Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety10#14,123/15,637
Economy3#15,120/15,631
Housing41#8,816/14,977
Health5#14,871/15,609
Healthcare4#15,032/15,650
Environment23#11,937/15,453
Education22#12,283/15,649
Infrastructure3#15,169/15,650
Community8#14,463/15,651
Leisure & amenities10#14,152/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Sardis, Mississippi ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Panola County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Job growth · high4.7%
97/100Mississippi -0.2%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataPanola County value
Pharmacies · high2.5 /10k
88/100Mississippi 2.2 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPanola County value
New business applications · high19.1 /1k
87/100Mississippi 17.8 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauPanola County value
Public libraries · high1.2 /10k
81/100Mississippi 0.8 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesPanola County value
Depression · low20.9%
78/100Mississippi 20.1%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Home price to income ratio · low2.6×
76/100Mississippi 3.0×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077

Weaknesses

Adult obesity · high52.6%
0/100Mississippi 42.6%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Physical inactivity · high48.7%
0/100Mississippi 35.7%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Lack of reliable transportation · high24.4%
1/100Mississippi 12.4%United States 8.3%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Food insecurity · high46.5%
1/100Mississippi 23.2%United States 15.6%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Firearm deaths · high36.7 /100k
1/100Mississippi 25.8 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataPanola County value
Primary care shortage · high21.0
1/100Mississippi 16.2United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationPanola County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
1,870 (2015-2019) → 2,445 (2020-2024)
+31%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateWorsening
15.8% (2015-2019) → 64.5% (2020-2024)
+49 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Poverty rateWorsening
14.4% (2015-2019) → 40.7% (2020-2024)
+26 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Unemployment rateWorsening
3.2% (2015-2019) → 16.3% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
58.2% (2015-2019) → 71.2% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
15.8% (2015-2019) → 25.4% (2020-2024)
+9.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Sardis, Mississippi improved on 0 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined2

Poverty+26 points14.4% → 40.7%
Inequality+0.1130.434 → 0.547

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Sardis, Mississippi between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	27.4 min2015-2019	24.2 min2020-2024	−3.2 min	Within the margin of error	81%
Bachelor's degree or higher	15.2%2015-2019	12.5%2020-2024	−2.7 points	Within the margin of error	13%
Broadband subscriptions	58.2%2015-2019	71.2%2020-2024	+13 points	Within the margin of error	73%
Effective property tax rate	0.66%2015-2019	0.83%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	4%
High school diploma or higher	80.0%2015-2019	75.4%2020-2024	−4.6 points	Within the margin of error	6%
Home price to income ratio	1.9×2015-2019	2.6×2020-2024	+0.6×	Within the margin of error	39%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4342015-2019	0.5472020-2024	+0.113	Declined	3%
Median household income	$37,5002015-2019	$32,2052020-2024	−14%	Within the margin of error	2%
Poverty rate	14.4%2015-2019	40.7%2020-2024	+26 points	Declined	0%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	29.1%2015-2019	29.4%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	15.8%2015-2019	25.4%2020-2024	+9.6 points	Within the margin of error	3%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Sardis, Mississippi five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Sardis, Mississippi in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Sardis, Mississippi itself moved −9.9 points in standing on average over the same 9 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

2,445 residents (±515)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 60–69 men (+8.7 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

2,445 residents (±515)

Sardis, Mississippi
Mississippi share

White41%1,014
Black50%1,218
Hispanic or Latino0.7%†16
Asian0.0%0
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%0
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races8.1%†197

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Black (−16.9 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

1,683 residents (±297)

Sardis, Mississippi
Mississippi share

No high school diploma25%†414
High school or GED36%612
Some college20%†339
Associate degree6.4%†108
Bachelor's degree7.5%†126
Graduate degree5.0%†84

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

975 households (±198)

Sardis, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Under $25k42%†408
$25k–50k25%†245
$50k–75k12%†121
$75k–100k11%†112
$100k–150k4.3%†42
$150k–200k1.3%†13
$200k or more3.5%†34

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

975 households (±198)

Sardis, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Own59%572
Rent41%403

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

334 households (±94)

Sardis, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Under $75063%†209
$750–1,00021%†71
$1,000–1,50010%†

Home values

572 homes (±144)

Sardis, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Under $150k78%†447
$150k–250k18%†101
$250k–400k3.1%†18

Age of homes

1,087 homes (±209)

Sardis, Mississippi
Mississippi share

2010 or later0.9%†10
2000–20095.2%†56
1980–199915%†162

Size of homes

1,087 homes (±209)

Sardis, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Studio3.4%†37
1 bedroom4.5%†49
2 bedrooms45%†485

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

704 workers (±164)

Sardis, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Drive alone88%621
Carpool3.3%†23
Public transit0.0%0
Walk3.6%†25
Bike0.0%0
Work from home5.0%†35
Other0.0%0

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

669 workers (±152)

Sardis, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Under 15 min34%†226
15–29 min31%†206
30–44 min15%†101

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Panola County, the county holding most of Sardis's residents.

Panola County has 579 employer establishments, 177 for every 10,000 residents (0.71× the US rate of 248; 0.86× Mississippi's), with 8,911 paid employees at an average annual pay of $43,168. The Census Bureau also counts 3,219 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 579; 3,219 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 177; US 248 · Mississippi 205
Paid employees: 8,911
Average annual pay: $43,168; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Panola County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	48	14.7	0.71×Fewer than typical	697	$56,538	153
Restaurants and other eating places	40	12.2	0.67×Fewer than typical	942	$16,381	24
Gasoline stations	39	11.9	3.68×More than typical	250	$27,572	6
Religious organizations	38	11.6	2.10×More than typical	155	$16,084	—
Specialty trade contractors	24	7.3	0.47×Fewer than typical	198	$48,207	257
Limited-service restaurants	21	6.4	0.80×About typical	558	$15,842	10
Full-service restaurants	17	5.2	0.68×Fewer than typical	378	$17,169	9
Banks and credit unions	16	4.9	1.52×More than typical	170	$57,971	—
Building equipment contractors	15	4.6	0.76×Fewer than typical	166	$47,916	77
Clothing and accessories stores	14	4.3	1.18×About typical	107	$18,346	36
General merchandise stores	14	4.3	2.43×More than typical	338	$28,541	16
Health and personal care stores	14	4.3	1.62×More than typical	102	$36,108	21

Rank places for an industry Open Panola County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 32,665 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $46.5K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Sardis, Mississippi: $19.02 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $46.5K; −20% vs FY2025
Per resident: $19.02; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Army$46.5K100%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

39.2KFY2017
21.9KFY2018
-432.6FY2019
24KFY2020
10.3KFY2021
17KFY2022
73.5KFY2023
62.5KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Facilities support services · 5612$46.2K99%
Agriculture, construction, and mining machinery manufacturing · 3331$2880.6%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Sardis, Mississippi, so they do not add up across cities.

Sardis, Mississippi's figures are part of those of Panola County, MS ($11.9M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.4% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Sardis is mostly in Panola County.

See federal money in Panola County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Sardis, Mississippi is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Bennie G. ThompsonD-MS-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 3.9%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Panola County3100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Panola County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/2865560

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends