About one in five people in Pearl River County, Mississippi, has a disability
In Pearl River County, 21.2% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 85% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 76% of U.S. counties.
What drives Pearl River County's score
In Pearl River County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 78.6. Late payments on loans come next, at 77.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Pearl River County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Pearl River County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.4%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.4%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 78.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.5% · 202473rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.2% · 202473rd percentile
- People with a disability21.2% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- People without health insurance12.9% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,958 · 202478th percentile
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- 77.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.1% · August 202575th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.6% · August 202580th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score49.4% · second quarter of 202678th percentile
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- 64.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.8% · August 202567th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people157 · 202562nd percentile
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- 56.5 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent20.8% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.4% · fiscal year 202746th percentile
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- 50.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202628th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.5% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; 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 Sep 2026.
Where the money in Pearl River County comes from
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 Pearl River County, 19.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Pearl River County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Pearl River County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 30.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Pearl River County, Mississippi, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Pearl River County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.5% in 2021 to 16.0% in 2022.
The share of households in Pearl River County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 13.4%
Low on the chart: 11.9% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Pearl River County, Mississippi.
How Pearl River County has changed
Pearl River County's population doubled to 59,030, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 48,098. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Pearl River County, Mississippi.
The number of jobs located in Pearl River County had its largest rise in the last span, from 10,338 in 2020 to 11,726 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Pearl River County nearly doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 11,726, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 9,674. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Pearl River County, Mississippi.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.7% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 22.9% | 2024 16.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,310 | 2024 $56,958 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 3.4% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Pearl River County's history
1890
Present-day Pearl River County organized in 1890; originally formed as Pearl County in 1872 and dissolved in 1878. Wikipedia
2002
A thunderstorm in October 2002 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
Hurricane Katrina inflicted heavy damage on Poplarville. Wikipedia
2012
A flash flood in August 2012 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A tornado in December 2012 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 56,145, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A thunderstorm in April 2021 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
37 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Pearl River County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Pearl River County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Pearl River County, in Mississippi and Louisiana, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Pearl River County ranks 4th of the eight; Washington Parish is highest, at 41.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Parish, LA | 94 | 25.6% | 41.4% |
| Forrest County, MS | 92 | 21.4% | 28.3% |
| Marion County, MS | 86 | 19.8% | 37.9% |
| Stone County, MS | 78 | 16.0% | 35.8% |
| Pearl River County, MS | 76 | 16.5% | 30.2% |
| Hancock County, MS | 69 | 16.5% | 28.2% |
| St. Tammany Parish, LA | 50 | 10.2% | 17.2% |
| Lamar County, MS | 45 | 11.6% | 20.0% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 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 Pearl River County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Pearl River County's poverty rate was 16.5% in 2024, 63rd 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, Pearl River County ranks 65th of 82 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Pearl River County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Mississippi Center for Legal Services
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, 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 Pearl River County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Pearl River County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.