Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Pontotoc grades D overall, 63rd of 99 graded towns in Mississippi, mostly because of incomes and health. The median household income is $46K, and 17% of residents live below the poverty line. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 80% of the country. It also has a long history, with 3 places on the National Register. 28% of working residents work locally in Pontotoc, against 19% in Mississippi’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. On history, just 12 of Mississippi’s 186 towns do better. Pontotoc's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 92% of U.S. towns.
Where Pontotoc beats most towns.
Roger WickerWhere Pontotoc’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Pontotoc is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 384 in 1870, 5,640 in 2020. The archive holds 13 old photos and papers going back to 2014 and 2 maps from 1956 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pontotoc, 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 Pontotoc.
Pontotoc draws workers from Tupelo and beyond, fares better on crime within Mississippi than nationally and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
5,490 jobs are based in Pontotoc, 2.4 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 19.6 minutes, against 25.6 across Mississippi.
About one in 4 of Pontotoc’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Pontotoc is 20 minutes. Since 2013, Pontotoc has added 1,490 jobs, to 5,490 in 2023.
| Pontotoc | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Pontotoc City School District. Three of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Pontotoc High School, with 712 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pontotoc Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 657 | – |
| Pontotoc High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 712 | B |
| DT Cox Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades 3–4 | Grades 3–4 | 354 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
Against the 4,402 U.S. towns with household incomes like Pontotoc’s, it is healthier than 57%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income. Within Mississippi it is healthier than 58% of the 101 graded towns: much of Mississippi scores lower on these measures.
36% of adults get no exercise outside work in Pontotoc. Pontotoc beats the Mississippi average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 44% of adults have high blood pressure in Pontotoc.
| Pontotoc | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 36% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 45% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 39% | 36% |
| What stands out | Pontotoc | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15.1% | 18.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.6% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 31.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 57% of Mississippi’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 180 to 110 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
July afternoons average 90.5°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 84% of Mississippi places with climate records; January nights average 32°.
Pontotoc has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Pontotoc’s January low is 32°F. About 1 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Pontotoc | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 32°F | 36°F | 22°F |
| July high | 91°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1.2 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Terry Chewe Municipal Park, at 25 acres.
| Pontotoc | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.8% | 2.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Howard Stafford Park | 0.5 mi | 23 |
| 2. Terry Chewe Municipal Park | 0.2 mi | 25 |
| 3. Pontotoc Court Square | 0.2 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 60% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Pontotoc since 2019.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Adults 35 to 64 are 33% of residents (37% statewide). 27% of Pontotoc residents are under 18. Pontotoc has grown 9.2% since 2020, to 6,156 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Pontotoc | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 27% | 24% | 22% |
| Median age | 34 years | 37 years | 40.5 years |
57% women, 43% men
About 77 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±5.1 points). Across Mississippi, 51.5% of residents are women.
| Pontotoc | MS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.4% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 17.6% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.5% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.6% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.8% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.2% | 10.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.8% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.4% | 12.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.7% | 29.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.4% | 21.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.1% | 10.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 13.5% | 15.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.9% | 9.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical Pontotoc home is worth about $206,000, up 6.9% in a year, 6% above the Mississippi typical home.
| Pontotoc | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 54% | 62% | 73% |
| Median rent | $803 a month | $909 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Pontotoc. Close and well known come first.
13 mi ParkwayNatchez Trace Parkway8.0M visitors a year
31 mi Stadium & arenaVaught–Hemingway Stadium
19 mi MuseumElvis Presley Birthplace
24 mi National park siteBrices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site2K visitors a year
16 mi National BattlefieldTupelo National Battlefield686 visitors a year
18 mi MuseumTupelo Automobile MuseumNatchez Trace Parkway: Carol M. Highsmith (1946–), Public domain · Vaught–Hemingway Stadium: Matthew Nichols, CC BY 2.0 · Elvis Presley Birthplace: Markuskun at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site: Wilson44691, Public domain · Tupelo National Battlefield: Chris Light (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Tupelo Automobile Museum: James Case from Philadelphia, Mississippi, U.S.A., CC BY 2.0
None within 15 miles of Pontotoc; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Pontotoc residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Mississippi.
19 notable people were born in Pontotoc.
City in Mississippi, United States
Pontotoc is a city in and the county seat of Pontotoc County, Mississippi, located to the west of the larger city of Tupelo. Its population was 5,640 at the 2020 census. Pontotoc is a Chickasaw word that means, "Land of the Hanging Grapes". A section of the city largely along Main Street and Liberty Street has been designated the Pontotoc Historic District and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Treaty of Pontotoc Site is also listed on the National Register. The Treaty of Pontotoc Creek, part of U.S. president Andrew Jackson's Indian Removal policy, ceded millions of acres of Native American lands and relocated the Chicakasaw west of the Mississippi River.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Pontotoc grades D overall, better than 15% of U.S. towns and #63 of 99 in Mississippi. It grades C− for health, C for safety and B+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
19 notable people were born here, including Roger Wicker and Thad Cochran.
