Canton, Mississippi

Canton was the birthplace of guitarist and blues singer Elmore James.

Geography Canton is located at 32°36'43" North, 90°1'54" West (32.612015, -90.031638)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 48.5 km² (18.7 mi²). 48.2 km² (18.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.69% water.

Demographics As of the census of 2000, there are 12,911 people, 4,093 households, and 2,991 families residing in the city. The population density is 268.0/km² (694.1/mi²). There are 4,333 housing units at an average density of 89.9/km² (232.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 18.64% White, 80.30% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. 0.43% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 4,093 households out of which 37.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.4% are married couples living together, 34.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% are non-families. 23.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.99 and the average family size is 3.55.

In the city the population is spread out with 32.3% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 30 years. For every 100 females there are 85.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 79.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $24,237, and the median income for a family is $27,782. Males have a median income of $25,179 versus $20,815 for females. The per capita income for the city is $12,643. 34.8% of the population and 27.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 49.8% are under the age of 18 and 25.5% are 65 or older.