Luxurious riverboats and quaint paddleboats cruising the lower Mississippi River bring back memories of the grand old days when Old Man River conveyed the wealth, goods, and romanticism that allowed our river counties to flourish. Those memories, both the treasured and the despicable, a few goods, and clusters of tourists are about all it conveys to those counties today.
The socio-economic status of most of our 11 river counties reflects that great contraction. For example, Census data from 1960 to 2020 showed that only two of the counties gained population: DeSoto +499% and Warren +6%. The other nine lost population by double-digit percentages: Adams -22%; Bolivar -43%; Claiborne -16%; Coahoma -49%; Issaquena -63%; Jefferson -28%; Tunica -42%; Washington -36%; and Wilkinson -34%. (The state gained 36%.) Likewise, only DeSoto and Warren avoided the Census Bureau’s designation as persistent poverty counties (counties with 20% or higher poverty rates for three or more consecutive censuses). Census poverty rates were: Adams 28.2%; Boliver 33.7%; Claiborne 27.2%; Coahoma 36.3%; DeSoto 9.2%; Issaquena 49.6%; Jefferson 28.5% Tunica 33.8%; Warren 20.3%; Washington 28.8%; and Wilkinson 28.2%. (The state rate average was18.0%.)
And even though populations were down, labor force participation rates (the ratio of persons in the labor force over the population age 16 and up) were generally lower than the state’s lowest-in-the-nation rate of 54.3%; only DeSoto 66.3%, Warren 54.0% and Tunica 52.9% were near or above that. The other county rates were: Adams 41.8%; Boliver 46.2%; Claiborne 34.4%; Coahoma 47.5%; Issaquena 17.1%; Jefferson 38.2%; Washington 47.6%; and Wilkinson 34.6%. Educational attainment rates (the proportion of the population age 25 and up with at least a bachelor’s degree) tell the same story. Only DeSoto 30.1%, Bolivar 26.6%, and Warren 26.5% exceeded the state average of 25.5%. The other county rates were: Adams 19.3%; Claiborne 20.6%; Coahoma 19.0%; Issaquena 4.4%; Jefferson 19.9%; Tunica 16.1%; Washington 20.5%; and Wilkinson 11.6%. Regrettably, conditions of population loss, persistent poverty, low labor participation rates, and low educational attainment suffered by most of the river counties are not unique to them. Many other Mississippi counties face similar conditions. Even more regrettable is the apparent disconnect between the priorities state politicians’ spout – tax cuts, mobile sports betting, eliminating DEI programs, new state websites, school vouchers, lawsuits against federal regulations, data center investments, etc. – and what it will really take to bring wealth and general prosperity back into these counties. (At least Ag Commissioner Andy Gipson and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann offered a few specifics during their Neshoba County Fair speeches). “Then he showed me a river of the water of life” – Revelation 22:1. Crawford is the author of A Republican’s Lament: Mississippi Needs Good Government Conservatives.
18 comments:
There is poverty because the dems keep them dependent on the govt. dole, causing them to keep voting for those same dems - we're looking at you Bennie.
I live in S Mississippi. As a taxpayer, why should I bear the cost of government programs “ to bring back wealth and prosperity” to that area of the state?
This area of MS will NEVER regain wealth and prosperity. It’s sad that there are fools who think it will.
If bad, then Dem.
If good, then Repub.
Repeat with no further thought.
Why? So Bennie can continue to get elected.
All the "river counties" are identical.
I lived in Natchez/Adams County for about 20 years,.
Until then, I had never witnessed so much ignorance among voters in my life.
And these same folks wonder why all industry has left and no new industry is willing to move in.
And they wonder why the old left
@11:59 it actually goes both ways depending on who you vote for.
Bill Crawford it's the people who live there that make it what it is. The way you live, who you vote into office, what you give to your community, whether you obey the laws or not, etc. There's always going to be some people who expect better who will leave a place where most of the voters are stupid and making the community a nightmare for others.
So much to unpack here and Mr. Crawford is really just wanting to disparage Republicans. No mention of how many years Democrats ran the state since 1960. However, let’s just look at one of the reasons many of these counties would have lost population. Farming. The size of farms has increased as has the size of equipment. This translates to fewer farmers and fewer workers needed on the farm. Nothing to do with politics.
Another reason is farmers growing corn instead of cotton. With corn you don’t need a gin or a compress, that employed many people. This change might have some politics involved since corn is used to make ethanol.
There are many other reasons to consider, so I’ll let others contribute.
Billy is a typical Democrat. He blames someone's blight on others & then ask for another government program funded by others who are not at fault.
Apparently, there's a good living, in writing about Southern Pathos, attributing that pathos to everything except the one thing we're not allowed to name or blame. The Kremlin (plus various other traditional enemies of the Western Democracies, eager to see the Western Peoples eliminated, as punishment for turning away from "The One True Way" - whichever "way" that is), through various Useful Idiots - mostly dumpy, misfit girls from rich Protestant families (thanks, Eleanor!), sociopathic misfit boys (thanks, Franklin!), and "church leadership" (Grundtvigian Lutheranism - which shaped the social mores of America's Upper Midwest - works AGAINST the interests of Scandinavians - with other sects, especially Methodism, trotting along behind - each sect competing to see which can be a bigger doormat for the world)...
...The Kremlin has had a solid century, to cause its useful idiots to outlaw the saying of certain things.
But there's plenty of work, in naming everything else. There's way more work, in naming anything and everything - something new to blame, around every bend - than to name that one same-old thing. That prohibition WORKS AS ITS OWN REWARDS SYSTEM. It's a well that'll never run dry. And Bill Crawford's doing a great job, perpetually pumping stuff up from that well, in a most righteous way!
10:41 AM Every farmer in the Delta has been federally subsidized since the 1930s. Some of them receive as much welfare money as several thousand households.
@8:12, they grow out food, not more welfare babies. Taxes should be used for useful not useless things.
It’s not a bad thing that these areas are depopulating. There is nothing for people to do except farm, and one man can do what dozens used to. Fewer people there should mean fewer people sitting around
have that happy talker named ''CARSWELL'' read these stats.
10;41 is quite correct. the system in the ms delta is to ensure that landowning farmers get their millions in subsidies and the ''poor '' get their welfare.
little history lesson.............welfare for the rich has always existed;
welfare for the poor has existed since about the 1960s;
welfare for the middle class has never existed.
the stats quoted perfectly fit bennie thompsons agenda. thats why bennie will be in washington DC till he croaks.
some of the most pathetic people in the world sit atop some of the most fertile land in the world ,and they would never go plant themselves a garden.
why break a sweat when you can get it for free.
Regarding Crop Subsidies--Farmers sometimes recieve subsidies from the government because the government manipulates crop prices below cost to produce then rebate the farmers so they can usually stay in business. No one gets rich off subsidies.
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