Jackson County, Mississippi
Above the national median for subprime credit share.
Main Findings
Jackson County, Mississippi ranks 1,041st most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 33% of residents carry subprime credit (score below 660) — above the national median of 23%. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.
- 1,041st of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 60.2 · moderate-high county distress, 70th in Mississippi.
- 33% of residents carry subprime credit (score below 660) (U.S. median 23%). Subprime credit share at the 84th percentile nationally. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025).
- Bankruptcy filing rate at 269 — national median 126, ranked at the 87th percentile. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025).
- Disability rate at 21% — national median 16%, ranked at the 86th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
- Severe rent burden (50%+) at 20% — national median 18%, ranked at the 63rd percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
Neighbors span two CDI score labels. The 17-point drop to George County marks where the Mississippi distress corridor ends.
Jackson County has a moderate-high county distress score. The domain mix shows whether pressure is concentrated or spread across the profile.
The CDI gives this county a moderate-high county distress label. The domain table shows whether the score comes from debt, labor, safety-net pressure, or a mix. 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 Jackson County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Jackson County's value shown alongside MS's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Jackson | MS median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 82 · Rank 461 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 8% | 10% | 5% | 82nd | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 8% | 9% | 5% | 82nd | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 33% | 38% | 23% | 84th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 78 · Rank 480 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 28% | 31% | 23% | 69th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 269 | 314 | 126 | 87th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 47 · Rank 1,708 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 19% | 22% | 21% | 30th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 20% | 19% | 18% | 63rd | 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 60 · Rank 1,169 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 18% | 28% | 18% | 49th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 21% | 19% | 16% | 86th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 13% | 20% | 14% | 48th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 13% | 12% | 8% | 80th | 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 Jackson County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 128-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
PASCAGOULA, Miss. — Jackson County ranks 1,041st 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 60.2 out of 100 gives Jackson a moderate-high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,040 counties rank more distressed. Within Mississippi, Jackson ranks 70th 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 Jackson. 33% of residents carry subprime credit (score below 660) — above the national median of 23%.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Jackson County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Jackson County's distress score?
How does Jackson County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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