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gavindegruiter
Sep 7, 20225 min read

Lamar County, Mississippi

By Gavin de Gruiter

September 7, 2022


Figure 1. Total Population 25 Years or Older with a Bachelor's Degree or Higher in 2020.


Figure 2. Population Ages 16 to 64 That Did Not Work Any Weeks in 2020.




Figure 3. Total Population 5 Years or Older That Speaks a Language Other than English.

U.S. Census Bureau. S1601: Total—Population 5... in 2020 - Census Bureau Map. September 7, 2022.



This is Lamar County Mississippi, which is part of the Hattiesburg Metropolis, in the year 2020. Lamar County has a population of around sixty-two thousand residents. There are three maps show demographic and economic statistics in the county. The maps show the number of people with bachelor's degrees and higher degrees, people who did not work at all during the year, and people who are able to speak a language other than English in the county.

The first map, figure 1, shows the total population that are twenty-five years or older who have received a bachelor's degree or higher. Out of the sixty-two thousand people, thirteen thousand nine hundred and thirty-nine are estimated to have bachelor's degrees or higher in Lamar County. That is about twenty two percent of the residents that have a degree. The area with the highest density of degrees in the county is the northeast corner of the county. Directly to the east of the northeast corner is the city of Hattiesburg. The other areas with higher numbers are the areas west and south of the northeast corner. The western side follows the main road Highway Ninety-eight Which goes leads West from Hattiesburg toward Colombia. The Southern side follows the interstate which leads south from Hattiesburg. The areas with the lowest densities of bachelor's degrees and above are mostly areas away from the main roads leading directly to Hattiesburg. This shows that many of the people with degrees are living in areas that are close to main roads leading to Hattiesburg where they might work and utilize their degrees in the city. The low-density areas are mostly rural towns that do not have as many opportunities for people with degrees because most are located in Hattiesburg and its immediate surrounding area. This map clearly shows how the location of the city of Hattiesburg and its surrounding area affects the density of people with bachelor's degrees or higher by staying in areas either close to the city or close to main roads leading directly to the city.

The second map, figure 2, shows the population from ages sixteen to sixty-four who did not work a single week in the year of 2020. The density in this map is much different from the other two which seem to gather around the city of Hattiesburg. This map shows high numbers over much of the area of the county. The rural areas in the South, West, and Northern sides have high numbers of people that did not work, and in the area right below the cut-out square in the northeast corner. The rural areas seem to have most of the percent of people who did not work. One reason for this is because of the lack of jobs in the area. The city of Hattiesburg is where most of the jobs are located while the rural areas have much less. Even though people in these areas also commute to the Hattiesburg area for jobs as well, many may not work because of the longer commute to any job opportunity that may be in Hattiesburg. Another reason that this could be is because the rural areas have more stay-at-home spouses than in other areas. The highest concentration seems to be in the area north of Highway Ninety-eight and in between Highway five eighty-nine and Old Highway Eleven, the 202.05 section. This area houses the neighborhood of Canebrake and other neighborhoods. Canebrake is a well-known high-end neighborhood for more expensive houses. This says that many of the households have stay at home spouses while the other spouse makes all the money, and that many of the children in their years after turning sixteen do not work compared to teens in other areas. This map shows how the more rural and wealthier areas had lower numbers of people working than other areas in the county. Though these numbers could be inflated from the usual people not working because 2020 is the year that Covid began, and it was the year with the first and strict lockdowns.

The third and final map, figure three, shows the population above the age of five that can speak a language other than English in the county. This map is very similar to the first map that showed people with bachelor's degrees. The majority of the people who can speak other languages are located in the area closest to the city of Hattiesburg. They are also located along Highway Ninety-eight going West from the city of Hattiesburg, and they are located more along the interstate which leads South from the city of Hattiesburg. The rural areas all have a number smaller than fifty-two people who can speak another language, while others have a couple hundred people who can speak another language. Rural areas would have little opportunities for people who can speak languages other than English besides jobs like a high school Spanish or French teacher. This shows that the city of Hattiesburg either has more opportunities for people who can speak other languages such as jobs translating, or it shows that more people near the city received more education in learning other languages while those in rural areas found it useless to try to learn other languages. This map clearly shows how people who can speak a language other than English are closer and are part of the bigger city compared to the rural areas in Lamar County.

These three maps show demographic and economic statistics that can tell a lot about Lamar County. The first shows how people with bachelor's degrees and higher are closer to the city rather than in the rural areas so they can be closer to job opportunities in the city. The second map shows how the number of people between the ages of sixteen and sixty-four that did not work at all in the year were in the most rural and wealthiest places due to things like less job opportunities in the rural areas and less family members of the household working in the wealthier part of the county. The final map shows how the people who can speak a language other than English are located closer to the city of Hattiesburg rather than in the rural areas, which could be due to reasons such as more job opportunities and more opportunities/reasons to learn another language. These three maps show tons of information on the human geography of Lamar County, Mississippi.




U.S. Census Bureau. S1601: Total—Population 5... in 2020 - Census Bureau Map. September 7, 2022.



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