Lafayette County is a county in the U.S. state of Mississippi. At the 2020 census, the population was 55,813. Its county seat is Oxford. The local pronunciation of the name is "la-FAY-et." The county's name honors Marquis de Lafayette, a French military hero and American general who fought during the American Revolutionary War.

The Oxford, MS Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Lafayette County. The county is policed by the Lafayette County Sheriff's Department.

Lafayette County is often regarded as the inspiration for Yoknapatawpha County, the fictional setting of many of William Faulkner's works.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 679 square miles (1,760 km), of which 632 square miles (1,640 km) is land and 47 square miles (120 km) (7.0%) is water.

• Marshall County (north)
• Union County (northeast)
• Pontotoc County (southeast)
• Calhoun County (south)
• Yalobusha County (southwest)
• Panola County (west)
• Tate County (northwest)

• Holly Springs National Forest (part)

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1840	6,531		—
1850	14,069		115.4%
1860	16,125		14.6%
1870	18,802		16.6%
1880	21,671		15.3%
1890	20,553		−5.2%
1900	22,110		7.6%
1910	21,883		−1.0%
1920	19,243		−12.1%
1930	19,978		3.8%
1940	21,257		6.4%
1950	22,798		7.2%
1960	21,355		−6.3%
1970	24,181		13.2%
1980	31,030		28.3%
1990	31,826		2.6%
2000	38,744		21.7%
2010	47,351		22.2%
2020	55,813		17.9%
2023 (est.)	58,467		4.8%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

Lafayette County Racial Composition

Race	Num.	Perc.
White	38,766	69.46%
Black or African American	11,300	20.25%
Native American	68	0.12%
Asian	1,685	3.02%
Pacific Islander	24	0.04%
Other/Mixed	1,828	3.28%
Hispanic or Latino	2,142	3.84%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 55,813 people, 18,721 households, and 11,111 families residing in the county.

As of the census of 2010, there were 45,859 people. There were 21,646 housing units. The medium age was 26.8 years old. The racial makeup of the county was 71.5% white, 23.9% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, and 2.0% Asian. 2.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

As of the census of 2000, there were 38,744 people, 14,373 households, and 8,321 families residing in the county. The population density was 61 people per square mile (24 people/km). There were 16,587 housing units at an average density of 26 units per square mile (10 units/km). The racial makeup of the county was 71.85% White, 25.05% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 1.67% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.42% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. 1.10% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The largest European ancestry groups in Lafayette county are:

• 13.4% English
• 12.5% Irish
• 9.1% German
• 4.4% Scots-Irish
• 2.8% Scottish
• 1.1% Polish
• 1.0% Welsh

Many people in Mississippi may claim Irish ancestry because of the term "Scots-Irish", but most of the time in Mississippi this term is used for those with Ulster Scots roots rather than Irish Catholics.

In 2000, there were 14,373 households, out of which 26.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.20% were married couples living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.10% were non-families. 29.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 19.50% under the age of 18, 27.10% from 18 to 24, 26.30% from 25 to 44, 17.10% from 45 to 64, and 9.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females there were 96.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,517, and the median income for a family was $42,910. Males had a median income of $30,964 versus $21,207 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,406. About 10.20% of families and 21.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.60% of those under age 18 and 19.40% of those age 65 or over.

• Oxford (county seat and largest municipality)

• Abbeville
• Taylor

• Paris
• Tula
• University

• Denmark
• Harmontown
• Springdale
• Yocona

• Dogtown
• Orwood
• Riverside

Unlike many counties dominated by college towns, Lafayette County tilts Republican. It last supported a Democrat for president in 1980. However, it is not as heavily Republican as other counties in north Mississippi, particularly those in the Memphis area. The Democrats have received at least 40 percent of the vote in every election since 1988, a period when much of north Mississippi swung hard to the GOP, except for 2024.

