Greene County is a county located on the southeast border of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,530.^[1] Its county seat is Leakesville.^[2] Established in 1811, the county was named for General Nathanael Greene of the American Revolutionary War.^[3]

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Greene County
County
Leaksville Junior High School
Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi
Mississippi's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 31°13′N 88°38′W
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
Founded	1811
Named for	Nathanael Greene
Seat	Leakesville
Largest town	Leakesville
Area
• Total	719 sq mi (1,860 km2)
• Land	713 sq mi (1,850 km2)
• Water	5.9 sq mi (15 km2)  0.8%
Population  (2020)
• Total	13,530
• Density	19/sq mi (7.3/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	4th
Website	www.greenecountyms.gov

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Historically this area of the state was occupied by the Choctaw people, who constituted the largest tribe. French, Spanish and English colonists traded with them in the early colonial years. in 1830, President Andrew Jackson gained passage of the Indian Removal Act by Congress, and proceeded to force the Choctaw and other of the Five Civilized Tribes out of the Southeast to lands west of the Mississippi River. The land was sold to European-American settlers.

County boundaries went through numerous changes as population increased and new counties were created. Along with neighboring Jones and Perry counties, Greene is characterized by its sandy soil and Piney Woods. These characteristics limited the productivity of farming.^[4]

The county economy originally depended on subsistence farmers who ran herds of cattle and hogs, which were allowed to roam freely in the pine forests and bush. Together with the game they hunted, residents sold the meat animals to markets in Mobile, Alabama, the nearest commercial center.^[5] While some farmers tried to cultivate cotton because of the high prices when the market was strong, most in this area had small farms and the owners held few enslaved African Americans. The soil did not support very successful cotton crops; in 1860 only 16 of the 213 farmers in this county raised cotton.^[4]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 719 square miles (1,860 km²), of which 713 square miles (1,850 km²) is land and 5.9 square miles (15 km²) (0.8%) is water.^[6]

The rural county had strong declines in population from 1940 to 1960, a period when many African Americans left for the West Coast in the second wave of the Great Migration. The buildup of defense industries in California and other states before and during World War II attracted many migrants for work opportunities.

The Mississippi Department of Corrections South Mississippi Correctional Institution is located in an unincorporated area of Greene County.^[16][17] It opened in 1990. In the early 21st century, it has an inmate population of more than 3,000 men, which has added markedly to the total population of the county. Its inmates constitute approximately 21 percent of the state's total prisoners. Numerous residents of the rural county are employed at the prison.

The Greene County School District includes: Greene County High School, Greene County Vocational-Technical School, Leakesville Elementary School, Leakesville Junior High School, McLain Attendance Center, and Sand Hill Attendance Center.^[18]

Greene County School District is the only school district.^[20]

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Greene County, Mississippi