Lawrence County, Mississippi

County Distress Index: Serious · 66.6 | 11,741 people · 24th most distressed in Mississippi
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Lawrence County, MS shows significant household financial distress with a score of 66.6 — 406th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Community Vulnerability, where uninsured and disability rates are well above the national average. Within Mississippi, it ranks 24th of 82 counties. It scores higher than all 6 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Lawrence County's primary driver is Community Vulnerability at 88.0 — worse than roughly 88% of U.S. counties.

Community Vulnerability Primary driver 88.0
Uninsured Rate 81
Disability Rate 95
Debt & Delinquency 86.7
Debt in Collections 79
Medical Debt 66
Student Loan Delinquency 91
Auto Loan Delinquency 95
Credit Card Delinquency 94
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 95
Income & Poverty 70.1
Poverty Rate 82
Income vs. State Median 47
Child Poverty Rate 81
Housing Cost Burden 57.2
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 89
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 53
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 84
Homeownership Rate 12
Rent-to-Income Ratio 49
Employment & Wages 30.7
Unemployment Rate 45
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 5
Business Formation Rate 42

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Lawrence County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Lawrence County
Lawrence County, MS 66.6 Serious —
Copiah County, MS 65.0 Serious -1.5
Jefferson Davis County, MS 63.7 Elevated -2.9
Simpson County, MS 60.0 Elevated -6.6
Walthall County, MS 57.2 Elevated -9.3
Marion County, MS 57.0 Elevated -9.6
Lincoln County, MS 55.0 Elevated -11.6

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Lawrence County
Hale County, AL 66.6 Serious 0.0
Santa Cruz County, AZ 66.5 Serious -0.0
Van Buren County, AR 66.6 Serious +0.0
Aransas County, TX 66.6 Serious +0.0
Upson County, GA 66.6 Serious +0.0

Download Data

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

Find Help in Lawrence County

Find an Attorney

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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence County, Mississippi?

    Lawrence County has a County Distress Index score of 66.6 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 406th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 24th in Mississippi out of 82 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Lawrence County?

    The primary driver of distress in Lawrence County is Community Vulnerability, where the county scores 88.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Uninsured Rate, Disability Rate.

  • How does Lawrence County compare to neighboring counties?

    Lawrence County (66.6) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Copiah County, MS (65.0); Jefferson Davis County, MS (63.7); Simpson County, MS (60.0).

  • 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 Lawrence County?

    Lawrence County, Mississippi has a population of approximately 11,741 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.