County outline
Where Jefferson Davis County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.8% of Jefferson Davis County’s measured area and water for 0.2%. Its combined area converts to 1,059.7 square kilometers or approximately 261,848 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 408.446 | 1,057.87 | 261,405.4 |
| Water | 0.692 | 1.792 | 442.9 |
| Total | 409.138 | 1,059.663 | 261,848.3 |
How Jefferson Davis County compares
By original Census land area, Jefferson Davis County ranks #76 of 82 in Mississippi and #2473 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.72 times the Mississippi county-equivalent median of 567 square miles. It accounts for 0.9% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Mississippi ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Jefferson Davis County
The Census Bureau estimates that 10,941 people lived in Jefferson Davis County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,419 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #65 of 82 in Mississippi. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 11,326, the population has declined by 385 (−3.4%), compared with −0.2% for Mississippi as a whole.
With 408.4 square miles of land, that is 27 people per square mile (10 per km²), placing Jefferson Davis County #2,097 nationally for density and #53 in Mississippi. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Mississippi median is 43. Put another way, there are about 24 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 11,274 | 11,166 | 11,080 | 10,991 | 11,031 | 10,941 |
| Change | — | −108 | −86 | −89 | +40 | −90 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Jefferson Davis County
2 incorporated places lie at least partly in Jefferson Davis County. Together they are home to 1,076 people (9.8%); the other 9,865 (90.2%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Prentiss town, with 896 residents in the county.
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prentiss townCounty seat | 896 | −7.5% | 2.991 |
| Bassfield town | 180 | −6.3% | 1 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Jefferson Davis County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Jefferson Davis County is not part of any metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area in the Office of Management and Budget’s July 2023 delineation; 1,306 other county equivalents are also outside one. These areas are built around an urban core of at least 10,000 people plus the counties tied to it by commuting, so counties outside them are generally rural.
ZIP codes
9 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Jefferson Davis County; 4 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
391193914039421394273942939474394823965639663
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Jefferson Davis County
Jefferson Davis County shares a land border with 5 county equivalents. Each of them has more land than Jefferson Davis County. The largest neighbor is Simpson County (589.2 mi²) and the smallest is Covington County (413.8 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Jefferson Davis County forms a block of 2,880.9 mi² of land, of which it holds 14.2%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Jefferson Davis | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simpson County | 589.2 | 1.4× larger | Compare |
| Marion County | 542.3 | 1.3× larger | Compare |
| Lamar County | 496.6 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Lawrence County | 430.6 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Covington County | 413.8 | about the same | Compare |
How big is Jefferson Davis County compared with U.S. states?
Jefferson Davis County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 2.5 times as much. Mississippi’s county land could hold about 115 areas the size of Jefferson Davis County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 20.2 miles (32.5 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Jefferson Davis County?
Jefferson Davis County has more land than 749 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Jefferson Davis County at #2,552 nationally by total area, 79 places farther from the top than its land rank. Other county equivalents gain more area when their water measurements are included.
Its water share is 0.2%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 1 percentage points lower. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Jefferson Davis County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2472 | St. Helena Parish, Louisiana | 408.5 | Compare |
| #2473 | Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi | 408.4 | This county |
| #2474 | Benton County, Minnesota | 408.3 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 31.564808, -89.827086. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 1,057,871,281 m²; AWATER: 1,791,496 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Jefferson Davis County?
Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi has 408.4 square miles (1,057.9 km²) of land and 0.692 square miles of water, for a total area of 409.1 square miles. It ranks #2473 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Jefferson Davis County the largest county in Mississippi?
No. Jefferson Davis County ranks #76 of 82 in Mississippi by land area. The largest is Yazoo County, with 922.3 square miles of land.
What counties border Jefferson Davis County?
Jefferson Davis County shares a land border with Covington County, Lawrence County, Marion County, Simpson County, and Lamar County.
What is the population of Jefferson Davis County?
The Census Bureau estimates Jefferson Davis County had 10,941 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,419 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 27 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Jefferson Davis County?
The county seat of Jefferson Davis County is Prentiss.
What cities and towns are in Jefferson Davis County?
Jefferson Davis County has 2 incorporated places. The most populous are Prentiss town and Bassfield town; 9,865 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Jefferson Davis County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Jefferson Davis County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Jefferson Davis County?
9 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Jefferson Davis County, and 4 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Jefferson Davis County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 2.5 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Jefferson Davis County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 261,405 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 261,848 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.