United States presidential election results for Lafayette County, Mississippi

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	14,050	60.02%	8,956	38.26%	403	1.72%
2020	12,949	55.28%	10,070	42.99%	404	1.72%
2016	10,872	55.35%	7,969	40.57%	802	4.08%
2012	11,075	56.78%	8,091	41.48%	339	1.74%
2008	10,278	55.68%	7,997	43.32%	185	1.00%
2004	9,004	58.46%	6,218	40.37%	179	1.16%
2000	7,081	55.85%	5,139	40.53%	458	3.61%
1996	4,753	47.18%	4,646	46.12%	675	6.70%
1992	5,251	46.07%	5,224	45.84%	922	8.09%
1988	5,841	59.29%	3,967	40.27%	44	0.45%
1984	6,006	62.05%	3,646	37.67%	28	0.29%
1980	4,366	45.62%	4,887	51.06%	318	3.32%
1976	3,735	44.73%	4,375	52.39%	241	2.89%
1972	5,391	76.89%	1,545	22.04%	75	1.07%
1968	1,235	20.11%	1,578	25.69%	3,329	54.20%
1964	3,202	81.64%	720	18.36%	0	0.00%
1960	705	24.13%	1,308	44.76%	909	31.11%
1956	575	21.29%	1,968	72.86%	158	5.85%
1952	868	26.86%	2,363	73.14%	0	0.00%
1948	48	2.42%	744	37.58%	1,188	60.00%
1944	87	3.89%	2,148	96.11%	0	0.00%
1940	65	2.88%	2,188	97.03%	2	0.09%
1936	26	1.54%	1,652	98.16%	5	0.30%
1932	26	1.40%	1,831	98.39%	4	0.21%
1928	131	7.35%	1,652	92.65%	0	0.00%
1924	89	4.51%	1,848	93.62%	37	1.87%
1920	321	26.62%	873	72.39%	12	1.00%
1916	47	3.29%	1,370	95.80%	13	0.91%
1912	28	2.63%	973	91.28%	65	6.10%

Lafayette County Sheriff's Department
Common name	Lafayette County Sheriff
Abbreviation	LCSD
Motto	"Protect and Serve"
Agency overview
Formed	1836
Employees	26
Jurisdictional structure
Governing body	Lafayette County Board of Supervisors
General nature	Local civilian police
Operational structure
Headquarters	711 Jackson Avenue East, Oxford, MS 38655
Deputys	26 (2014)
Facilities
Districts	Oxford, Mississippi
Website
lafayettems.com/us/elected-officials/sheriff/

The Lafayette County Sheriff's Department is the law enforcement agency responsible for the policing and maintenance of public order of Lafayette County, Mississippi. They are also the primary law enforcement agency for all locales excluding Oxford, and work in tandem with the Oxford Police Department and The University of Mississippi's University Police Department in those jurisdictions. Responsible for maintenance and administration of its jail, the Lafayette County Detention Center in Oxford, it is also their duty to stand as guards of Lafayette County's County and Chancery Courts. In September 2018 the department employed 26 full-time deputies, in addition to other staff employed as guards for the county jail. In comparison, Oxford Police Department, which patrols a small fraction of the area done by the Sheriff's Department, employs over 75 full-time officers.

F.D. "Buddy" East was the long-time sheriff, who held the office from 1972 until his death in September 2018, having been elected to twelve terms as sheriff. At the time he was the longest serving Sheriff in the history of the United States, having held the position for 46 years. The sheriff's son, Joey East, was concurrently the Oxford Police Department's Chief of Police. After the November 2019 elections, Joey East became the sheriff of Lafayette County, following his father.

School districts include Lafayette County School District and Oxford School District.

University of Mississippi is in the county.

Northwest Mississippi Community College operates the Lafayette-Yalobusha Technical Center.

• List of places named for the Marquis de Lafayette
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Lafayette County, Mississippi

Government

• Official website

General information

• Geographic data related to Lafayette County, Mississippi at OpenStreetMap
• Lafayette County, Mississippi at Ballotpedia
• Lafayette County, Mississippi at MSGenWeb
• Lafayette County Records at the University of Mississippi
• Works by or about Lafayette County, Mississippi at the Internet Archive