Pontotoc County, Mississippi

County Distress Index: Elevated · 55.5 | 31,535 people · 64th most distressed in Mississippi
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Pontotoc County, MS registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 55.5 — 1176th 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 64th of 82 counties. Among its 5 neighboring counties, 3 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Pontotoc County's primary driver is Debt & Delinquency at 78.3 — worse than roughly 78% of U.S. counties.

Debt & Delinquency Primary driver 78.3
Debt in Collections 63
Medical Debt 72
Student Loan Delinquency 72
Auto Loan Delinquency 79
Credit Card Delinquency 87
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 96
Community Vulnerability 75.0
Uninsured Rate 77
Disability Rate 73
Income & Poverty 46.8
Poverty Rate 48
Income vs. State Median 38
Child Poverty Rate 55
Housing Cost Burden 42.0
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 31
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 14
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 41
Homeownership Rate 68
Rent-to-Income Ratio 56
Employment & Wages 35.5
Unemployment Rate 19
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 64
Business Formation Rate 23

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Pontotoc County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Pontotoc County
Pontotoc County, MS 55.5 Elevated —
Chickasaw County, MS 66.2 Serious +10.7
Calhoun County, MS 66.0 Serious +10.4
Union County, MS 51.3 Elevated -4.2
Lee County, MS 48.1 Normal -7.4
Lafayette County, MS 47.1 Normal -8.4

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Pontotoc County
Grayson County, KY 55.5 Elevated -0.0
Lyon County, KS 55.6 Elevated +0.0
Giles County, TN 55.6 Elevated +0.1
Comanche County, TX 55.6 Elevated +0.1
Pamlico County, NC 55.6 Elevated +0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Pontotoc 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 Pontotoc 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 Pontotoc County, Mississippi?

    Pontotoc County has a County Distress Index score of 55.5 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,176th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 64th in Mississippi out of 82 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Pontotoc County?

    The primary driver of distress in Pontotoc County is Debt & Delinquency, where the county scores 78.3 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Debt in Collections, Medical Debt, Student Loan Delinquency.

  • How does Pontotoc County compare to neighboring counties?

    Pontotoc County (55.5) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Chickasaw County, MS (66.2); Calhoun County, MS (66.0); Union County, MS (51.3).

  • 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 Pontotoc County?

    Pontotoc County, Mississippi has a population of approximately 31,535 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.