George County is a county in Mississippi, United States, in the southeastern corner of the state, about 35 miles northeast of Mobile, Alabama, near the Alabama line. It had a population of 24,350 at the 2020 census, an estimated 26,331 by 2025, and covers 484 square miles (1,253 km2) centred near 30°52′N 88°38′W.
Lucedale is the county seat and the county’s only incorporated city; its postal code is 39452. The county holds 1 city, 2 census-designated places and 5 unincorporated communities, and it runs on Central Time. Its FIPS code is 28039.
Towns & Villages in George County
George County has 8 named places on record: one incorporated city, two census-designated places (CDPs) and five unincorporated communities with no local government of their own. CDP stands for census designated place; Unincorp. covers crossroads and rural settlements with no formal boundary.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucedale | City · seat | 2,869 | 39452 |
| Agricola | CDP | 346 | — |
| Benndale | CDP | 65 | — |
| Basin | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bexley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Crossroads | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Merrill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Shipman | Unincorp. | — | — |
Agricola and Benndale only became census-designated places with the 2020 census; the Census Bureau had no population figures for either community before that count. The older name list once published for this page mixed in a dozen unverified crossroads names — Avent, Barton, Central, Dale, Dean Landing, Evanston, Gibson Landing, Howell, Latonia, Movella, Riverview Estates, Rock Creek, Ruble, Vaughan, Ward and Waters Landing among them — none of which trace to a Census Bureau place name, USPS record or Wikipedia entry, so they are left off this table.
ZIP Codes
George County has a single ZIP code covering its entire area; the county issues no second delivery office.
- 39452 — Lucedale (covers every community in the county)
Agricola, Benndale, Basin, Bexley, Crossroads, Merrill and Shipman have no ZIP code of their own; the U.S. Postal Service routes mail to all of them through the Lucedale office.
Geography
George County sits in Mississippi’s coastal plain, in longleaf pine country south of the Piney Woods, with a stretch of the De Soto National Forest crossing its western half. Of its 484 square miles, 479 are land and 4.9 are water, roughly 1.0 percent — low for a county built around two river systems. The Leaf River and the Chickasawhay River meet in the county’s northwest corner, just north of the Merrill community, and their confluence there forms the Pascagoula River, which then runs south through George and Jackson counties toward the Gulf of Mexico.
Greene County lies to the north, Mobile County, Alabama to the east, Jackson County to the south, and Stone County to the west, with Perry County touching the county’s northwest corner. Greene County, Jackson County, Stone County and Perry County all border George directly. Mobile County, across the state line in Alabama, has no page on this site.
Demographics
George County had a population of 24,350 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the county near 26,331 residents. Lucedale is the largest community, but it holds well under half the county’s total — most residents live outside any incorporated place, in Agricola, Benndale or one of the unincorporated communities. Median household income runs $59,758 (2024 ACS estimate), above Mississippi’s figure of $54,203 (2023 ACS). Population density works out to roughly 51 people per square mile of land, low even for rural southeast Mississippi.
Economy & Local Life
Construction employs the most workers in the county, about 1,254 people, followed by health care and social assistance at 1,154 and manufacturing at 1,135, based on 2024 estimates. Utilities work pays the county’s highest median wage, followed by transportation and warehousing. Timber remains a visible part of the local economy; the De Soto National Forest and the pine plantations around it support logging and sawmill jobs alongside the newer service-sector work clustered in Lucedale.
History
Mississippi’s legislature created George County on 16 March 1910, carving it out of Jackson and Greene counties. The new county took its name from James Z. George, a Mississippi U.S. senator who had died in 1897. The Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad ran a line through Lucedale on its route to Mobile, giving the young county seat an early rail connection that shaped its growth as a timber and sawmill town.
Lucedale holds a grim first in Mississippi history: the state carried out its first execution by electric chair there in 1940, using the only portable electric chair ever employed anywhere in the United States, a machine trucked county to county under a law that replaced local hangings with electrocution but built no permanent death house.
Getting There
No interstate highway crosses George County. U.S. Highway 98 runs east–west through the county, and Mississippi Highways 26, 57, 63 and 198 connect Lucedale to the surrounding towns.
- Mobile, Alabama — about 35 miles east
- Hattiesburg — about 50 miles northwest
- Pascagoula — about 40 miles south
- Gulfport — about 50 miles southwest
Mobile Regional Airport, roughly 30 miles east of Lucedale, is the nearest commercial airport. Amtrak does not serve George County directly; the nearest station is on the Crescent line in Hattiesburg.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is George County located?
It sits in Mississippi’s southeastern corner, about 35 miles northeast of Mobile, Alabama, bordered by Greene, Jackson, Stone and Perry counties and by Mobile County, Alabama.
What is the population of George County?
24,350 at the 2020 census, with a 2025 estimate near 26,331.
How big is George County?
484 square miles (1,253 km2), of which 479 square miles are land and 4.9 square miles are water.
What is the county seat of George County?
Lucedale, the county’s only incorporated city, founded in 1901 and named for lumberman Gregory Marston Luce.
How many towns and cities are in George County?
One incorporated city, Lucedale, plus two census-designated places, Agricola and Benndale, and five unincorporated communities: Basin, Bexley, Crossroads, Merrill and Shipman.
What ZIP code does George County use?
39452, based in Lucedale — the only ZIP code assigned anywhere in the county.
What is George County known for?
The Pascagoula River, formed at the meeting of the Leaf and Chickasawhay rivers near Merrill, and the De Soto National Forest, which covers much of the county’s western half.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Mississippi.