Senatobia

• Name — Senatobia, Mississippi • Settlement Type — City • Motto — The Five Star City • Blank Emblem Type — Logo • Mapsize — 250px • Subdivision Type — Country • Subdivision Name — United States • Subdivision Type1 — State • Subdivision Name1 — Mississippi • Subdivision Type2 — County • Subdivision Name2 — Tate • Leader Title — Mayor • Leader Name — Greg Graves • Established Title — Chartered • Established Date — 1860 • Unit Pref — Imperial • Area Total Km2 — 40.51 • Area Land Km2 — 40.30 • Area Water Km2 — 0.21 • Area Total Sq Mi — 15.64 • Area Land Sq Mi — 15.56 • Area Water Sq Mi — 0.08 • Population As Of — 2020 • Population Total — 8354 • Population Density Km2 — 207.32 • Population Density Sq Mi — 536.96 • Timezone — Central (CST) • Utc Offset — -6 • Timezone Dst — CDT • Utc Offset Dst — -5 • Elevation Ft — 279 • Postal Code Type — ZIP code • Postal Code — 38668 • Area Code — 662 • Blank Name — FIPS code • Blank Info — 28-66440 • Blank1 Name — GNIS feature ID • Blank1 Info — 2405443 • Blank2 Name — Highways • Website — https: cityofsenatobiams.gov/

On April 13, 1834, early settler James Peters purchased two sections of land from the Chickasaw Nation for the price of $1.25 per acre. This land was later developed as the town of Senatobia. The community took its name from Senatobia Creek. The Downtown Senatobia Historic District, the core of Senatobia's central business district, developed in 1856 after the opening of the Tennessee and Mississippi Railroad. Two nearby settlements, Tatumsville and Tatesville, were both abandoned, with those populations moving to Senatobia in favor of easier transportation. Senatobia received its charter as a municipality in 1860. During the Civil War, the town's business section was burned twice by federal troops. Tate County was organized in 1873, during the Reconstruction era, with Senatobia becoming the county seat in 1873 for the newly formed county. Despite having a population of roughly 40% African Americans, only three African-American aldermen have been elected by Senatobia since its founding. In June 2026, a one-year-old child, Kohen Wiley, was shot dead by a police officer firing at a fleeing car at a Walmart in Senatobia. In September, the police chief was fired by the city's board of alderman.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.8 sqmi, of which 0.04 sqmi (0.28%) is covered by water.

As of the 2020 census, Senatobia had a population of 8,354. The median age was 29.8 years; 23.4% of residents were under 18 and 13.3% were 65 or older. For every 100 females, there were 91.5 males, and for every 100 females 18 and over, there were 89.6 males 18 and over. About 81.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 18.4% lived in rural areas. Of the 2,692 households in Senatobia, 37.2% had children under 18 living in them, 38.7% were married-couple households, 16.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 39.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65or older. The city had 2,880 housing units, of which 6.5% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.0%.

As of the census of 2010, 8,165 people, 2,554 households, and 1,826 families resided in the city. The population density was 621.7 PD/sqmi. The 2,239 housing units had an average density of 208.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 61.1% White, 35.0% African American, 2.4% Hispanic or Latino of any race, and 1.6% in other racial or ethnic categories.

As of the 2000 census, 6,682 people, 2,137 households, and 1,498 families resided in the city. The racial makeup was 68.03% White, 30.51% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.85% of the population. Of the 2,137 households, 38.3% had children under 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 19.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were not families. About 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.60, and the average family size was 3.15. In the city, the age distribution was 24.8% under 18, 20.1% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.1 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 85.4 males. The median income in the city for a household was $33,698 and for a family was $43,088. Males had a median income of $34,022 versus $22,000 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,434. About 13.0% of families and 17.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.3% of those under 18 and 18.5% of those 65 or over.

All of Senatobia is within the Senatobia Municipal School District. The city has a private school, Magnolia Heights School.

• JoJo Billingsley (1952–2010), rock-and-roll vocalist • Aron Burton (1938–2016), blues bass guitarist • William J. East (1854–1933), Mississippi state legislator, mayor of Senatobia (1887–1888) • Steve Hale (born 1954), Mississippi state senator, mayor of Senatobia (1993–2001) • James "Kamala" Harris (1950–2020), wrestler • Sid Hemphill (1876-1963), bandleader • Robert Earl Jones (1910–2006), an American actor, with conflicted stories about his hometown • O. B. McClinton (1940–1987), country and rhythm-and-blues singer/songwriter • Jacob Buehler Snider (1886–1966), 23rd lieutenant governor of Mississippi, mayor of Senatobia (1925–1928) • Dan A. Sullivan, member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Jonesboro, Arkansas • Elise Varner Winter (1926–2021), former first lady of Mississippi