Jackson County, Mississippi

Jackson County, Mississippi
The Jackson County Courthouse in Pascagoula
Seal
Location in the U.S. state of Mississippi
Mississippi's location in the U.S.
Founded	1812
Named for	Andrew Jackson
Seat	Pascagoula
Largest city	Pascagoula
Area
• Total	1,043 sq mi (2,701 km2)
• Land	723 sq mi (1,873 km2)
• Water	321 sq mi (831 km2), 31%
Population
• (2010)	139,668
• Density	193/sq mi (75/km²)
Congressional district	4th
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.co.jackson.ms.us

Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 139,668, making it the fifth-most populous county in Mississippi. Its county seat is Pascagoula. The county was named for Andrew Jackson, general in the United States Army and afterward President of the United States.

Jackson County is included in the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located at the southeastern tip of the state, bordering Alabama on its east side.

The county was severely damaged by both Hurricane Camille in August 1969 and Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005, causing catastrophic effects.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,043 square miles (2,700 km²), of which 723 square miles (1,870 km²) is land and 321 square miles (830 km²) (31%) is water. It is the largest county in Mississippi by total area.

As of the census of 2000, there were 131,420 people, 47,676 households, and 35,709 families residing in the county. The population density was 181 people per square mile (70/km²). There were 51,678 housing units at an average density of 71 per square mile (27/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 75.35% White, 20.87% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American, 1.57% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.72% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races. 2.14% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.