Mississippi Highway 720 near, 2026
Pope’s story
122 years in pictures
Census counts: 181 in 1880, 268 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2026 and 2 maps from 1954 on.
- 1904Pope is settled
PopeMS
A town of 261, settled in 1904.
Photo: Chillin662 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
261
2025 Census estimate · −1.5% since 2020
Typical home
$190K
+1.5% in a year
Household income
$59K
median
Median age
40.9
years
Jobs based here
94
Balanced
Is Pope a good place to live?
Pope’s mean commuting time is 31 minutes, where Mississippi’s towns sit at 23 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Only 3 of the 102 Mississippi towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Pope. Pope has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
261 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Pope: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pope, and how to reach them.
PowerEntergy Mississippi13.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterPope-Courtland Water AssnNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Pope’s trash rules yet
Register to voteIn personMississippi has no online registration; you can register in person until 30 days before Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections herePanola County RegistrarPanola County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2023
ZIP code3865838658 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Pope.
Schools
The schools Pope’s kids attend
Its one school is below. Pope’s only public school teaches 549 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pope SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 549 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts
91°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter35–54°
Spring51–74°
Summer69–90°
Fall52–75°
Nov 2
typical first frost
Mar 28
typical last frost
+0.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
91°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commute
About one in three of Pope’s working residents commute to Batesville
Jobs based in Pope grew to 94 in 2023, 82 more than in 2013. For most workers, Pope is a place to come home to: only 1% work in town. The share of residents in Pope who live below the poverty line: 17%. The top destinations are Batesville (36%), Oxford (7%) and Memphis (7%).
1%work in town
Where working residents work
In Pope1%
Batesville36%
Oxford7%
Memphis7%
Olive Branch4%
26 mi
median commute distance
94
jobs based in Pope
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Health
How healthy Pope is
Among adults in Pope, 22% have been diagnosed with depression. 17% of adults locally have diabetes; 20% smoke cigarettes.
| Pope | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 45% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 42% | 35% |
31 measures vs. Mississippi
0 better27 too close to call4 worse
| What stands out | Pope | MS |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10.5% | 8.6% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.1% | 7.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.7% | 7.6% |
Panola Medical Center
6.7 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Housing
A typical Pope home is worth about $190K
Over the 12 months to September 2026, the typical home gained 1.5% in value. For households in Pope, the share who live in a home they own is 62%. The going rate for rent for Pope comes to $938 a month.
$190KZillow home value
| Pope | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 62% | 62% | 73% |
| Median rent | $938 a month | $905 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Pope$190K
Mississippi$195K
+1.5%
value change, 1 year
0
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazards
Top of a moderate hazard risk in Pope: tornadoes
Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in half of U.S. communities. FEMA puts just over a quarter of Pope’s expected hazard losses down to tornadoes, and 18% to earthquakes. Federal aid has come to Pope households in 6 declared disasters; the latest was in 2026.
50risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
TornadoesEarthquakesInland flooding
6
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Pope
18pages on Pope
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Pope; the nearest are
University of MississippiUniversity or college · Public · University25.5 mi$9,772 in-state tuitionNorthwest Mississippi Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Senatobia28.3 mi$3,740 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Pope residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Mississippi.
About Pope
Village in Mississippi, United States
Pope is a village in Panola County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 census, Pope had a population of 268.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 226 ft
- ZIP code
- 38658
- Area code
- 662
Questions about Pope
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Pope, MS a good place to live?
Pope has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.