Holmes County, Mississippi
County Distress Index score and five-domain breakdown for Holmes County. Population: 15,777 (small).
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17
Holmes County, MS shows significant household financial distress with a score of 77.8 — 18th 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 4th of 82 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 5 show less distress.
Five-Domain Breakdown
How Holmes County compares to all U.S. counties across five dimensions of financial distress. Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed.
Income & Poverty
Primary DriverDebt & Delinquency
Community Vulnerability
Housing Cost Burden
Employment & Wages
How Holmes County Compares
Neighboring Counties
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holmes County, MS | 77.8 | Serious Stress | — |
| Humphreys County, MS | 79.0 | Serious Stress | +1.1 |
| Yazoo County, MS | 77.1 | Serious Stress | -0.7 |
| Leflore County, MS | 73.6 | Serious Stress | -4.2 |
| Attala County, MS | 59.7 | Elevated | -18.1 |
| Carroll County, MS | 55.7 | Elevated | -22.2 |
Population Peers
Counties with similar population (small) and closest distress scores nationally.
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bell County, KY | 77.8 | Serious Stress | -0.1 |
| Jim Wells County, TX | 78.1 | Serious Stress | +0.3 |
| Washington County, MS | 78.1 | Serious Stress | +0.3 |
| Hardee County, FL | 77.3 | Serious Stress | -0.5 |
| Halifax County, NC | 77.3 | Serious Stress | -0.6 |
Download Data
Export all distress indicators for Holmes County as a CSV file.
Resources
Holmes County scores in the Serious Stress zone. If you or someone you know is experiencing financial hardship, free help is available.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the distress score for Holmes County, Mississippi?
Holmes County has a County Distress Index score of 77.8 out of 100, placing it in the Serious Stress zone. It ranks 18th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 4th in Mississippi out of 82 counties.
What drives financial distress in Holmes County?
The primary driver of distress in Holmes County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 95.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.
How does Holmes County compare to neighboring counties?
Holmes County (77.8) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Humphreys County, MS (79.0); Yazoo County, MS (77.1); Leflore County, MS (73.6).
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 Holmes County?
Holmes County, Mississippi has a population of approximately 15,777 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.