Pearl River County, Mississippi
Above the national median for disability rate — and 7.1× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (San Juan County, CO — 3%).
Main Findings
Pearl River County, Mississippi ranks 775th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 21% of residents report a disability — above the national median of 16%. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.
- 775th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 64.6 · moderate-high county distress, 61st in Mississippi.
- 21% of residents report a disability (U.S. median 16%). Disability rate at the 84th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
- Subprime credit share at 33% — national median 23%, ranked at the 83rd percentile. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025).
- Severe rent burden (50%+) at 23% — national median 18%, ranked at the 82nd percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
- Debt in collections at 28% — national median 23%, ranked at the 67th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
Neighbors span four CDI score labels. The 29-point drop to Lamar County marks where the Mississippi distress corridor ends.
Pearl River County has a moderate-high county distress score. The domain mix shows whether pressure is concentrated or spread across the profile.
The CDI gives this county a moderate-high county distress label. The domain table shows whether the score comes from debt, labor, safety-net pressure, or a mix. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Pearl River County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Pearl River County's value shown alongside MS's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Pearl River | MS median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 79 · Rank 558 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 8% | 10% | 5% | 80th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 9% | 5% | 75th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 33% | 38% | 23% | 83rd | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 65 · Rank 944 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 28% | 31% | 23% | 67th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 157 | 314 | 126 | 62nd | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 66 · Rank 889 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 21% | 22% | 21% | 49th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 23% | 19% | 18% | 82nd | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 34 · Rank 2,026 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 3% | 4% | 4% | 34th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 80 · Rank 383 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 23% | 28% | 18% | 75th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 21% | 19% | 16% | 84th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 19% | 20% | 14% | 82nd | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 13% | 12% | 8% | 82nd | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Pearl River County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 132-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
POPLARVILLE, Miss. — Pearl River County ranks 775th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 64.6 out of 100 gives Pearl River a moderate-high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 774 counties rank more distressed. Within Mississippi, Pearl River ranks 61st of 82 counties.
The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies safety net & buffer as the primary driver in Pearl River. 21% of residents report a disability — above the national median of 16%.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Pearl River County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Pearl River County's distress score?
How does Pearl River County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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