Yalobusha County, Mississippi

Yalobusha County is a county in Mississippi, United States, in the hill country of the north-central part of the state, between the Tallahatchie and Yocona river valleys. It had a population of 12,481 at the 2020 census, and it covers 495 square miles (1,282 km2), of which 467 square miles (1,210 km2) are land and 28 square miles (73 km2) are water, centred near 34°02′N 89°43′W.

Water Valley and Coffeeville are the county seats — an unusual dual arrangement dating to an 1870s compromise between the county’s north and south. Water Valley’s postal code is 38965, and Coffeeville’s is 38922. The county has two incorporated cities, two incorporated towns, and no census-designated places. It lies in the Central time zone, and its FIPS code is 28161.

Towns & Villages in Yalobusha County

Most of Yalobusha County’s population lives outside its four incorporated places, spread across farms and small crossroads communities in the hill country between the Tallahatchie and Yocona valleys.

ZIP Codes

• 38965 — Water Valley (also serves the county’s northern rural routes)
• 38922 — Coffeeville (also serves the southern half of the county)

Oakland, Tillatoba, Scobey and the county’s smaller crossroads communities — Bruce Junction, Bryant, Camp Ground, Gatewood, Gums, Hubbard Creek, Hyde, Lakeside, Long Branch, New Hope, Palestine, Pine Valley, Spearman, Turkey Creek, Tyson, Velma and Wallace Creek — are served by the two seats’ post offices above; their individual ZIP codes were not confirmed for this profile.

Geography

Yalobusha County sits astride the boundary between the hilly loess uplands and the flatter Delta transition zone, drained by the Yalobusha, Tallahatchie and Yocona rivers. Roughly 5.6% of the county’s area is water, mostly the Grenada Lake backwater along the southern edge and smaller farm ponds and creek bottoms elsewhere. The terrain rises into wooded hills toward the east and levels out toward the Delta in the northwest.

Yalobusha County borders five other Mississippi counties:

• Panola County — northwest
• Lafayette County — northeast
• Calhoun County — east
• Grenada County — south
• Tallahatchie County — west

Demographics

Yalobusha County had 12,481 residents at the 2020 census, down from a historic peak of 21,519 in 1910 as agricultural mechanization and the decline of local rail and manufacturing jobs pushed people out of the county over the 20th century. Water Valley (3,380) and Coffeeville (797) are the two largest communities; the rest of the population lives in rural, unincorporated areas — the census bureau classes the entire county as 100% rural. Median household income in Yalobusha County runs well below Mississippi’s statewide 2023 ACS figure of $54,203, consistent with the county’s rural, agriculture-and-manufacturing economic base. Population density is 26.7 people per square mile.

Economy & Local Life

Agriculture, timber and light manufacturing anchor the local economy, with row-crop farming (soybeans, corn, cotton) and cattle grazing common on the county’s hill-country land. Water Valley’s economy grew up around the Illinois Central Railroad’s repair shops, and the city’s historic Main Street district still anchors its downtown commercial life. Northwest Mississippi Community College serves area students, and the Coffeeville and Water Valley school districts are among the county’s larger employers. The Yalobusha County Fair each fall is the county’s biggest annual community event.

History

Yalobusha County was organized on February 21, 1834, one of several north Mississippi counties created after the Treaty of Pontotoc Creek opened Chickasaw lands to settlement. Its name comes from a Choctaw or Chickasaw word, likely Muskogean in origin, meaning roughly “tadpole place.” Coffeeville, named for planter and militia leader John Coffee, served as the original county seat; Water Valley, chartered in 1858 and built up as a railroad town, later became a co-equal seat, and the county has kept the unusual two-courthouse arrangement ever since. A minor Civil War engagement, the Battle of Coffeeville, was fought near the town in December 1862.

Getting There

Interstate 55 crosses the western edge of the county, and U.S. Highway 51 runs north–south through Water Valley; Mississippi Highways 7, 32, 315 and 330 connect the county’s smaller communities.

• Oxford — 25 miles northeast
• Grenada — 20 miles south
• Batesville — 20 miles northwest
• Memphis, Tennessee — 90 miles north

The nearest commercial airport is Memphis International Airport, about 95 miles north. Amtrak’s City of New Orleans line stops in Batesville, roughly 25 miles northwest.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Yalobusha County, Mississippi?
It is in the north-central hill country of the state, between Oxford and Grenada, bordered by Panola, Lafayette, Calhoun, Grenada and Tallahatchie counties.

What is the Water Valley postcode?
38965.

What is the Coffeeville postcode?
38922.

Why does Yalobusha County have two county seats?
Coffeeville was the original seat from the county’s 1834 organization; Water Valley grew into a rail hub and was made a co-equal seat, and the county has never consolidated the two courthouses.

What is the population of Yalobusha County?
12,481 at the 2020 census, down from a peak of 21,519 in 1910.

What is the largest city in Yalobusha County?
Water Valley, with 3,380 residents at the 2020 census.

What does the name Yalobusha mean?
It comes from a Choctaw or Chickasaw word, likely Muskogean in origin, meaning “tadpole place.”

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