Newton County, Mississippi

County Distress Index: Elevated · 59.2 | 21,019 people · 54th most distressed in Mississippi
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Newton County, MS registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 59.2 — 889th 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 54th of 82 counties. Among its 8 neighboring counties, 7 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Newton County's primary driver is Community Vulnerability at 85.2 — worse than roughly 85% of U.S. counties.

Community Vulnerability Primary driver 85.2
Uninsured Rate 83
Disability Rate 88
Debt & Delinquency 83.1
Debt in Collections 76
Medical Debt 50
Student Loan Delinquency 98
Auto Loan Delinquency 92
Credit Card Delinquency 97
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 86
Income & Poverty 68.0
Poverty Rate 79
Income vs. State Median 48
Child Poverty Rate 78
Employment & Wages 35.3
Unemployment Rate 23
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 45
Business Formation Rate 39
Housing Cost Burden 24.6
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 12
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 33
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 9
Homeownership Rate 24
Rent-to-Income Ratio 45

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Newton County compares to its 8 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Newton County
Newton County, MS 59.2 Elevated —
Kemper County, MS 69.5 Serious +10.3
Leake County, MS 65.5 Serious +6.3
Lauderdale County, MS 65.0 Serious +5.8
Clarke County, MS 63.8 Elevated +4.6
Scott County, MS 62.2 Elevated +3.0
Neshoba County, MS 61.4 Elevated +2.2
Jasper County, MS 61.4 Elevated +2.1
Smith County, MS 52.5 Elevated -6.7

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Newton County
Asotin County, WA 59.3 Elevated +0.0
Caroline County, MD 59.2 Elevated -0.0
Mayes County, OK 59.2 Elevated -0.0
Clatsop County, OR 59.3 Elevated +0.1
Blackford County, IN 59.3 Elevated +0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Newton 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 Newton 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 Newton County, Mississippi?

    Newton County has a County Distress Index score of 59.2 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 889th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 54th in Mississippi out of 82 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Newton County?

    The primary driver of distress in Newton County is Community Vulnerability, where the county scores 85.2 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Uninsured Rate, Disability Rate.

  • How does Newton County compare to neighboring counties?

    Newton County (59.2) can be compared to its 8 neighboring counties: Kemper County, MS (69.5); Leake County, MS (65.5); Lauderdale County, MS (65.0).

  • 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 Newton County?

    Newton County, Mississippi has a population of approximately 21,019 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.