Census Data for West Point

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave West Point a population of 10,408 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave West Point a population of 11,307 people.

The city of West Point is located in Clay County. The 2010 Census gave Clay County; a population of 20,634 people. This means that West Point had 54.8% of the county's total population, making it Clay's most populous community.

At the same time, Mississippi had a population of 2,967,297 people, meaning that West Point had 0.38% of the total population of Mississippi - making it the state's 38th most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for West Point has a total area of 21.13 square miles [54.7 km²]. Of this total, 20.88 square miles [54.1 km²] is land, with the balance (1.16%) being water (0.25 square miles [0.6 km²]).

Clay County has a land area of 410.1 square miles [1,062.1 km²]. At 20.88 square miles [54.1 km²], West Point has 5.09% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a city like West Point, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the city.
  • Things like population, area and housing for West Point reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of West Point might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   33° 36' 22"   (or 33.61°)
  • Lon:   -88° 39' 27"   (or -88.66°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, West Point had 5,011 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 11,307 people, this averages 2.26 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows West Point had a land area of 20.88 square miles [54.1 km²]. This translates to 237.2 Housing Units per square mile [91.6 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: West Point had 4,897 Housing Units, a population of 12,145 people and a land area of 20.81 square miles [53.9 km²]. This gives a density of 2.48 people per Housing Unit and 232.2 Housing Units per square mile [89.7 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 Census and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for West Point and you need to be careful when comparing numbers between the censuses. More information about the nature of these the changes can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Clay County ...

The community of West Point is located in Clay County<4> and is the County Seat for Clay County.

The county had a population of 20,634 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 11,307 people, West Point represented 54.8% of the county's total.

In addition, where the city of West Point has a population density of 535 people per square mile [206.6 people/km²], Clay County averages 50.3 people per square mile [19.43 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Clay County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for West Point, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of West Point. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for West Point or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of West Point, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for West Point.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   33.606197°   (or 33°36'22" N)
  • Lon:   -88.657609°   (or -88°39'27" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   33.606155°   (or 33°36'22" N)
  • Lon:   -88.652369°   (or -88°39'8" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 1,591 feet to the west<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#2405717) to West Point. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of West Point. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   33.606492°   (or 33°36'23" N)
  • Lon:   -88.657208°   (or -88°39'25" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 162.5 feet to the southwest<6> of the point given by the GNIS for West Point. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for West Point.

Miscellaneous Information for West Point ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Clay County or the city of West Point:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to West Point:
  • GNIS ID for West Point: 2405717
  • GNIS ID for Clay County: 695737
  • GNIS ID for State of Mississippi: 1779790

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 28 (Mississippi)
  • County Code: 025 (Clay County)
  • Place Code: 79120 (West Point)
  • State & County Code: 28/025 (Mississippi / Clay County)
  • State & Place Code: 28/79120 (Mississippi / West Point)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • West Point is located in Census Region #3 (the South Region) and Division #6 (the East South-Central Division).

• The US Postal Service ZIP Code ...
  • While some people have used a ZIP code to identify a community, the purpose of the ZIP code was to make mail delivery more efficient by grouping addresses together. Although the ZIP Code doesn't specifically identify a city like West Point, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) West Point. It's important to remember that the boundaries of a ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned or overlapped with other ZIP Codes.
  • The ZIP code for West Point:39773<7>

• Census ZCTA Codes ...
  • The US Census Bureau created statistical entities that they call ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) and these ZCTAs are frequently confused with the ZIP codes that come from the US Postal Service (USPS).
  • ZCTAs were first created for the 2000 Census and at that time, they were based upon the USPS ZIP codes. While largely covering the same areas, the boundaries of a ZCTA do not necessarily match the boundaries of a postal ZIP code with the same number. For example, while a postal ZIP code can cross a county or state line, a Census ZCTA can not. They should be treated as separate entities with no correlation between them.

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for West Point.

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for West Point. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Mississippi: https://www.ms.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)