Unemployment in Rankin County, Mississippi, is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties
In Rankin County, 2.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 50% of U.S. counties.
What drives Rankin County's score
In Rankin County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 76.3. Jobs are the lowest part, at 14.2. Unemployment averaged 2.7%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
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.
Even so, Rankin County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (365.3, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (26.7%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Rankin 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.
- 76.3 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.7% · August 202581st percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.9% · August 202571st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.6% · Q4 202576th percentile
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- 72.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.3% · August 202550th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people365.3 · 202594th percentile
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- 58.3 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 income18.4% · fiscal year 202725th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent26.7% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
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- 29.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line11.0% · 202417th percentile
- People with a disability15.6% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$84,139 · 202415th percentile
- People below the poverty line8.9% · 202414th percentile
- People without health insurance8.2% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
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- 14.2 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.1% · 2020 to 202422nd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average2.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 20266th 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 Rankin 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
Rankin County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Rankin County in 2024, pay from work was 64 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 17 cents. Benefit checks were 20 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 6 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Rankin County, benefit checks rose from 6 to 20 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Rankin County, Mississippi: 19.7% and 63.8% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 19.7% of all personal income in Rankin 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 Rankin County, 16.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Rankin County has changed
The number of people living in Rankin County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 43,239 to 160,573. The number of jobs located there more than doubled from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 4.3% in 1990 to 2.8% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 43,239 | 2024 160,573 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 29,656 | 2024 67,059 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.3% | 2025 2.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.8% | 2024 8.9% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $29,150 | 2024 $84,139 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 5.8% | 2024 19.7% |
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 Rankin County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 157,031, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1828
Founded February 4, 1828, from the portion of Hinds County lying east of the Pearl River. Wikipedia
1992
Tornado: $25 million in property damage, 10 deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Tornado: $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Hail: $100 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Hail: $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Rankin County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Rankin County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Rankin County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Rankin County ranks 5th of the six; Simpson County is highest, at 35.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hinds County, MS | 98 | 22.2% | 26.8% |
| Simpson County, MS | 88 | 19.7% | 35.2% |
| Scott County, MS | 86 | 19.2% | 33.0% |
| Smith County, MS | 71 | 16.7% | 29.8% |
| Rankin County, MS | 49 | 8.9% | 19.7% |
| Madison County, MS | 40 | 9.9% | 12.4% |
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 Rankin County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Rankin County's poverty rate was 8.9% in 2024, the lowest 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, Rankin County ranks 80th of 82 in the state.
Rankin County in photographs
Places in Rankin County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Pearl River Cemetery, Rankin County, Mississippi.
Photo: NatalieMaynor from Jackson, Mississippi, USA via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Highway 18, Rankin County, Mississippi.
Rankin County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Rankin County, Mississippi?
8.9% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 11 people. Among children it was 11.0%.
Is Rankin County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Rankin County's poverty rate was 8.9% in 2024, the lowest 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, Rankin County ranks 80th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Rankin County, Mississippi?
About 160,573 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 157,031, 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 Rankin 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 1,313 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 Rankin 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 Rankin County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.