Demographics

As of the census

Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 34,274 people, 12,232 households, and 9,014 families residing in the county. The population density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 50 people per square mile (19/km²). There were 13,736 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 50.48% White

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 48.36% Black

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 or African American

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.16% Native American

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.18% Asian

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.01% Pacific Islander

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.41% from other races

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.39% from two or more races. 1.12% of the population were Hispanic

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 or Latino

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 of any race.

There were 12,232 households out of which 36.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.90% were married couples

Marriage

Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 19.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.30% were non-families. 23.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.25.

In the county the population was spread out with 29.40% under the age of 18, 10.40% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 20.80% from 45 to 64, and 12.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 91.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $26,785, and the median income for a family was $32,675. Males had a median income of $27,359 versus $19,088 for females. The per capita income

Per capita income

Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the county was $13,075. About 21.20% of families and 25.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.30% of those under age 18 and 25.20% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

• Cities
  • Batesville
    Batesville, Mississippi
    Batesville is a city in Panola County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,113 at the 2000 census.-History:The Land upon which present day Batesville is situated originally belonged to a Chickasaw Indian called Ish-Sho-Nu-Nah...
    
    

• Towns
  • Como
    Como, Mississippi
    Como is a town in Panola County, Mississippi, United States which borders the Mississippi Delta. The population was 1,310 as of the 2000 census. Wayne Drash, a CNN.com senior producer, described Como as "a hard-hit rural community" in a 2007 article.-History:...
    
    
  • Courtland
    Courtland, Mississippi
    Courtland is a town in Panola County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 460 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Courtland is located at ....
    
    
  • Crenshaw
    Crenshaw, Mississippi
    Crenshaw is a town in Panola and Quitman Counties in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The population was 916 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Crenshaw is located at . Most of the town is in Panola County with a small portion on the west side in adjacent Quitman County...
    
     (partly in Quitman County)
  • Crowder
    Crowder, Mississippi
    Crowder is a town in Panola and Quitman Counties in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The population was 766 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Crowder is located at . Most of the town is in Quitman County with a portion on the east in adjacent Panola County...
    
     (mostly in Quitman County)
  • Sardis
    Sardis, Mississippi
    Sardis is a town in Panola County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 2,038.-Geography:Sardis is located at ....
    
    

• Villages
  • Pope
    Pope, Mississippi
    Pope is a village in Panola County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 241 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Pope is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land....
    
    

• Unincorporated places
  • Askew
    Askew, Mississippi
    Askew is an unincorporated community in Panola County, Mississippi, United States. Askew is approximately south of Sarah along Mississippi Highway 3....
    
    
  • Curtis Station
  • Glenville
  • Longtown
  • Pleasant Grove

Education

School districts include:

• North Panola School District
  North Panola School District
  The North Panola School District is a public school district based in Sardis, Mississippi .In addition to Sardis, the district also serves the town of Como and the Panola County portion of Crenshaw as well as rural areas in northern Panola County....
  
  
• South Panola School District
  South Panola School District
  The South Panola School District is a public school district based in Batesville, Mississippi .In addition to Batesville, the district also serves the village of Pope, the town of Courtland, and the Panola County portion of Crowder as well as rural areas in southern Panola County.-Schools:*South...