Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 23 notable people.
Indianola earns a D−, 91st of 99 graded towns in Mississippi, mostly because of incomes and health. The median household income is $42K, and 30% of residents live below the poverty line. Residents are less healthy than 94% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. It also has a long history, with 3 places on the National Register. 31% of residents live below the poverty line in Indianola, against 21% in Mississippi’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Woodburn Bridge and Indianola Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places. Only 8 of the 87 Mississippi towns we compare have a lower typical home value than Indianola.
Where Indianola beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Indianola is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 249 in 1890, 9,646 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1939 and 2 maps from 1940 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Indianola, 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 Indianola.
Indianola is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay.
Against the 2,922 U.S. towns with household incomes like Indianola’s, it is less healthy than 70%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income. Within Mississippi it is less healthy than 71% of the 101 graded towns: much of Mississippi scores lower on these measures.
20% of Indianola adults have diabetes. Indianola beats the Mississippi average on 3 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 52% of Indianola adults have high blood pressure.
| Indianola | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 52% | 45% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 24% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 49% | 42% | 35% |
| What stands out | Indianola | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.8% | 7.6% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.8% | 13.6% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 18.9% | 11.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Sunflower County Consolidated School District. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Gentry High School, with 465 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lockard Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–3 | Grades K–3 | 393 | C |
| Gentry High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 10–12 | Grades 10–12 | 465 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
At 2.4 years of the county’s $40K median household income, the typical home (about $97K) costs less against local pay than in 77% of Mississippi towns; that ratio is one input to its C+ for cost of living. Values fell 8.6% in the past year while the Mississippi typical home rose 2.2%.
The typical Indianola home is worth about $97,000, 50% below the Mississippi typical home. 52% of households own their home in Indianola. Typical home values fell 8.6% in the year to September 2026.
| Indianola | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 52% | 62% | 73% |
| Median rent | $720 a month | $909 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| Indianola | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.4% | 2.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. BB King Park | 0.3 mi | 5 |
| 2. Fletcher Park | — | 6 |
| 3. Minnie Cox Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 68% of U.S. communities. Since 1981, 16 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Indianola.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Indianola has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Indianola is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Indianola’s working residents works in town. Indianola’s average trip to work is 21 minutes. The top destinations are Greenville (6%), Greenwood (6%) and Cleveland (4%).
| Indianola | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 35% | 19% | 8% |
| Median household income | $42,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Mississippi average. Indianola has lost 8.9% of its people since 2020, down to 8,637 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 21% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 25% across Mississippi.
| Indianola | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 26% | 24% | 22% |
| Median age | 35.7 years | 37 years | 40.5 years |
54% women, 46% men
About 86 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.7 points). Across Mississippi, 51.5% of residents are women.
| Indianola | MS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.8% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.9% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.9% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.2% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.6% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.7% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.2% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.2% | 10.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.4% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 19.8% | 12.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.6% | 29.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.2% | 21.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.4% | 10.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 10.4% | 15.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.6% | 9.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
1 within 15 miles of the center of Indianola
About 4 of every 100 Indianola residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Mississippi.
23 notable people were born in Indianola.
City in Sunflower County, Mississippi
Indianola is a city in and the county seat of Sunflower County, Mississippi, United States, in the Mississippi Delta. As of the 2020 census, Indianola had a population of 9,646.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Indianola grades D− overall, better than 2% of U.S. towns and #91 of 99 in Mississippi. It grades D for health and C+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 2.4 years of the area's median household income ($39,956 across the county).
23 notable people were born here, including Albert King and Mary Alice.
