Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,719, settled in 1900.
Belzoni’s best subject grade is an A− for the outdoors; its weakest is a D− for health. 31% of residents are 65 or older in Belzoni, above both Mississippi’s towns (17%) and U.S. towns (18%). Only 14 of Mississippi’s 187 towns score lower on health. The median household income is $34K, and 19% of residents live below the poverty line. Belzoni’s trail density is 1.3 miles per square mile, above both Mississippi’s towns (0.2) and U.S. towns (0.4). On the outdoors, just 1 of Mississippi’s 187 towns do better. Humphreys County Courthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places. Belzoni has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Belzoni beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
2,235 counted in 2010 and 1,938 in 2020; an estimated 1,719 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Belzoni is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 263 in 1900, a peak of 4,142 in 1960, 1,938 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1939 and 3 maps from 1940 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Belzoni, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Belzoni.
The typical Belzoni home is worth about $67,000, down 15.4% in a year, 66% below the Mississippi typical home. Belzoni’s median rent is $732 a month.
| Belzoni | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $732 a month | $905 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 62% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by MS Achievement SD Of Humphreys County. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Humphreys County High School, with 427 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| O.M. McNair Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 305 | D− |
| Humphreys County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 427 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
38% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Belzoni. Among 102 Mississippi towns, just 10 have a higher share of adults who feel lonely than Belzoni. 54% of adults have obesity in Belzoni.
| Belzoni | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 27% | 19% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 54% | 42% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 16% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 36% | 25% |
| What stands out | Belzoni | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 9.2% | 13.6% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.3% | 7.6% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 23.4% | 11.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The median age in Belzoni is 55.4 years. Belzoni has lost 9.6% of its people since 2020, down to 1,719 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 25% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 25% across Mississippi.
| Belzoni | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 55.4 years | 37 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 25% | 25% | 29% |
56% women, 44% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±7.3 points. Across Mississippi, 51.5% of residents are women.
| Belzoni | MS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.8% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.8% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.7% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 4% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15.3% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 20% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 21.8% | 10.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.6% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 14.8% | 12.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.6% | 29.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.6% | 21.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 17.2% | 10.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 14% | 15.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.7% | 9.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,700, single groups can be off by several points
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 77 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Belzoni.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Belzoni has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 92°, January nights drop to 36° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Belzoni for work: only 13% work in town. Jobs based in Belzoni fell to 537 in 2023, 69 fewer than in 2013. Only 6 of the 100 Mississippi towns we compare have a lower median household income than Belzoni.
| Belzoni | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $34,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 19% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
1.3 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Belzoni; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Belzoni residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Mississippi.
12 notable people were born in Belzoni.
City in Mississippi, United States
Belzoni ( bel-ZOHN-ə) is a city in Humphreys County, Mississippi, United States, in the Mississippi Delta region, on the Yazoo River. As of the 2020 census, Belzoni had a population of 1,938. It is the county seat of Humphreys County. It was named for the 19th-century Italian archaeologist/explorer Giovanni Battista Belzoni. The area was named Farm-Raised Catfish Capital of the World in 1976 by then Governor Cliff Finch, since it produces more farm-raised catfish than any other U.S. county. About 40,000 acres (160 km2) of the county are under water in ponds used to grow catfish. About 60% of U.S. farm-raised catfish are grown within a 65-mile (100-km) radius of Belzoni. The title "Catfish C…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
12 notable people were born here, including Pinetop Perkins and Otis Spann.