Yazoo County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,743. The county seat is Yazoo City. It is named for the Yazoo River, which forms its western border. Its name is said to come from a Choctaw language word meaning "River of Death".

The area which is now Yazoo County was acquired by the State of Mississippi from the Choctaw Indians in 1820. Yazoo County was established on January 21, 1823. It was the 19th county established in the State of Mississippi, and remains the largest in area. It was developed for cotton plantations, which lined the major river to have transportation access.

The first county seat was at Beatties Bluff. As population increased, In 1829 the county seat was moved to Benton. In 1849 the county seat was moved again, to Yazoo City, where it remains.

Yazoo County was a battlefield in 1863 and 1864 during the American Civil War. After the war, whites committed violence against freedmen to assert their dominance. Such violence continued after Reconstruction. In the period from 1877 to 1950, Yazoo County had 18 documented lynchings of African Americans. Most occurred around the turn of the 20th century, as part of white imposition of Jim Crow conditions and suppression of black voting.

In 1900 a railroad disaster killed engineer Casey Jones; it took place in Yazoo County just north of Vaughan. The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 did much damage in Yazoo County.

It experienced two accidents relating to carbon dioxide pipelines owned by Denbury Resources. In 2011, a pipeline had a "blowout" in Tinsley, Mississippi, causing the sickening of one worker and killing deer, fish and birds. In 2020, a pipeline ruptured less than half a mile from Satartia. More than 300 people were evacuated and 46 hospitalized with carbon dioxide poisoning.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 934 square miles (2,420 km), of which 923 square miles (2,390 km) is land and 11 square miles (28 km) (1.2%) is water. It is the largest county in Mississippi by land area and third-largest by total area.

• Humphreys County (north)
• Holmes County (northeast)
• Madison County (east)
• Hinds County (south)
• Warren County (southwest)
• Issaquena County (west)
• Sharkey County (northwest)

• Hillside National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Panther Swamp National Wildlife Refuge

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1830	6,550		—
1840	10,480		60.0%
1850	14,418		37.6%
1860	22,373		55.2%
1870	17,279		−22.8%
1880	33,845		95.9%
1890	36,394		7.5%
1900	43,948		20.8%
1910	46,672		6.2%
1920	37,149		−20.4%
1930	37,262		0.3%
1940	40,091		7.6%
1950	35,712		−10.9%
1960	31,653		−11.4%
1970	27,304		−13.7%
1980	27,349		0.2%
1990	25,506		−6.7%
2000	28,149		10.4%
2010	28,065		−0.3%
2020	26,743		−4.7%
2023 (est.)	25,796		−3.5%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010-2013

Yazoo County Racial Composition

Race	Num.	Perc.
White	9,184	34.34%
Black or African American	15,812	59.13%
Native American	50	0.19%
Asian	115	0.43%
Pacific Islander	6	0.02%
Other/Mixed	500	1.87%
Hispanic or Latino	1,076	4.02%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 26,743 people, 8,542 households, and 5,203 families residing in the county.

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 28,065 people living in the county. 57.1% were Black or African American, 40.0% White, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 0.7% of some other race and 1.5% of two or more races. 4.6% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

As of the census of 2000, there were 28,149 people, 9,178 households, and 6,644 families living in the county. The population density was 31 people per square mile (12 people/km). There were 10,015 housing units at an average density of 11 units per square mile (4.2 units/km). The racial makeup of the county was 53.96% Black or African American, 44.74% White, 0.20% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.22% from other races, and 0.52% from two or more races. 4.38% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

35.60% of the 9,178 households had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.20% were married couples living together, 23.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.60% were non-families. 24.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.35.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.50% under the age of 18, 9.80% from 18 to 24, 29.20% from 25 to 44, 20.10% from 45 to 64, and 12.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 103.60 males (boys). For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $24,795, and the median income for a family was $29,395. Males had a median income of $28,553 versus $19,797 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,062. About 25.40% of families and 31.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.90% of those under age 18 and 22.50% of those age 65 or over.

• Interstate 55
• U.S. Highway 49
• U.S. Highway 49W
• U.S. Highway 49E
• Mississippi Highway 3
• Mississippi Highway 16
• Mississippi Highway 149
• Mississippi Highway 433

Yazoo County Airport is located in an unincorporated area in Yazoo County, 2 miles (3.2 km) west of central Yazoo City.

