About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in Panola County, Mississippi, is not working
In Panola County, 30.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 90% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 97% of U.S. counties.
What drives Panola County's score
In Panola County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 97.4. People with a car or retail loan behind: 14.8%, August 2025, higher than in 99% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 94.9.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Panola County is worse off than the typical U.S. county on every measure in the score.
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Panola County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 97.4 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind14.8% · August 202599th percentile
- People with a credit card behind10.2% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.2% · Q4 202597th percentile
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- 94.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector37.4% · August 202590th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people615.3 · 202599th percentile
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- 83.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line31.5% · 202493rd percentile
- People with a disability17.6% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$51,437 · 202489th percentile
- People below the poverty line20.7% · 202489th percentile
- People without health insurance12.7% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
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- 75.1 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working30.8% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.3% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202659th percentile
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- 61.2 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.1% · fiscal year 202763rd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent19.6% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Aug 2026.
Where the money in Panola County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Panola County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Panola County in 2024, pay from work was 51 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 15 cents. Benefit checks were 34 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 12 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Panola County, benefit checks rose from 12 to 34 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Panola County, Mississippi: 34.2% and 50.9% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 34.2% of all personal income in Panola County, Mississippi (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Panola County, 17.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Panola County has changed
The number of people living in Panola County grew by about 21% between 1969 and 2024, from 27,132 to 32,764. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 9.1% in 1990 to 4.6% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 27,132 | 2024 32,764 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 10,113 | 2024 10,368 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.1% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 29.2% | 2024 20.7% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $16,191 | 2024 $51,437 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 12.0% | 2024 34.2% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Panola County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 34,707. The 2020 Census counted 33,208, 96% of the peak. Census Bureau
1836
Established February 9, 1836; one of twelve large northern Mississippi counties created from the Chickasaw Cession of 1832. Wikipedia
1978
Tornado: $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
Tornado: $2 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Thunderstorm wind: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Panola County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Panola County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Panola County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Panola County ranks 4th of the seven; Quitman County is highest, at 50.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tunica County, MS | 99 | 25.0% | 33.1% |
| Panola County, MS | 97 | 20.7% | 34.2% |
| Quitman County, MS | 97 | 31.9% | 50.3% |
| Yalobusha County, MS | 88 | 18.7% | 43.7% |
| Tallahatchie County, MS | 83 | 32.3% | 38.0% |
| Tate County, MS | 81 | 15.0% | 27.9% |
| Lafayette County, MS | 55 | 17.9% | 19.0% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Panola County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Panola County's poverty rate was 20.7% in 2024, 33rd highest of 82 in Mississippi (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Issaquena County, at 55.7%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Panola County ranks 20th of 82 in the state.
Panola County in photographs
Places in Panola County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Batesville, Mississippi.
Photo: Thomas R Machnitzki (thomas@machnitzki.com) via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Panola County, Mississippi.
Photo: Thomas R Machnitzki (thomas@machnitzki.com) via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Panola County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Panola County, Mississippi?
20.7% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 31.5%.
Is Panola County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Panola County's poverty rate was 20.7% in 2024, 33rd highest of 82 in Mississippi (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Issaquena County, at 55.7%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Panola County ranks 20th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Panola County, Mississippi?
About 32,764 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 33,208, 96% of the county's peak of 34,707 in 2010.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Panola County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Mississippi Center for Legal Services
Legal aid
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North Mississippi Rural Legal Services
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Panola County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Panola County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.