Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Mound Bayou’s weakest subject grade is a D− for incomes. 46% of residents live below the poverty line in Mound Bayou, where Mississippi’s towns sit at 21% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. On incomes, just 13 of Mississippi’s 182 towns do worse. Residents are less healthy than 95% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its National Register listings include I. T. Montgomery House and Mound Bayou Historic District. Mound Bayou has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Mound Bayou beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
I. T. Montgomery House
Katie Hall| Widest gap | Mound Bayou | MS |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 37.8% | 18.5% |
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Mound Bayou is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1904.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mound Bayou, 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 Mound Bayou.
51% of adults have obesity in Mound Bayou, against 42% in Mississippi’s towns and 35% across U.S. towns. 23% of Mound Bayou adults have diabetes. Only 2 of the 102 Mississippi towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Mound Bayou.
| Mound Bayou | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 51% | 42% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 16% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 36% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 9.3% | 13% | 16% |
| What stands out | Mound Bayou | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 9.3% | 13.6% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.2% | 7.6% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 37.8% | 18.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the North Bolivar Consolidated school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| I. T. Montgomery Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 185 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 74% of U.S. communities. Since 1989, 12 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Mound Bayou.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Mound Bayou has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Mound Bayou is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Mound Bayou’s median household income is $24,000. Jobs based in Mound Bayou grew to 361 in 2023, 152 more than in 2013. Mound Bayou’s average trip to work is 18 minutes.
| Mound Bayou | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $24,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.5% | 19% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 18 to 34 are 16% of residents (22% statewide); children under 18 are 29% of residents (23% statewide). 12% of residents are 65 or older in Mound Bayou. Mound Bayou has lost 9.7% of its people since 2020, down to 1,381 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Mound Bayou | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 12% | 17% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 16% | 25% | 29% |
| Median age | 40.1 years | 37 years | 40.5 years |
Somewhere between 36% and 74% women
The Census survey reached too few of Mound Bayou’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±19.1 points. Across Mississippi, 51.5% of residents are women.
| Mound Bayou | MS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 15.9% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.4% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.9% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.8% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.9% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 20% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 5.9% | 10.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.2% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.2% | 12.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.4% | 29.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 31.6% | 21.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 17.2% | 10.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 9.1% | 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 1,400, single groups can be off by several points
1 within 15 miles of the center of Mound Bayou
About 9 of every 100 Mound Bayou residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Mississippi.
4 places in Mound Bayou on the National Register of Historic Places.
14 notable people were born in Mound Bayou.
City in Mississippi, United States
Mound Bayou is a city in Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,534 at the 2020 census, down from 2,102 in 2000. It was founded as an independent Black community in 1887 by former slaves led by Isaiah Montgomery. Mound Bayou Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Mound Bayou has a 96.8% African-American majority population in 2020, one of the highest percentages of any community in the United States.
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 B.
14 notable people were born here, including Katie Hall and Russell Holmes.
