Covington County, Mississippi

County Distress Index: Elevated · 52.9 | 18,059 people · 71st most distressed in Mississippi
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Covington County, MS registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 52.9 — 1384th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Mississippi, it ranks 71st of 82 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Covington County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 75.6 — worse than roughly 76% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 75.6
Poverty Rate 83
Income vs. State Median 53
Child Poverty Rate 90
Community Vulnerability 66.4
Uninsured Rate 72
Disability Rate 61
Debt & Delinquency 65.1
Debt in Collections 78
Medical Debt 39
Student Loan Delinquency 5
Auto Loan Delinquency 94
Credit Card Delinquency 95
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 80
Employment & Wages 29.7
Unemployment Rate 41
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 27
Business Formation Rate 21
Housing Cost Burden 27.6
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 6
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 11
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 32
Homeownership Rate 41
Rent-to-Income Ratio 48

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Covington County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Covington County
Covington County, MS 52.9 Elevated —
Jefferson Davis County, MS 63.7 Elevated +10.8
Forrest County, MS 63.6 Elevated +10.7
Simpson County, MS 60.0 Elevated +7.1
Jones County, MS 57.9 Elevated +5.1
Smith County, MS 52.5 Elevated -0.3
Lamar County, MS 47.7 Normal -5.2

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Covington County
Randolph County, AL 52.9 Elevated 0.0
Macon County, NC 52.9 Elevated +0.0
Franklin County, ME 52.8 Elevated -0.1
Rabun County, GA 52.8 Elevated -0.1
Benewah County, ID 52.9 Elevated +0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Covington County as a CSV file.

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Mississippi Bar Lawyer Referral 601-948-4471

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Covington County residents at no cost.

Mississippi Center for Legal Services 1-800-498-1804
North Mississippi Rural Legal Services 1-800-898-8731

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Covington County, Mississippi?

    Covington County has a County Distress Index score of 52.9 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,384th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 71st in Mississippi out of 82 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Covington County?

    The primary driver of distress in Covington County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 75.6 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Covington County compare to neighboring counties?

    Covington County (52.9) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Jefferson Davis County, MS (63.7); Forrest County, MS (63.6); Simpson County, MS (60.0).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Covington County?

    Covington County, Mississippi has a population of approximately 18,059 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.