Panola County Demographics

A map of Panola County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
Black	15,825	16,035	48.2%	48.3%
White	15,269	15,642	46.5%	47.1%
Multiracial	727	700	2.2%	2.1%
Hispanic	686	678	2.1%	2.0%
Asian	164	62	0.5%	0.2%
Native American/Other	137	91	0.4%	0.3%

Panola County, Mississippi has an estimated population of 32,808, a slight decrease from the 33,208 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 48.2% Black, 46.5% White, 2.2% Multiracial, 2.1% Hispanic, 0.5% Asian, and 0.4% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Panola County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Panola has become slightly more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is less diverse than Mississippi overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Panola County, that probability was 54.4% in 2020 and 55.0% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Panola County is ranked the 24th most populous county in Mississippi, out of 82 counties. Panola County was ranked the 24th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Panola County's White Population

15,269 residents of Panola County, or 46.5% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Panola County is lower than in Mississippi overall, where 55.2% of the population is White. Panola County ranks 55th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 82 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Panola County's White population has declined by an estimated 2.4%. White residents' share of Panola County's population has decreased from 47.1% to 46.5%.

Panola County is more White than neighboring Quitman County (24.4% White), and Tallahatchie County (36.6% White). Panola County is less White than neighboring Tate County (64% White), Yalobusha County (57.2% White), and Lafayette County (68.5% White).

Panola County's Black Population

15,825 residents of Panola County, or 48.2% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Panola County is considerably higher than in Mississippi overall, where 36.3% of the population is Black. Panola County ranks 26th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 82 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Panola County's Black population has declined by an estimated 1.3%. Black residents' share of Panola County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 48.2%.

Panola County is more Black than neighboring Tate County (29.2% Black), Yalobusha County (37% Black), and Lafayette County (22.6% Black). Panola County is less Black than neighboring Quitman County (73.5% Black), and Tallahatchie County (60.8% Black).

Panola County's Asian Population

164 residents of Panola County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Panola County is comparable to the share in Mississippi overall, where 1% of the population is Asian. Panola County ranks 61st statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 82 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Panola County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 164.5%. Asian residents' share of Panola County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Panola County is more Asian than neighboring Tate County (0.1% Asian), Quitman County (0% Asian), Yalobusha County (0.2% Asian), and Tallahatchie County (0% Asian). Panola County is less Asian than neighboring Lafayette County (2.2% Asian).

Panola County's Hispanic Population

686 residents of Panola County, or 2.1% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Panola County is comparable to the share in Mississippi overall, where 3.7% of the population is Hispanic. Panola County ranks 38th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 82 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Panola County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 1.2%. Hispanic residents' share of Panola County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.1%.

Panola County is more Hispanic than neighboring Quitman County (0.3% Hispanic), Yalobusha County (1.7% Hispanic), and Tallahatchie County (0.8% Hispanic). Panola County is less Hispanic than neighboring Tate County (3.2% Hispanic), and Lafayette County (3.7% Hispanic).

Panola County's Native American/Other Population

137 residents of Panola County, or 0.4% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Panola County is comparable to the share in Mississippi overall, where 0.8% of the population is Native American/Other. Panola County ranks 62nd statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 82 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Panola County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 50.5%. Native American/Other residents' share of Panola County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Panola County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Quitman County (0.3% Native American/Other), Lafayette County (0.3% Native American/Other), and Tallahatchie County (0.3% Native American/Other).

Panola County's Multiracial Population

727 residents of Panola County, or 2.2% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Panola County is comparable to the share in Mississippi overall, where 3% of the population is Multiracial. Panola County ranks 51st statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 82 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Panola County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 3.9%. Multiracial residents' share of Panola County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.2%.

Panola County is more Multiracial than neighboring Quitman County (1.6% Multiracial), and Tallahatchie County (1.6% Multiracial). Panola County is less Multiracial than neighboring Tate County (3.1% Multiracial), Yalobusha County (3.6% Multiracial), and Lafayette County (2.7% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.