Lamar County, Mississippi

County Distress Index: Normal · 47.7 | 66,217 people · 77th most distressed in Mississippi
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Lamar County, MS falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 47.7 — 1772nd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Debt & Delinquency, where debt and delinquency levels sit above the national average. Within Mississippi, it ranks 77th of 82 counties. It scores lower than all 5 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Lamar County's primary driver is Debt & Delinquency at 63.8 — above the national median.

Debt & Delinquency Primary driver 63.8
Debt in Collections 57
Medical Debt 42
Student Loan Delinquency 68
Auto Loan Delinquency 82
Credit Card Delinquency 76
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 58
Community Vulnerability 61.8
Uninsured Rate 81
Disability Rate 43
Housing Cost Burden 48.9
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 65
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 37
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 27
Homeownership Rate 77
Rent-to-Income Ratio 38
Employment & Wages 33.0
Unemployment Rate 10
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 73
Business Formation Rate 15
Income & Poverty 31.0
Poverty Rate 47
Income vs. State Median 11
Child Poverty Rate 35

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Lamar County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Lamar County
Lamar County, MS 47.7 Normal —
Jefferson Davis County, MS 63.7 Elevated +16.0
Forrest County, MS 63.6 Elevated +15.9
Pearl River County, MS 60.5 Elevated +12.9
Marion County, MS 57.0 Elevated +9.3
Covington County, MS 52.9 Elevated +5.2

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Lamar County
Pulaski County, MO 47.7 Normal 0.0
McCracken County, KY 47.7 Normal -0.0
Washington County, OH 47.7 Normal -0.0
Lenawee County, MI 47.7 Normal +0.0
Hancock County, ME 47.8 Normal +0.1

Download Data

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

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Mississippi Bar Lawyer Referral offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Mississippi Bar Lawyer Referral 601-948-4471

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Lamar 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 Lamar County, Mississippi?

    Lamar County has a County Distress Index score of 47.7 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 1,772nd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 77th in Mississippi out of 82 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Lamar County?

    The primary driver of distress in Lamar County is Debt & Delinquency, where the county scores 63.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Debt in Collections, Medical Debt, Student Loan Delinquency.

  • How does Lamar County compare to neighboring counties?

    Lamar County (47.7) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Jefferson Davis County, MS (63.7); Forrest County, MS (63.6); Pearl River County, MS (60.5).

  • 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 Lamar County?

    Lamar County, Mississippi has a population of approximately 66,217 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a mid county.