas (west)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1840	821		—
1850	1,314		60.0%
1860	4,366		232.3%
1870	5,358		22.7%
1880	8,461		57.9%
1890	12,158		43.7%
1900	16,479		35.5%
1910	18,646		13.2%
1920	20,386		9.3%
1930	21,233		4.2%
1940	22,610		6.5%
1950	21,664		−4.2%
1960	16,826		−22.3%
1970	11,854		−29.5%
1980	9,652		−18.6%
1990	8,164		−15.4%
2000	9,227		13.0%
2010	10,778		16.8%
2020	9,782		−9.2%
2023 (est.)	9,234	^[5]	−5.6%
U.S. Decennial Census^[6] 1790-1960^[7] 1900-1990^[8] 1990-2000^[9] 2010-2013^[10]

2020 census

Tunica County Racial Composition^[11]
Race	Num.	Perc.
Black or African American	7,316	76.35%
White	1,853	19.34%
Native American	13	0.14%
Asian	27	0.28%
Other/Mixed	182	1.9%
Hispanic or Latino	191	1.99%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 9,782 people, 3,930 households, and 2,347 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 10,778 people living in the county. 73.5% were Black or African American, 23.7% White, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.2% of some other race and 0.9% of two or more races. 2.3% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

2000 census

As of the census^[12] of 2000, there were 9,227 people, 3,258 households, and 2,192 families living in the county. The population density was 20 people per square mile (7.7 people/km²). There were 3,705 housing units at an average density of 8 units per square mile (3.1 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 70.15% Black or African American, 27.54% White, 0.11% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.96% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. 2.53% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,258 households, out of which 33.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.90% were married couples living together, 26.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.70% were non-families. 26.90% 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 2.80 and the average family size was 3.44.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 31.50% under the age of 18, 10.90% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 20.20% from 45 to 64, and 10.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 91.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $23,270, and the median income for a family was $25,443. Males had a median income of $25,244 versus $18,104 for females. The per capita income for the county was $11,978. About 28.10% of families and 33.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 43.40% of those under age 18 and 32.50% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public School Districts
- Tunica County School District (the school district for the entire county^[13])
Private Schools
- Tunica Academy is located in an unincorporated area, near Tunica^[14]^[15]

Notable people

Brandon Bryant, NFL player
Parker Hall, 1939 Most Valuable Player of the National Football League
Charlaine Harris, New York Times bestselling author
Benardrick McKinney, linebacker for the New York giants of the National Football League
James Cotton, blues harmonica player
Donald Hawkins, NFL player

Communities

Town

Tunica (county seat)

Census-designated places

Austin
Dundee
North Tunica
Tunica Resorts (formerly known as Robinsonville)
White Oak

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Politics

United States presidential election results for Tunica County, Mississippi^[16]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	926	25.97%	2,580	72.37%	59	1.65%
2016	853	23.91%	2,667	74.77%	47	1.32%
2012	883	20.15%	3,475	79.30%	24	0.55%
2008	1,017	23.48%	3,279	75.69%	36	0.83%
2004	950	30.36%	2,140	68.39%	39	1.25%
2000	792	33.47%	1,539	65.05%	35	1.48%
1996	557	29.53%	1,263	66.97%	66	3.50%
1992	693	30.90%	1,451	64.69%	99	4.41%
1988	896	36.87%	1,510	62.14%	24	0.99%
1984	1,109	39.55%	1,621	57.81%	74	2.64%
1980	954	29.77%	2,198	68.58%	53	1.65%
1976	951	34.51%	1,695	61.50%	110	3.99%
1972	1,446	62.19%	858	36.90%	21	0.90%
1968	413	17.73%	1,133	48.65%	783	33.62%
1964	945	90.52%	99	9.48%	0	0.00%
1960	334	37.24%	323	36.01%	240	26.76%
1956	200	23.92%	470	56.22%	166	19.86%
1952	383	41.95%	530	58.05%	0	0.00%
1948	12	1.60%	23	3.07%	715	95.33%
1944	35	4.63%	721	95.37%	0	0.00%
1940	13	1.61%	795	98.39%	0	0.00%
1936	5	0.71%	701	99.29%	0	0.00%
1932	8	1.38%	573	98.62%	0	0.00%
1928	26	3.82%	654	96.18%	0	0.00%
1924	13	2.56%	495	97.44%	0	0.00%
1920	2	0.77%	256	98.84%	1	0.39%
1916	0	0.00%	173	100.00%	0	0.00%
1912	1	0.52%	188	97.41%	4	2.07%