Smith County, Mississippi

County Distress Index: Elevated · 52.5 | 14,099 people · 72nd most distressed in Mississippi
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Smith County, MS registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 52.5 — 1410th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Community Vulnerability, where uninsured and disability rates are well above the national average. Within Mississippi, it ranks 72nd of 82 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 6 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Smith County's primary driver is Community Vulnerability at 83.4 — worse than roughly 83% of U.S. counties.

Community Vulnerability Primary driver 83.4
Uninsured Rate 86
Disability Rate 81
Debt & Delinquency 71.7
Debt in Collections 54
Medical Debt 32
Student Loan Delinquency 91
Auto Loan Delinquency 82
Credit Card Delinquency 87
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 85
Income & Poverty 58.6
Poverty Rate 72
Income vs. State Median 29
Child Poverty Rate 75
Employment & Wages 32.4
Unemployment Rate 30
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 12
Business Formation Rate 55
Housing Cost Burden 16.6
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 12
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 5
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 35
Homeownership Rate 5
Rent-to-Income Ratio 26

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Smith County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Smith County
Smith County, MS 52.5 Elevated —
Scott County, MS 62.2 Elevated +9.7
Jasper County, MS 61.4 Elevated +8.8
Simpson County, MS 60.0 Elevated +7.4
Newton County, MS 59.2 Elevated +6.7
Jones County, MS 57.9 Elevated +5.4
Covington County, MS 52.9 Elevated +0.3
Rankin County, MS 44.5 Normal -8.0

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Smith County
Cheboygan County, MI 52.5 Elevated -0.0
Hillsdale County, MI 52.5 Elevated -0.0
Hampshire County, WV 52.5 Elevated -0.0
Wythe County, VA 52.5 Elevated -0.0
Sanilac County, MI 52.5 Elevated -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Smith County

Find an Attorney

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 Smith 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 Smith County, Mississippi?

    Smith County has a County Distress Index score of 52.5 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,410th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 72nd in Mississippi out of 82 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Smith County?

    The primary driver of distress in Smith County is Community Vulnerability, where the county scores 83.4 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Uninsured Rate, Disability Rate.

  • How does Smith County compare to neighboring counties?

    Smith County (52.5) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Scott County, MS (62.2); Jasper County, MS (61.4); Simpson County, MS (60.0).

  • 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 Smith County?

    Smith County, Mississippi has a population of approximately 14,099 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.