Unemployment in Rankin County, Mississippi, is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties
In Rankin County, 2.6% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 51% of U.S. counties.
What drives Rankin County's score
In Rankin County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 72.5. Jobs are the lowest part, at 14.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Rankin County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
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).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 72.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit 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
-
- 69.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.9% · August 202571st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.7% · August 202581st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.1% · second quarter of 202656th percentile
-
- 58.3 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent26.7% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.4% · fiscal year 202725th percentile
-
- 29.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.9% · 202414th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.0% · 202417th percentile
- People with a disability15.6% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- People without health insurance8.2% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$84,139 · 202415th percentile
-
- 14.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20266th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.1% · 2020 to 202422nd percentile
-
Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; 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 Sep 2026.
Where the money in Rankin County comes from
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 that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Rankin County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Rankin County rose most in two steps: 9.2% in 1989 to 11.9% in 1994; 14.3% in 2004 to 17.0% in 2009.
In Rankin County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 19.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Rankin County, Mississippi, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Rankin County getting SNAP food aid moved most in two steps: 7.4% in 2011 to 8.6% in 2012; 8.7% in 2016 to 7.5% in 2017.
The share of households in Rankin County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 5.5%
Low on the chart: 5.0% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Rankin County, Mississippi.
How Rankin County has changed
Rankin County's population had its largest rise, from 96,404 in 1994 to 112,881 in 1999.
Rankin County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 160,573, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 160,573. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Rankin County, Mississippi.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Rankin County more than doubled to 67,431, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 46,656. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Rankin County, Mississippi.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.3% | 2025 2.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.8% | 2024 8.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,150 | 2024 $84,139 |
The table uses 2.8% for 2025; the score uses 2.6% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Rankin County's history
1828
Founded February 4, 1828, from the portion of Hinds County lying east of the Pearl River. Wikipedia
1992
A tornado in November 1992 did $25 million in property damage and killed 10 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A tornado in April 2003 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Hail in March 2013 did $100 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Hail in March 2013 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 157,031, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
-
Since 1969
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Rankin County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
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 | 70 | 16.7% | 29.8% |
| Rankin County, MS | 48 | 8.9% | 19.7% |
| Madison County, MS | 37 | 9.9% | 12.4% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 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.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Rankin County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
-
Mississippi Center for Legal Services
Legal aid
-
HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, 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 Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- 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.