Leake County, MS

Leake County, Mississippi
Leake County Courthouse in Carthage
Location in the U.S. state of Mississippi
Mississippi's location in the U.S.
Founded	1833
Named for	Walter Leake
Seat	Carthage
Largest city	Carthage
Area
• Total	585 sq mi (1,515 km2)
• Land	583 sq mi (1,510 km2)
• Water	2.5 sq mi (6 km2), 0.4%
Population
• (2010)	23,805
• Density	41/sq mi (16/km²)
Congressional district	2nd
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5

Leake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 23,805. Its county seat is Carthage. The county is named for Walter Leake, the Governor of Mississippi from 1822 to 1825.

In 2010, the center of population of Mississippi was located in Leake County, near the town of Lena.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 585 square miles (1,520 km²), of which 583 square miles (1,510 km²) is land and 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²) (0.4%) is water.

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 23,805 people residing in the county. 49.5% were White, 40.6% Black or African American, 6.0% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 2.8% of some other race and 0.8% of two or more races. 4.3% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

As of the census of 2000, there were 20,940 people, 7,611 households, and 5,563 families residing in the county. The population density was 36 people per square mile (14/km²). There were 8,585 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 56.14% White, 37.42% Black or African American, 4.56% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.14% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. 2.10% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.