About one in five people in Pontotoc County, Mississippi, has a disability
In Pontotoc County, 19.0% of people reported a disability (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 74% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 69% of U.S. counties.
What drives Pontotoc County's score
In Pontotoc County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 84.5. About one in three people (35.0%, Q4 2025) has a subprime credit score, a higher share than in 87% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 79.8.
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.
Pontotoc County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (10.0%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.5%, fiscal year 2027).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Pontotoc 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.
- 84.5 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.6% · August 202579th percentile
- People with a credit card behind8.2% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.0% · Q4 202587th percentile
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- 79.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.8% · August 202563rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people402.7 · 202596th percentile
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- 72.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line21.8% · 202471st percentile
- People with a disability19.0% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,898 · 202470th percentile
- People below the poverty line14.9% · 202464th percentile
- People without health insurance12.2% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
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- 51.5 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.2% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.6% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202633rd percentile
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- 19.3 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 income18.5% · fiscal year 202726th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent10.0% · 2020 to 202412th 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 Pontotoc 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
Pontotoc County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Pontotoc County in 2024, pay from work was 60 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 13 cents. Benefit checks were 27 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 13 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Pontotoc County, benefit checks rose from 13 to 27 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Pontotoc County, Mississippi: 27.0% and 60.3% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 27.0% of all personal income in Pontotoc 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 Pontotoc County, 15.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Pontotoc County has changed
The number of people living in Pontotoc County grew by about 84% between 1969 and 2024, from 17,428 to 32,014. The number of jobs located there grew by about 43% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.1% in 1990 to 3.8% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 17,428 | 2024 32,014 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 8,213 | 2024 11,759 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.1% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.7% | 2024 14.9% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $21,010 | 2024 $59,898 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 12.5% | 2024 27.0% |
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 Pontotoc County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 31,184, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1937
Works Progress Administration post office built during Great Depression. Wikipedia
1997
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
Thunderstorm wind: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
Tornado: $28 million in property damage, six deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1971
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Pontotoc County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Pontotoc County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Pontotoc County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Pontotoc County ranks 4th of the six; Chickasaw County is highest, at 39.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chickasaw County, MS | 93 | 23.1% | 39.9% |
| Calhoun County, MS | 83 | 18.6% | 39.8% |
| Lee County, MS | 78 | 16.2% | 24.3% |
| Union County, MS | 70 | 14.0% | 28.7% |
| Pontotoc County, MS | 69 | 14.9% | 27.0% |
| 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 Pontotoc County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Pontotoc County's poverty rate was 14.9% in 2024, 75th 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, Pontotoc County ranks 73rd of 82 in the state.
Pontotoc County in photographs
Places in Pontotoc County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
The Pontotoc County courthouse in Pontotoc, Mississippi.
Photo: Michaelswikiusername at English Wikipedia via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Pontotoc, MS, February 26, 2001 -- An automobile was lifted from the Liberty Street roadway and slammed into a tree during the February 24th tornado.
Pontotoc County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Pontotoc County, Mississippi?
14.9% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 21.8%.
Is Pontotoc County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Pontotoc County's poverty rate was 14.9% in 2024, 75th 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, Pontotoc County ranks 73rd of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Pontotoc County, Mississippi?
About 32,014 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 31,184, the most of any census.
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 Pontotoc 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 1,311 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 Pontotoc 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 Pontotoc County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.