Alcorn County is a county in Mississippi, United States, tucked into the state’s northeastern corner against the Tennessee line. It had a population of 34,740 at the 2020 census and covers 400 square miles (1,000 km2), centred near 34°56′N 88°31′W. It is the smallest county by land area in Mississippi.
Corinth is the county seat, and its postal code is 38834. The county has one city, three towns, one village, two census-designated places and a scatter of unincorporated communities, all on Central time. Alcorn County anchors the Corinth Micropolitan Statistical Area on its own — the metro area and the county are the same footprint.
Towns & Villages in Alcorn County
Alcorn County has one incorporated city, three incorporated towns, one village, two census-designated places, and more than a dozen small unincorporated communities and crossroads. Populations without a confirmed 2020 census figure are marked —.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corinth | City · seat | 14,054 | 38834 |
| Rienzi | Town | — | 38865 |
| Glen | Town | — | 38846 |
| Farmington | Town | — | — |
| Kossuth | Village | — | — |
| Biggersville | CDP | — | 38834 |
| Jacinto | CDP | — | — |
| Allentown | Unincorp. | — | 38834 |
| Collinstown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Crow | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cuba | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gift | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hightown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Indian Springs | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Jonestown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lone Pine | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ross Crossing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ruslor Junction | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Searcy Town | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Strickland | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Theo | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wenasoga | Unincorp. | — | — |
| West Corinth | Unincorp. | — | 38834 |
Corinth is the county’s only city and by far its largest place, sitting near the geographic center of the county. Rienzi, Glen and Farmington are small incorporated towns; Kossuth is the lone village. Biggersville and Jacinto are unincorporated but recognized as census-designated places. The rest of the list is unincorporated crossroads and rural communities scattered through the county’s farmland and hill country.
ZIP Codes
- 38834 — Corinth (also serves Biggersville, Allentown, West Corinth and most of the surrounding countryside)
- 38835 — Corinth (PO Box ZIP)
- 38865 — Rienzi
- 38846 — Glen
Farmington, Kossuth and Jacinto have no dedicated ZIP code of their own; addresses there fall under the Corinth or a neighboring town’s postal route.
Geography
Alcorn County sits in Mississippi’s hill country, rolling terrain that gives way to gentler bottomland along its rivers. The county is bisected by the Tuscumbia River, and the Hatchie River also drains part of the county. At 400 square miles, it is the smallest county in Mississippi by land area.
Alcorn County borders McNairy County, Tennessee to the north, Hardin County, Tennessee to the northeast, Tishomingo County to the east, Prentiss County to the south, Tippah County to the west, and Hardeman County, Tennessee to the northwest.
Demographics
Alcorn County had 34,740 residents at the 2020 census. Corinth is the largest community by a wide margin, followed by Rienzi and Glen among the incorporated towns. Mississippi’s statewide median household income is 54,203, the lowest of any state in the country; Alcorn County, anchored by Corinth’s retail and healthcare economy, runs close to that state figure. Density works out to roughly 87 people per square mile across the county’s 400 square miles of land.
Economy & Local Life
Corinth is the county’s commercial and medical hub, home to Magnolia Regional Health Center, the largest hospital in northeast Mississippi, and a base for retail and light manufacturing that draws workers from across the tri-state Corinth Micropolitan Area. Agriculture remains part of the county’s economy outside the city, with row crops and cattle on the rural land between Corinth and the smaller towns.
History
Alcorn County was organized on April 15, 1870, formed from parts of Tippah and Tishomingo counties and named for James L. Alcorn, the state’s Reconstruction-era governor. The county seat, Corinth, was the site of the Siege of Corinth in 1862, an early campaign of the American Civil War fought over the town’s strategic railroad crossing. Corinth’s rail junction — where the Mobile & Ohio and Memphis & Charleston lines met — made it a Confederate and then Union objective, and the battle left the county with one of Mississippi’s deepest Civil War histories.
Getting There
U.S. Route 45 and U.S. Route 72 cross in Corinth, with Mississippi Highway 2 also serving the county.
- Tupelo, Mississippi — 50 miles south
- Memphis, Tennessee — 95 miles west
- Jackson, Tennessee — 55 miles northwest
- Florence, Alabama — 55 miles east
The nearest commercial airport is Tupelo Regional Airport; Memphis International Airport, about 95 miles west, offers a much wider range of flights.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Alcorn County, Mississippi?
It is in the northeastern corner of Mississippi, bordering Tennessee to the north.
What is the population of Alcorn County?
34,740 residents at the 2020 census.
How big is Alcorn County?
400 square miles (1,000 km2), making it Mississippi’s smallest county by land area.
What is the county seat of Alcorn County?
Corinth is the county seat.
How many towns are in Alcorn County?
One city (Corinth), three towns (Rienzi, Glen, Farmington), one village (Kossuth), two census-designated places (Biggersville, Jacinto) and more than a dozen unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Alcorn County?
38834 and 38835 (Corinth), 38865 (Rienzi) and 38846 (Glen) are the main ZIP codes.
What happened in Corinth during the Civil War?
Corinth’s rail junction made it a major strategic target; the Siege of Corinth in 1862 was one of the early campaigns of the American Civil War.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Mississippi.