Monroe County, Mississippi

County Distress Index: Elevated · 51.4 | 33,609 people · 73rd most distressed in Mississippi
American Default Research

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Monroe County, MS registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 51.4 — 1485th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Debt & Delinquency, where residents carry heavy debt burdens with elevated delinquency and collections rates. Within Mississippi, it ranks 73rd of 82 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 5 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Monroe County's primary driver is Debt & Delinquency at 82.9 — worse than roughly 83% of U.S. counties.

Debt & Delinquency Primary driver 82.9
Debt in Collections 76
Medical Debt 54
Student Loan Delinquency 87
Auto Loan Delinquency 96
Credit Card Delinquency 86
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 97
Income & Poverty 64.0
Poverty Rate 75
Income vs. State Median 42
Child Poverty Rate 76
Community Vulnerability 44.2
Uninsured Rate 58
Disability Rate 30
Housing Cost Burden 40.2
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 63
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 32
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 30
Homeownership Rate 37
Rent-to-Income Ratio 39
Employment & Wages 25.4
Unemployment Rate 52
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 8
Business Formation Rate 16

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Monroe County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Monroe County
Monroe County, MS 51.4 Elevated —
Chickasaw County, MS 66.2 Serious +14.9
Marion County, AL 60.7 Elevated +9.3
Clay County, MS 58.0 Elevated +6.6
Lamar County, AL 55.8 Elevated +4.4
Lowndes County, MS 53.6 Elevated +2.3
Lee County, MS 48.1 Normal -3.2
Itawamba County, MS 39.5 Normal -11.9

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Monroe County
Beauregard Parish, LA 51.4 Elevated +0.0
Union County, MS 51.3 Elevated -0.0
Bosque County, TX 51.3 Elevated -0.0
Calhoun County, TX 51.3 Elevated -0.0
Chippewa County, MI 51.3 Elevated -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Monroe County

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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 Monroe 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 Monroe County, Mississippi?

    Monroe County has a County Distress Index score of 51.4 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,485th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 73rd in Mississippi out of 82 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Monroe County?

    The primary driver of distress in Monroe County is Debt & Delinquency, where the county scores 82.9 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Debt in Collections, Medical Debt, Student Loan Delinquency.

  • How does Monroe County compare to neighboring counties?

    Monroe County (51.4) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Chickasaw County, MS (66.2); Marion County, AL (60.7); Clay County, MS (58.0).

  • 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 Monroe County?

    Monroe County, Mississippi has a population of approximately 33,609 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.