Panola County, MS

County

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2024 Population

32,808

US Senator

Roger Wicker

Republican Party

US Senator

Cindy Hyde-Smith

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

39.4

0.756% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

23.3%

3.36% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$45,945

4.44% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$127,800

5.19% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

12,504

3.72% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Panola County, MS reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

99.6% of the residents in Panola County, MS are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Panola County, MS was $127,800, and the homeownership rate was 71.1%.

Most people in Panola County, MS drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 29.2 minutes. The average car ownership in Panola County, MS was 2 cars per household.

Panola County, MS borders Lafayette County, MS, Quitman County, MS, Tallahatchie County, MS, Tate County, MS, Tunica County, MS, and Yalobusha County, MS.

United States Mississippi

Population & Diversity

Panola County, MS is home to a population of 32.8k people, from which 99.6% are citizens. As of 2024, 0.683% of Panola County, MS residents were born outside of the country (224 people).

In 2024, there were 1.04 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (15.8k people) in Panola County, MS than any other race or ethnicity. There were 15.3k White (Non-Hispanic) and 689 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.6%

2024 Citizenship

99.7%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.6% of Panola County, MS residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Panola County, MS was 99.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Panola County, MS compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Panola County, MS

Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
15.8k ± 432
White (Non-Hispanic)
15.3k ± 36
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
689 ± 361

2.09%

Hispanic Population

686 people

2.09% of the people in Panola County, MS are hispanic (686 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Panola County, MS as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Mississippi.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
17,149 ± 3,206 people
Honduras
5,066 ± 1,746 people
India
4,341 ± 1,616 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Mississippi was Mexico, the natal country of 17,149 Mississippi residents, followed by Honduras with 5,066 and India with 4,341.

Foreign-Born Population

0.683%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

224 people

0.601%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

198 people

As of 2024, 0.683% of Panola County, MS residents (224 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Panola County, MS was 0.601%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Panola County, MS compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
447 ± 165
Gulf War (2001-)
331 ± 182
Gulf War (1990s)
78 ± 57

Panola County, MS has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.35 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Panola County, MS.

Economy

The economy of Panola County, MS employs 12.5k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Panola County, MS were Manufacturing (2,035 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,985 people), and Educational Services (1,354 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($103,897), Utilities ($78,543), and Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($60,426).

Employment

Occupations

12.5k

2024 Value

± 994

3.72%

1 Year growth

± 10.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Panola County, MS grew at a rate of 3.72%, from 12.1k employees to 12.5k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Panola County, MS, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,618 people), Management Occupations (1,375 people), and Production Occupations (1,249 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Panola County, MS.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Mississippi.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Mississippi (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

12.5k

2024 Value

± 994

3.72%

1 Year growth

± 10.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Panola County, MS grew at a rate of 3.72%, from 12.1k employees to 12.5k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Panola County, MS, are Manufacturing (2,035 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,985 people), and Educational Services (1,354 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Panola County, MS, though some of these residents may live in Panola County, MS and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$41,267

Median earning men ± $5,456

$30,327

Median earning women ± $3,458

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($61,691), Wholesale Trade ($54,569), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($54,457).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Construction ($71,131), Public Administration ($41,791), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($37,060).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Mississippi.

Y-Axis

1.38%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.17M people employed in Mississippi. This represents a 1.38% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 12.5%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Mississippi.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

68
Retail Trade
46
Retail Trade
40
Other Services (except Public Administration)

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$97.1k
Manufacturing
$64.5k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$49.5k
Retail Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Mississippi went to Donald J. Trump with 60.9% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (38%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.439%).

Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith are the senators currently representing the state of Mississippi. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Mississippi is currently represented by 4 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Panola County, MS. Showing the available data for Mississippi.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (60.9%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (38%)
Democratic Party
Robert Kennedy (0.439%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Mississippi went to Donald J. Trump with 60.9% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (38%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.439%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Mississippi for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Mississippi

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Mississippi.

Roger Wicker

Senator from Mississippi

Assumed office on December 31, 2007
Appointed to the seat following the resignation of Trent Lott.

Cindy Hyde-Smith

Senator from Mississippi

Assumed office on April 9, 2018
Appointed to the seat following the resignation of Thad Cochran.

Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith are the senators currently representing Mississippi.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Mississippi over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Panola County, MS was $127,800 in 2024, which is 0.384 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $121,500 to $127,800, a 5.19% increase. The homeownership rate in Panola County, MS is 71.1%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Panola County, MS have an average commute time of 29.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Panola County, MS is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 11.4% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Panola County, MS. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 10.5%.

Housing

Property

$127,800

Median Property Value 2024

±$20,857

$8,754

Median Property Taxes

±$725

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Panola County, MS the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Panola County, MS compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

71.1%

Homeownership

2024

66.9%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 71.1% of the housing units in Panola County, MS were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 68.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Panola County, MS compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$45,945

Median Household Income

± $6,120

12.3k

Number of Households

± 952

In 2024, the median household income of the 12.3k households in Panola County, MS grew to $45,945 from the previous year's value of $43,990.

The following chart displays the households in Panola County, MS distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Panola County, MS is from Mississippi.

0.45

2023 Wage GINI in Mississippi

0.452

2022 Wage GINI in Mississippi

In 2023, the income inequality in Mississippi was 0.45 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.442% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Mississippi was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Mississippi in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Mississippi across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (87.1%)
Carpooled (6.93%)
Worked At Home (4.65%)

In 2024, 87.1% of workers in Panola County, MS drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (6.93%) and those who worked at home (4.65%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

29.2 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Panola County, MS have a longer commute time (29.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.05% of the workforce in Panola County, MS have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Panola County, MS compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Panola County, MS distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Panola County, MS have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 11.4% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Panola County, MS. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 10.5%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

23.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Panola County, MS (7.58k out of 32.5k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 35 - 44, followed by Males 35 - 44 and then Females 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Panola County, MS is Black, followed by White and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 35.9% of the children was living in poverty in Panola County, MS. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 5.5%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 446 in Panola County, MS. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 146 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

87.3% of the population of Panola County, MS has health coverage, with 37.3% on employee plans, 26.3% on Medicaid, 12.6% on Medicare, 9.76% on non-group plans, and 1.45% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Panola County, MS see 4,693 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (4,693 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2177 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 883 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.5% were men and 52.5% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

4,693 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Panola County, MS

Primary care physicians in Panola County, MS see an average of 4,693 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (4,693 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Panola County, MS in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 26.1% under 18 years, 20.3% between 18 and 34 years, 36.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 17.2% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.5% were men and 52.5% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

12.7%

Uninsured

37.3%

Employer Coverage

26.3%

Medicaid

12.6%

Medicare

9.76%

Non-Group

1.45%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Panola County, MS declined by 7.41% from 13.7% to 12.7%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Panola County, MS changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 103 in Panola County, MS.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Panola County, MS.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 46% in Panola County, MS.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Panola County, MS.