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Panola County, MS

Migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

At a glance (2023)

Cost of living
87
13% below the U.S. average
Median home value
$121,500
national $303,400
Home prices, 5 years
+44.1%
over the 5 years to 2023
Monthly rent
$859
national $1,348
Homeownership
69%
national 65%
Unemployment
4.0%
national 3.6%
Household income
$43,990
national $78,538
Median age
39.7 yrs
national 38.7

Cost of living is the statewide price level for Mississippi (state avg).

The cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. The median home is valued at $121,500 (nominal). Home prices have risen about 44% over the five years to 2023. Median rent is about $859 a month. Unemployment averaged 4.0% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $43,990. These figures describe all residents, not just tax filers, come from separate sources than the migration data on this page, and do not indicate why anyone moved.

Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, Panola County, MS saw a net gain of 27 tax-filing households and a net gain of 89 individuals. Against a population of about 32,669, that is a net inflow of about 2.7 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area lost $1.4M in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). The largest inflow, about 103 households, came from Lafayette County; the largest outflow, about 102 households, went to Lafayette County. In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net loss of 103 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
-$1.4M
nominal dollars
Net households
+27
tax returns
Net people
+89
exemptions

+2.7 net people per 1,000 residents (population 32,669)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$28.7M
Moved out$30.1M
Net -$1.4M (nominal)
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Panola County within Mississippi

Panola County is outlined, with arrows tracing its largest moves to and from other Mississippi counties. Hover any county for its figures; click to open it.

Net outNet in(AGI $)
Hover an area to trace its top 5 inbound (in) and outbound (out) moves.
Net income (AGI) that moved in minus out, in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation).Net tax returns (filing households) that moved in minus out.Net people per 1,000 residents, so larger and smaller areas compare fairly.
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Where movers came from

  1. 1Lafayette County, MS103$5.7M
  2. 2DeSoto County, MS101$4.7M
  3. 3Tate County, MS95$3.4M
  4. 4Shelby County, TN44$1.5M
  5. 5Quitman County, MS43$1.2M
  6. 6Tallahatchie County, MS32$1.2M
  7. 7Yalobusha County, MS30$1.3M
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Where movers went

  1. 1Lafayette County, MS102$4.8M
  2. 2DeSoto County, MS88$3.9M
  3. 3Tate County, MS77$3.2M
  4. 4Shelby County, TN44$2.6M
  5. 5Yalobusha County, MS32$1.2M
  6. 6Quitman County, MS27$736K
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Churn by county · both directions at once

The biggest two-way exchanges of filing households, 20222023. Moved in and moved out are gross one-way counts; net is the difference. Click a column to sort.

Lafayette County, MS103102+1+$896K
DeSoto County, MS10188+13+$776K
Tate County, MS9577+18+$247K
Shelby County, TN44440-$1.2M
Quitman County, MS4327+16+$498K
Yalobusha County, MS3032-2+$59K
Tallahatchie County, MS32

Counts are filing households (IRS returns), matching the lists above; income is nominal AGI. A dash means the IRS published only one direction of that exchange (small flows are suppressed), so no net is computed.

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Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: -$16M (-835 people)
20122023
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Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012-$3.7M+30
2013-$3M-139
2014-$674K-161
2015-$7.2M-304
2016+$2.1M-26
2017+$1.2M+53
2018+$927K-21
2019-$2.7M-173
2020-$2.7M-72
2021+$1.4M-8
2022-$311K-103
2023-$1.4M+89
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the county?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 89 more people moved into Panola County, MS than left (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net loss of about $1.4M in income (nominal) — in a county of 32,665 people.

Population
32,665
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
+2.7
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about +27 people.
Net income per resident
−$44
nominal dollars
-$1.4M total across 32,665 residents.

The rate lets you compare Panola County, MS with a countyof any size: it’s the net flow divided by population. The IRS counts tax filers; population counts all residents, so read the rate as a scale indicator, not a literal share of people.

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Components of population change · 2023 (Census)

Where the county’s overall change came from. Census counts all residents; the IRS migration above is one slice of the domestic-migration component.

Births
+423
Deaths
-467
Net domestic migration
+143
Net international migration
-5
Total change
+91

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program. Figures are people, not tax filers.

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Income & cost of living

What a dollar is worth here

Prices around Panola County, MS run about 13% below the national average. In plain terms: $100 spent here buys about what $115 buys in the average American community. The figures below apply that to income, each compared to the U.S. average of $70,002 per person.

Income per person
$43,189
what people here earn (BEA 2023, nominal)
38% below the U.S. average
Price level
86.8
100 = U.S. average prices (BEA price parity)
everyday costs about 13.2% lower than average
What that income buys
$49,761
local income restated at U.S.-average prices
29% below the U.S. average
Cheaper than U.S. avgU.S. average (100)Pricier

This county isn't in a metro area that BEA prices separately, so cost of living shows the Mississippi (state avg) figure.

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Where the cost comes from · price parity by category

Index where 100 = U.S. average for that category. Housing is usually what separates one place from another.

Housing & rents54.9
Goods94.4
Utilities83.5
Other services97.7

Housing is measured from rents (including an estimated rental value for owner-occupied homes), so a run-up in purchase prices shows here only as it reaches rents. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer income above. How the data works.

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Who lives here

The people of Panola County, MS

American Community Survey, 2019–2023 (a 5-year average of all residents, not just tax filers).

Median age
39.7
years
Median household income
$43,990
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
44% below the U.S. median
College degree
15%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
24.1%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
27 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
75%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 47%Hispanic 2%Black 48%Asian 0%Other 3%

White, Black, and Asian counts are people who are not Hispanic or Latino; Hispanic or Latino can be of any race. Shares are rounded and may not total 100.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer data. A 5-year estimate is an average over 2019–2023; compare years at least five apart, since consecutive windows overlap. How the data works.

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Housing · what it costs to live here (ACS 2019–2023)

Median home value
$121,500
owner-occupied homes
60% below the U.S. median
Median rent
$859
gross rent per month
36% below the U.S. median
Homeownership
69%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
Home-price appreciation · FHFA index, 2023
Past year
+13.5%
price change, 2022 to 2023
Past 5 years
+44%
price change, 2018 to 2023

A repeat-sales index (how much the same homes changed in price), so it tracks the market over time rather than the current level. Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual all-transactions HPI; the county series is FHFA’s developmental index.

New home construction · building permits, 2023
12new housing units authorized in 2023
Single-family 100%Multifamily 0%

Units authorized by residential building permits (new supply), summed from counties for the state and U.S. Permits are authorizations, not completions. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, not recent sale prices. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023), nominal dollars. How the data works.

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Local economy & risk

Jobs and natural hazards

Unemployment rate
4.0%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
11,310
10,859 employed
Disaster declarations
1
major federal, 2023
most common: Severe Storm

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and FEMA. A disaster declaration marks federal assistance eligibility, not damage severity, and says nothing about why anyone moved. How the data works.

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Unemployment now
3.8%
April 2026 · ▼ 0.2 points vs April 2025
January 2024April 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS). Monthly unemployment for this county, not seasonally adjusted. Updated every month, so it moves faster than the annual average above. How the data works.

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How Panola County, MS has voted. Certified returns, popular vote only. This is a separate dataset from the migration figures on this page.

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
20246,0618,202159R +14.814,422
20207,4038,060164R +4.215,627
20167,4317,449184R +0.115,064
20129,0797,629118D +8.616,826
20088,6907,620105D +6.516,415
20046,5406,73456R +1.513,330
20005,8805,42485D +4.011,389

Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab county returns (CC0). Margins are the popular-vote gap as a share of all votes cast.

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