Forrest County, Mississippi
Above the national median for subprime credit share.
Main Findings
Forrest County, Mississippi ranks 417th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 39% of residents carry subprime credit (score below 660) — above the national median of 23%. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.
- 417th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 71.8 · high county distress, 41st in Mississippi.
- 39% of residents carry subprime credit (score below 660) (U.S. median 23%). Subprime credit share at the 94th percentile nationally. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025).
- Severe rent burden (50%+) at 24% — national median 18%, ranked at the 84th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
- Bankruptcy filing rate at 244 — national median 126, ranked at the 84th percentile. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025).
- Poverty rate at 19% — national median 14%, ranked at the 82nd percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
Unemployment is 3%, near the national median of 4%, while subprime credit share runs at the 94th percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 22-point drop to Lamar County marks where the Mississippi distress corridor ends.
"Forrest County has a high county distress score. The score label gives the intensity; the rank gives the national position."
"The CDI gives this county a high county distress label. The rank belongs beside the score because the two answer different questions: score intensity and national position. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency."
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Forrest County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Forrest County's value shown alongside MS's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Forrest | MS median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 89 · Rank 258 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 10% | 10% | 5% | 92nd | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 8% | 9% | 5% | 81st | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 39% | 38% | 23% | 94th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 80 · Rank 410 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 31% | 31% | 23% | 76th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 244 | 314 | 126 | 84th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 81 · Rank 382 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 24% | 22% | 21% | 77th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 24% | 19% | 18% | 84th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 34 · Rank 2,026 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 3% | 4% | 4% | 34th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 76 · Rank 553 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 21% | 28% | 18% | 65th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 20% | 19% | 16% | 78th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 19% | 20% | 14% | 82nd | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 11% | 12% | 8% | 71st | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Forrest County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 144-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
HATTIESBURG, Miss. — Forrest County ranks 417th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 71.8 out of 100 gives Forrest a high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 416 counties rank more distressed. Within Mississippi, Forrest ranks 41st of 82 counties.
The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies delinquency as the primary driver in Forrest. 39% of residents carry subprime credit (score below 660) — above the national median of 23%.
"Forrest County has a high county distress score. The score label gives the intensity; the rank gives the national position," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Forrest County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Forrest County's distress score?
How does Forrest County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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