About one in five people in Harrison County, Mississippi, has a disability
In Harrison County, 19.9% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 79% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 84% of U.S. counties.
What drives Harrison County's score
In Harrison County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 80.1. Bankruptcy filings ran at 252.1 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 85% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 78.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Harrison County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Harrison County does better than most counties on one measure: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.4%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.3% · August 202574th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people252.1 · 202585th percentile
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- 78.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.3% · August 202576th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.7% · August 202580th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score49.1% · second quarter of 202677th percentile
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- 74.8 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent24.0% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.4% · fiscal year 202766th percentile
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- 74.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.9% · 202470th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.2% · 202476th percentile
- People with a disability19.9% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- People without health insurance13.1% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,362 · 202460th percentile
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- 46.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202626th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.7% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Harrison County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Harrison County, 16.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Harrison County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Harrison County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about five times its 1969 level, reaching 27.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Harrison County, Mississippi, benefit checks' share of income grew to about five times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 27.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Harrison County getting SNAP food aid fell most sharply on the way to its 2011 low, from 14.7% in 2010 to 12.0% in 2011.
The share of households in Harrison County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 12.0% in 2011. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Harrison County, Mississippi.
How Harrison County has changed
Harrison County's population nearly doubled to 213,730, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 149,898. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Harrison County, Mississippi.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Harrison County rose by about half to 90,122, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 77,030. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Harrison County, Mississippi.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.6% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.7% | 2024 15.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,321 | 2024 $63,362 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.4% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Harrison County's history
1942
Keesler Field built during World War II, became Keesler Air Force Base, major basic training site. Wikipedia
1967
A tornado in October 1967 did $25 million in property damage and killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
A tornado in April 1980 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1994
A tornado in April 1994 did $5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flash flood in March 2009 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 208,621, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
37 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Harrison County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Harrison County beside its neighbors
Harrison County scores higher than all three counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Harrison County ranks 3rd of the four; Stone County is highest, at 35.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison County, MS | 84 | 15.9% | 27.9% |
| Stone County, MS | 78 | 16.0% | 35.8% |
| Jackson County, MS | 74 | 13.8% | 24.9% |
| Hancock County, MS | 69 | 16.5% | 28.2% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Harrison County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Harrison County's poverty rate was 15.9% in 2024, 69th highest of 82 in Mississippi (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Issaquena County, at 55.7%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Harrison County ranks 53rd of 82 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Harrison County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Mercy Housing and Human Development
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Renaissance Community Loan Fund
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Mississippi Center for Legal Services
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Harrison County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Harrison County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.