• Public School Districts
  • Yazoo City Municipal School District serves areas in the Yazoo City limits; its high school is Yazoo City High School
  • Yazoo County School District serves areas outside of the Yazoo City limits; its high school is Yazoo County High School
• Private Schools
  • Benton Academy (Benton)
  • Manchester Academy (Yazoo City)
  • Covenant Christian School (Yazoo City)
  • Thomas Christian Academy (Yazoo City)

In 2024, Yazoo County was the most Black county or equivalent to vote for Donald Trump.

United States presidential election results for Yazoo County, Mississippi

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	4,558	50.81%	4,342	48.40%	71	0.79%
2020	4,832	46.30%	5,496	52.66%	108	1.03%
2016	4,598	45.66%	5,369	53.32%	103	1.02%
2012	4,941	42.52%	6,603	56.82%	76	0.65%
2008	5,290	46.09%	6,116	53.29%	71	0.62%
2004	5,672	51.62%	5,013	45.63%	302	2.75%
2000	5,254	49.96%	4,997	47.52%	265	2.52%
1996	4,152	44.49%	4,754	50.94%	427	4.58%
1992	5,113	47.58%	4,880	45.42%	752	7.00%
1988	5,538	48.03%	4,989	43.27%	1,003	8.70%
1984	6,275	54.99%	5,037	44.14%	100	0.88%
1980	4,819	45.90%	5,468	52.09%	211	2.01%
1976	4,255	50.23%	4,053	47.85%	163	1.92%
1972	5,555	72.58%	2,008	26.23%	91	1.19%
1968	958	11.89%	2,163	26.84%	4,939	61.28%
1964	4,801	95.92%	204	4.08%	0	0.00%
1960	778	23.29%	715	21.41%	1,847	55.30%
1956	370	11.98%	911	29.50%	1,807	58.52%
1952	1,683	49.72%	1,702	50.28%	0	0.00%
1948	26	1.09%	70	2.93%	2,297	95.99%
1944	78	3.28%	2,301	96.72%	0	0.00%
1940	45	1.85%	2,390	98.15%	0	0.00%
1936	17	0.79%	2,141	99.07%	3	0.14%
1932	24	1.19%	1,995	98.57%	5	0.25%
1928	112	5.23%	2,029	94.77%	0	0.00%
1924	57	4.06%	1,348	95.94%	0	0.00%
1920	46	4.57%	948	94.14%	13	1.29%
1916	25	2.12%	1,146	97.28%	7	0.59%
1912	7	0.75%	887	94.97%	40	4.28%

• Yazoo City (county seat)

• Bentonia

• Eden
• Satartia

• Benton

• Claibornesville
• Hilton
• Liverpool
• Pearce
• Plumville

Yazoo County, Mississippi has been featured in an Independent Lens series documenting bullying.

• List of counties in Mississippi
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Yazoo County, Mississippi

• James L. Cox, The Mississippi Almanac. 2001.
• Harriet DeCell and JoAnne Prichard, Yazoo: Its Legends and Legacies. n.c.: Yazoo Delta Press, 1976.
• A.T. Morgan, Yazoo; or, On the Picket Line of Freedom in the South: A Personal Narrative. New York: Russell and Russell, 1968.
• Willie Morris, A Pictorial History of Yazoo County. n.c.: Heritage House Publishing, 1996.
• Nicholas Russell Murray, Yazoo County, Mississippi, 1845-1900. Hammond, LA: Hunting for Bears, c. 1982.
• New Orleans Exposition Committee, Official Information Respecting Yazoo County, Mississippi. Yazoo City, MS: n.p., 1884.
• Roster and Sketches of the Several Military Companies Which Were in Regular Service of the Confederate States During the Civil War from Yazoo County, Mississippi. Leland, Mississippi: Mrs. C. Q. Hollowell. March 1, 1960 [1st pub. Yazoo Camp, 176, of Confederate Veterans – via Waller Printing Co.:1905].
• Yazoo Historical Association, Yazoo County Story: A Pictorial History of Yazoo County, Mississippi, Covering Both the Old and the New. Fort Worth, TX: University Supply and Equipment Co., 1958.

• Official website
• Yazoo County Mississippi on RootsWeb.com
• Yazoo County Convention and Visitors Bureau

32°47′N 90°24′W / 32.78°N 90.40°W / 32.78; -90.40