Neshoba County, Mississippi

Neshoba County is a county in Mississippi, United States, home to the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and the annual Neshoba County Fair. It had a population of 29,087 at the 2020 census and covers 572 square miles (1,480 km2) centred near 32°45′N 89°07′W, in the east-central part of the state.

Philadelphia is the county seat, and its postal code is 39350. The county has one incorporated city, a town that straddles its southern border, and roughly three dozen unincorporated communities and crossroads. It sits in the Central time zone.

Towns & Villages in Neshoba County

Neshoba County has one incorporated city — Philadelphia, the seat — plus the town of Union, which sits mostly in neighboring Newton and Leake counties but extends into Neshoba. The rest of the list below is unincorporated communities and historic crossroads carried over from county records; population figures are given only where verified.

Pearl River is also the name of the Choctaw community that anchors the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians’ reservation lands and the Pearl River Resort, and should not be confused with the Pearl River that forms part of the state’s southern drainage. “Zaphyr Hill” from older listings is corrected here to Zephyr Hill, its standard spelling.

ZIP Codes

• 39350 — Philadelphia (also serves most of the county’s unincorporated communities)
• 39365 — Union (shared with Newton and Leake counties)

Most of the small communities listed above use a Philadelphia mailing address rather than a ZIP code of their own.

Geography

Neshoba County sits on the rolling uplands of east-central Mississippi, drained by the Pearl River and its tributary Bogue Chitto Creek, both of which give their names to communities in the county. The terrain mixes pine and hardwood forest with pasture and row-crop farmland typical of the state’s Piney Woods and Black Prairie transition zone.

The county borders Winston County to the north, Kemper County to the east, Newton County to the south, and Leake County to the west. Of these, only Newton County has a live page on this site; Winston, Kemper, and Leake counties are named here without a link.

Demographics

Neshoba County had 29,087 residents at the 2020 census, spread across a population density of about 51 people per square mile. Philadelphia, the county seat, is by far the largest community; Union, shared with two neighboring counties, is the only other incorporated place. A large share of the county’s population lives on or near the Choctaw Indian reservation lands administered by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, one of the largest employers and civic institutions in the county. Mississippi’s statewide median household income is $54,203 (2023 ACS); Neshoba County, a rural county anchored by manufacturing and tribal enterprise employment, has historically run below that figure.

Economy & Local Life

The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians is the county’s largest employer, operating the Pearl River Resort casino and hotel complex along with tribal manufacturing plants near Pearl River and Conehatta. Philadelphia itself is a regional trade and manufacturing center for east-central Mississippi, with furniture and metal-fabrication plants supplementing the agricultural economy of row crops, cattle, and timber that dominates the rest of the county.

The Neshoba County Fair, held every summer at the fairgrounds outside Philadelphia, is the county’s signature event and one of the best-known county fairs in the South, famous for its rows of family-owned cabins, its harness horse races, and its long history as a stop for statewide political speeches. The Williams Brothers general store in the Poplar Springs community, trading since the early 1900s, is a well-known local landmark.

History

Neshoba County was organized in 1833 out of Choctaw cession lands following the 1830 Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek. Its name comes from the Choctaw word for “wolf.” The county is best known nationally for the June 1964 murders of civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner near Philadelphia, a case that became a defining moment of the civil rights movement and was not fully adjudicated until a 2005 state conviction. The county is also home to most of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians’ reservation communities, a federally recognized tribe whose modern economic development has reshaped the county since the late 20th century.

Getting There

U.S. Route 15 runs north-south through Philadelphia, meeting Mississippi Highway 21 and Mississippi Highway 16 in and near the city.

• Meridian, Mississippi — 35 miles southeast
• Jackson, Mississippi — 65 miles southwest
• Tupelo, Mississippi — 75 miles north

The nearest commercial airport is Golden Triangle Regional Airport in Columbus, with Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport in Jackson offering a wider range of flights at a somewhat greater distance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Neshoba County?
It is in east-central Mississippi, centred near 32°45′N 89°07′W, bordering Winston, Kemper, Newton, and Leake counties.

What is the population of Neshoba County?
29,087 as of the 2020 census.

How big is Neshoba County?
572 square miles (1,480 km2), of which about 1.5 square miles is water.

What is the county seat of Neshoba County?
Philadelphia is the county seat.

How many towns are in Neshoba County?
One incorporated city (Philadelphia) and part of one town (Union, shared with Newton and Leake counties), plus roughly three dozen unincorporated communities.

What ZIP codes are in Neshoba County?
Mainly 39350 (Philadelphia), with 39365 (Union) covering the county’s southern edge.

What is the Neshoba County Fair?
An annual summer fair and campground gathering near Philadelphia, known for family cabins, harness horse racing, and decades of political speeches.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Mississippi.