Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Magnolia’s best subject grade is an A− for cost of living; its weakest is a D− for health. 30% of residents live below the poverty line in Magnolia, where Mississippi’s towns sit at 21% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. The median household income is $55K, and 30% of residents live below the poverty line. Only 4 of the 102 Mississippi towns we compare have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Magnolia. Its National Register listings include Sherman Line Rosenwald School and Hampton Lea House. Magnolia's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 98% of U.S. towns. Magnolia has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Magnolia beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 567 in 1880, 1,883 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1911 and 3 maps from 1972 on.
16 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Magnolia is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Magnolia, 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 Magnolia.
Magnolia beats the Mississippi average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 54% of adults have high blood pressure in Magnolia, above both the Mississippi town median (45%) and the median of U.S. towns (35%). 33% of Magnolia adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Magnolia | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 54% | 45% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 24% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 27% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 36% | 25% |
| What stands out | Magnolia | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.7% | 13.6% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 29.7% | 18.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the South Pike School District. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is South Pike High School, with 425 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eva Gordon Lower Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 345 | C |
| South Pike High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 425 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Magnolia for work: only 13% work in town. The average trip to work in Magnolia is 19 minutes. Since 2013, Magnolia has lost 613 jobs, to 1,329 in 2023.
| Magnolia | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 19% | 8% |
| Median household income | $55,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Magnolia home is worth about $108,000, up 13.8% in a year, 44% below the Mississippi typical home. 78% of households own their home in Magnolia.
| Magnolia | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 78% | 62% | 73% |
| Median rent | $939 a month | $905 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Magnolia has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Magnolia’s July high is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 55% of U.S. communities. Since 1983, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Magnolia.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Magnolia
About 5 of every 100 Magnolia residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Mississippi.
2,420 counted in 2010 and 1,883 in 2020; an estimated 1,804 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
8 notable people were born in Magnolia.
City in Mississippi, United States
Magnolia is a city in Pike County, Mississippi and the county seat. As of the 2020 census, Magnolia had a population of 1,883. Magnolia is within the McComb, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Magnolia.
Magnolia has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Magnolia reports no FBI crime data of its own. Fernwood isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Magnolia with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. That is 2.4 years of the area's median household income ($44,597 across the McComb, MS area).
8 notable people were born here, including Laphonza Butler and Samuel C. Lancaster.
