About one in five people in Prentiss County, Mississippi, lives below the poverty line
In Prentiss County, 20.3% of people lived below the poverty line (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 78% of U.S. counties.
What drives Prentiss County's score
In Prentiss County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 87.8. People with a credit card behind: 11.0%, August 2025, higher than in 96% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 78.5.
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.
Prentiss County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (13.6%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, 12-month average (3.5%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Prentiss 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.
- 87.8 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.2% · August 202584th percentile
- People with a credit card behind11.0% · August 202596th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.8% · Q4 202581st percentile
-
- 78.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.2% · August 202561st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people385.9 · 202595th percentile
-
- 75.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line22.8% · 202475th percentile
- People with a disability18.8% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$48,711 · 202493rd percentile
- People below the poverty line20.3% · 202488th percentile
- People without health insurance7.8% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
-
- 48.5 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.7% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.5% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202629th percentile
-
- 45.2 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 income22.3% · fiscal year 202765th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent13.6% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
-
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 Prentiss 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
Prentiss County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Prentiss County in 2024, pay from work was 54 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 12 cents. Benefit checks were 34 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 Prentiss County, benefit checks rose from 13 to 34 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Prentiss County, Mississippi: 34.1% and 53.5% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 34.1% of all personal income in Prentiss 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 Prentiss County, 17.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Prentiss County has changed
The number of people living in Prentiss County grew by about 27% between 1969 and 2024, from 20,003 to 25,489. The number of jobs located there fell by about one in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 9.3% in 1990 to 3.6% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 20,003 | 2024 25,489 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 8,269 | 2024 7,229 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.3% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.9% | 2024 20.3% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $18,450 | 2024 $48,711 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 12.6% | 2024 34.1% |
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 Prentiss County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 25,556. The 2020 Census counted 25,008, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
1866
Mobile and Ohio Railroad line severely damaged in Civil War and financially strained railroad. Wikipedia
1870
Founded April 15, 1870. Wikipedia
1953
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
1967
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
Tornado: $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1973
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Prentiss County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Prentiss County beside its neighbors
Prentiss County scores higher than all six counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Prentiss County ranks 2nd of the seven; Tishomingo County is highest, at 34.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prentiss County, MS | 78 | 20.3% | 34.1% |
| Lee County, MS | 78 | 16.2% | 24.3% |
| Alcorn County, MS | 73 | 15.4% | 33.0% |
| Tippah County, MS | 72 | 16.2% | 32.8% |
| Union County, MS | 70 | 14.0% | 28.7% |
| Tishomingo County, MS | 66 | 15.7% | 34.2% |
| Itawamba County, MS | 60 | 18.7% | 31.4% |
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 Prentiss County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Prentiss County's poverty rate was 20.3% in 2024, 37th 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, Prentiss County ranks 63rd of 82 in the state.
Prentiss County in photographs
Places in Prentiss County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Prentiss County, Mississippi courthouse in Booneville, Mississippi, 23 Mar 2014.
Prentiss County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Prentiss County, Mississippi?
20.3% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 22.8%.
Is Prentiss County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Prentiss County's poverty rate was 20.3% in 2024, 37th 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, Prentiss County ranks 63rd of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Prentiss County, Mississippi?
About 25,489 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 25,008, 98% of the county's peak of 25,556 in 2000.
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 Prentiss 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.
-
Mississippi Center for Legal Services
Legal aid
-
North Mississippi Rural Legal Services
Legal aid
-
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 Prentiss 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 Prentiss County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.