Prentiss County, Mississippi

County Distress Index: Elevated · 53.8 | 25,135 people · 69th most distressed in Mississippi
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Prentiss County, MS registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 53.8 — 1301st 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 69th of 82 counties. Its score is in the middle of its 6 neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Prentiss County's primary driver is Debt & Delinquency at 79.0 — worse than roughly 79% of U.S. counties.

Debt & Delinquency Primary driver 79.0
Debt in Collections 61
Medical Debt 70
Student Loan Delinquency 66
Auto Loan Delinquency 85
Credit Card Delinquency 97
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 96
Income & Poverty 65.3
Poverty Rate 77
Income vs. State Median 43
Child Poverty Rate 76
Community Vulnerability 59.3
Uninsured Rate 54
Disability Rate 65
Employment & Wages 39.2
Unemployment Rate 13
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 43
Business Formation Rate 61
Housing Cost Burden 26.5
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 18
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 24
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 26
Homeownership Rate 24
Rent-to-Income Ratio 40

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Prentiss County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Prentiss County
Prentiss County, MS 53.8 Elevated —
Alcorn County, MS 61.1 Elevated +7.3
Tippah County, MS 58.6 Elevated +4.7
Tishomingo County, MS 55.7 Elevated +1.9
Union County, MS 51.3 Elevated -2.5
Lee County, MS 48.1 Normal -5.7
Itawamba County, MS 39.5 Normal -14.4

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Prentiss County
Allen County, KS 53.9 Elevated +0.0
McDowell County, NC 53.8 Elevated -0.0
Mifflin County, PA 53.8 Elevated -0.0
Cleburne County, AR 53.8 Elevated -0.1
Jennings County, IN 53.9 Elevated +0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Prentiss 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 Prentiss 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 Prentiss County, Mississippi?

    Prentiss County has a County Distress Index score of 53.8 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,301st nationally out of 3,144 counties and 69th in Mississippi out of 82 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Prentiss County?

    The primary driver of distress in Prentiss County is Debt & Delinquency, where the county scores 79.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Debt in Collections, Medical Debt, Student Loan Delinquency.

  • How does Prentiss County compare to neighboring counties?

    Prentiss County (53.8) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Alcorn County, MS (61.1); Tippah County, MS (58.6); Tishomingo County, MS (55.7).

  • 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 Prentiss County?

    Prentiss County, Mississippi has a population of approximately 25,135 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.