Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Sardis’ subject grades are a B for walkability and cost of living; the weakest is a D− for health. 41% of residents live below the poverty line in Sardis, above both Mississippi’s towns (21%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). On health, just 6 of Mississippi’s 187 towns do worse. The median household income is $32K, and 41% of residents live below the poverty line. No town in Mississippi scores lower than Sardis on civic life. Its National Register listings include Ballentine-Bryant House and Ballentine-Seay House. Sardis has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Sardis beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
John Curtis Kyle House| Widest gap | Sardis | MS |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 22.9% | 11.2% |
Census counts: 986 in 1880, a peak of 2,391 in 1970, 1,748 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 2014 and 3 maps from 1952 on.
11 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Sardis is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sardis, 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 Sardis.
42% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Sardis, above both the Mississippi town median (27%) and the median of U.S. towns (19%). 22% of Sardis adults report frequent physical distress. Only 7 of the 102 Mississippi towns we compare have a higher share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Sardis.
| Sardis | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 27% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 18% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 52% | 42% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 16% | 12% |
| What stands out | Sardis | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 9.5% | 13.6% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 83.8% | 79.7% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 22.9% | 11.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the North Panola school district. Its one school is below. The largest public high school is North Panola High School, with 329 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Panola High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 329 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Sardis for work: only 5% work in town. Jobs based in Sardis grew to 447 in 2023, 50 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Batesville (14%), Southaven (8%) and Memphis (7%).
| Sardis | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $32,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.8% | 19% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Sardis has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Sardis’ July high is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Sardis home is worth about $157,000, down 1.4% in a year, 19% below the Mississippi typical home. The median rent in Sardis is $703 a month.
| Sardis | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $703 a month | $905 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 59% | 62% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 59% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Sardis
About 2 of every 100 Sardis residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Mississippi.
Where Sardis’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
11 places in Sardis on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Sardis.
Town in the United States
Sardis is a town in Panola County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 1,748. Sardis is one of two county seats for Panola County; the other is Batesville, on the south side of the Tallahatchie River.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 3.4 years of the area's median household income ($45,945 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
4 notable people were born here, including Charles P. Hall and John Kyle.
