Panola County, Mississippi

County Distress Index: Serious · 70.4 | 32,669 people · 15th most distressed in Mississippi
American Default Research

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Panola County, MS shows significant household financial distress with a score of 70.4 — 192nd 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 15th of 82 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Panola County's primary driver is Debt & Delinquency at 90.0 — worse than roughly 90% of U.S. counties.

Debt & Delinquency Primary driver 90.0
Debt in Collections 90
Medical Debt 57
Student Loan Delinquency 99
Auto Loan Delinquency 99
Credit Card Delinquency 95
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 99
Income & Poverty 85.8
Poverty Rate 96
Income vs. State Median 65
Child Poverty Rate 96
Community Vulnerability 74.0
Uninsured Rate 84
Disability Rate 64
Housing Cost Burden 68.7
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 67
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 69
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 67
Homeownership Rate 75
Rent-to-Income Ratio 66
Employment & Wages 33.3
Unemployment Rate 49
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 39
Business Formation Rate 12

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Panola County
Panola County, MS 70.4 Serious —
Tunica County, MS 75.2 Serious +4.8
Quitman County, MS 72.1 Serious +1.7
Tallahatchie County, MS 67.3 Serious -3.0
Yalobusha County, MS 62.0 Elevated -8.4
Tate County, MS 60.1 Elevated -10.2
Lafayette County, MS 47.1 Normal -23.3

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Panola County
Morris County, TX 70.3 Serious -0.0
Emanuel County, GA 70.3 Serious -0.0
McDuffie County, GA 70.3 Serious -0.0
St. Helena Parish, LA 70.3 Serious -0.1
Morehouse Parish, LA 70.3 Serious -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Panola 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 Panola 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 Panola County, Mississippi?

    Panola County has a County Distress Index score of 70.4 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 192nd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 15th in Mississippi out of 82 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Panola County?

    The primary driver of distress in Panola County is Debt & Delinquency, where the county scores 90.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Debt in Collections, Medical Debt, Student Loan Delinquency.

  • How does Panola County compare to neighboring counties?

    Panola County (70.4) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Tunica County, MS (75.2); Quitman County, MS (72.1); Tallahatchie County, MS (67.3).

  • 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 Panola County?

    Panola County, Mississippi has a population of approximately 32,669 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.