Panola County Demographics

A map of Panola County's Population by Race

Panola County, Texas has an estimated population of 22,726, a slight increase from the 22,491 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 71.1% White, 11.2% Black, 10.4% Hispanic, 6.3% Multiracial, 0.5% Asian, and 0.5% 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 more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Texas 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 45.6% in 2020 and 46.7% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Panola County is ranked the 105th most populous county in Texas, out of 254 counties. Panola County was ranked the 105th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Panola County's White Population

16,166 residents of Panola County, or 71.1% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Panola County is significantly higher than in Texas overall, where 39.1% of the population is White. Panola County ranks 60th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 254 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Panola County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Panola County's population has decreased from 71.6% to 71.1%.

Panola County is more White than neighboring Harrison County (60.5% White), Shelby County (59.7% White), Rusk County (61.4% White), De Soto County (58.8% White), and Caddo County (42.1% White).

Panola County's Black Population

2,543 residents of Panola County, or 11.2% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Panola County is comparable to the share in Texas overall, where 11.9% of the population is Black. Panola County ranks 34th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 254 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Panola County's Black population has declined by an estimated 21.6%. Black residents' share of Panola County's population has decreased from 14.4% to 11.2%.

Panola County is less Black than neighboring Harrison County (20.3% Black), Shelby County (15.1% Black), Rusk County (13.2% Black), De Soto County (34.4% Black), and Caddo County (48.7% Black).

Panola County's Asian Population

121 residents of Panola County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Panola County is slightly lower than in Texas overall, where 5.5% of the population is Asian. Panola County ranks 157th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 254 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Panola County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 22.2%. Asian residents' share of Panola County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Panola County is more Asian than neighboring Shelby County (0% Asian), Rusk County (0.4% Asian), and De Soto County (0.3% Asian). Panola County is less Asian than neighboring Caddo County (1.2% Asian).

Panola County's Hispanic Population

2,359 residents of Panola County, or 10.4% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Panola County is significantly lower than in Texas overall, where 39.7% of the population is Hispanic. Panola County ranks 231st statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 254 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Panola County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 7.7%. Hispanic residents' share of Panola County's population has increased from 9.7% to 10.4%.

Panola County is more Hispanic than neighboring De Soto County (3.2% Hispanic), and Caddo County (3.8% Hispanic). Panola County is less Hispanic than neighboring Harrison County (14.8% Hispanic), Shelby County (19.9% Hispanic), and Rusk County (19.1% Hispanic).

Panola County's Native American/Other Population

115 residents of Panola County, or 0.5% 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 Texas overall, where 0.6% of the population is Native American/Other. Panola County ranks 167th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 254 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Panola County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 10.9%. Native American/Other residents' share of Panola County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Panola County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Harrison County (0.4% Native American/Other), and Rusk County (0.2% Native American/Other). Panola County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Shelby County (1.5% Native American/Other), De Soto County (0.6% Native American/Other), and Caddo County (0.6% Native American/Other).

Panola County's Multiracial Population

1,422 residents of Panola County, or 6.3% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Panola County is slightly higher than in Texas overall, where 3.1% of the population is Multiracial. Panola County ranks 100th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 254 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Panola County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 94.5%. Multiracial residents' share of Panola County's population has increased from 3.3% to 6.3%.

Panola County is more Multiracial than neighboring Harrison County (3.5% Multiracial), Shelby County (3.7% Multiracial), Rusk County (5.7% Multiracial), De Soto County (2.7% Multiracial), and Caddo County (3.6% 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.