About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 in Tate County, Mississippi, is not working
In Tate County, 24.7% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 72% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 81% of U.S. counties.
What drives Tate County's score
In Tate County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 93.8. People with a car or retail loan behind: 12.6%, August 2025, higher than in 97% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 81.9.
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.
Tate County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, 12-month average (3.6%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.2%, fiscal year 2027).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Tate 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.
- 93.8 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind12.6% · August 202597th percentile
- People with a credit card behind9.9% · August 202594th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.8% · Q4 202589th percentile
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- 81.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.1% · August 202568th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people382.2 · 202595th percentile
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- 59.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line18.9% · 202459th percentile
- People with a disability16.6% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,786 · 202443rd percentile
- People below the poverty line15.0% · 202464th percentile
- People without health insurance11.1% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
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- 55.1 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 income19.2% · fiscal year 202733rd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent22.7% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
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- 53.0 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.7% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.6% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202633rd 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 Tate 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
Tate County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Tate County in 2024, pay from work was 61 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 12 cents. Benefit checks were 28 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 9 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Tate County, benefit checks rose from 9 to 28 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Tate County, Mississippi: 27.9% and 60.5% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 27.9% of all personal income in Tate 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 Tate County, 16.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Tate County has changed
The number of people living in Tate County grew by about 54% between 1969 and 2024, from 18,590 to 28,551. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 7.4% in 1990 to 3.7% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 18,590 | 2024 28,551 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 5,815 | 2024 6,361 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.4% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.6% | 2024 15.0% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $20,639 | 2024 $68,786 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 8.8% | 2024 27.9% |
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 Tate County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 28,886. The 2020 Census counted 28,064, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
1873
Organized in 1873 during Reconstruction, from portions of DeSoto, Marshall, and Tunica counties. Wikipedia
2002
Flash flood: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
Tornado: $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Tate County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Tate County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Tate County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Tate County ranks 4th of the six; Panola County is highest, at 34.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tunica County, MS | 99 | 25.0% | 33.1% |
| Marshall County, MS | 97 | 20.4% | 31.2% |
| Panola County, MS | 97 | 20.7% | 34.2% |
| Tate County, MS | 81 | 15.0% | 27.9% |
| DeSoto County, MS | 60 | 9.6% | 16.6% |
| Lafayette County, MS | 55 | 17.9% | 19.0% |
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 Tate County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Tate County's poverty rate was 15.0% in 2024, 74th 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, Tate County ranks 60th of 82 in the state.
Tate County in photographs
Places in Tate County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Vintage agricultural equipment in Tate County, Mississippi.
Photo: Thomas R Machnitzki (thomas@machnitzki.com) via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Vintage agricultural equipment in Tate County, Mississippi.
Photo: Thomas R Machnitzki (thomas@machnitzki.com) via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Tate County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Tate County, Mississippi?
15.0% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 18.9%.
Is Tate County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Tate County's poverty rate was 15.0% in 2024, 74th 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, Tate County ranks 60th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Tate County, Mississippi?
About 28,551 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 28,064, 97% of the county's peak of 28,886 in 2010.
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 Tate 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 1,311 approved agencies by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
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 Tate County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.