Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Marks’ subject grades are a B+ for the outdoors and a B for history; the weakest is a D− for health. Only 4 of Mississippi’s 187 towns score higher on the outdoors. Marks Downtown Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places. Marks has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Marks beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Marks | MS |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 20.1% | 11.2% |
1,735 counted in 2010 and 1,444 in 2020; an estimated 1,198 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 Marks is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 670 in 1910, a peak of 2,609 in 1970, 1,444 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 2 maps from 1932 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Marks, 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 Marks.
Among adults in Marks, 35% say their health is fair or poor, above both the Mississippi town median (27%) and the median of U.S. towns (19%). For adults locally, the share who have obesity is 51%. Only 5 of the 102 Mississippi towns we compare have a lower share of adults who binge drink than Marks. The town beats the Mississippi average on 2 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 17.
| Marks | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 27% | 19% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 51% | 42% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 16% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 36% | 25% |
| What stands out | Marks | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 9.7% | 13.6% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 83.3% | 79.7% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 20.1% | 11.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. The public schools here belong to the Quitman County School District. Marks’ only public school teaches 265 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quitman County Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 265 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
Marks’ midsummer high stands at 91°F, where Mississippi’s towns sit at 91°F and U.S. towns at 85°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
For Marks, the typical journey to work is 26 minutes. Only 17% of working residents stay in Marks for work; the rest commute out. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Marks dropped by 89, to 493. The median commute is under 28 miles.
| Marks | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $32,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 19% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Households in Marks have drawn federal disaster aid in 8 declared disasters, most recently in 2026. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 57% of U.S. communities. Flood insurance has paid out on 53 claims here since 1980. 31% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from earthquakes, followed by tornadoes at 25%.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Marks has lost 15% of its people since 2020, down to 1,198 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Age groups here sit within 4 points of the Mississippi average. Here, a quarter of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree, against 25% in Mississippi as a whole.
| Marks | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 38.9 years | 37 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 17% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 23% | 24% | 22% |
54% women, 46% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.6 points. Across Mississippi, 51.5% of residents are women.
| Marks | MS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.6% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.8% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.9% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.2% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.9% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.1% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.5% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.6% | 10.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.5% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 15% | 12.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.6% | 29.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 27.2% | 21.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.8% | 10.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.9% | 15.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.6% | 9.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,200, single groups can be off by several points
None within 15 miles of Marks; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Marks residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Mississippi.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
5 notable people were born in Marks.
City in Mississippi, United States
Marks is a city in and the county seat of Quitman County, Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 1,444.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $97,000. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
5 notable people were born here, including Frederick W. Smith and Larry Garron.
