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. That is higher than in 72% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 80% 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 90.0. 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 looks at five parts of household money trouble in Tate 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.
Tate County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.5%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.2%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 90.0 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.9% · August 202594th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind12.6% · August 202597th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score49.3% · second quarter of 202678th 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
- People below the poverty line15.0% · 202464th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.9% · 202459th percentile
- People with a disability16.6% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- People without health insurance11.1% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,786 · 202443rd percentile
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- 55.1 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 rent22.7% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.2% · fiscal year 202733rd percentile
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- 53.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202633rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.7% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
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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 Tate 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 Tate County, 16.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Tate County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Tate County had its largest rise, from 19.6% in 2004 to 26.3% in 2009.
In Tate County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 27.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Tate County, Mississippi, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Tate County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 15.0% in 2019 to 11.5% in 2020.
The share of households in Tate County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 10.4%
Low on the chart: 9.7% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Tate County, Mississippi.
How Tate County has changed
Tate County's population rose by about half to 28,551, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 25,127. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Tate County, Mississippi.
The number of jobs located in Tate County had its largest rise in the last span, from 5,296 in 2020 to 6,604 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Tate County fell to its lowest on the chart in 2020, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 5,296 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Tate County, Mississippi.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.4% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.6% | 2024 15.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,639 | 2024 $68,786 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 3.5% 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 Tate County's history
1873
Organized in 1873 during Reconstruction, from portions of DeSoto, Marshall, and Tunica counties. Wikipedia
2002
A flash flood in October 2002 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
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
2025
A tornado in April 2025 did $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
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 | 96 | 20.7% | 34.2% |
| Tate County, MS | 80 | 15.0% | 27.9% |
| DeSoto County, MS | 59 | 9.6% | 16.6% |
| Lafayette County, MS | 53 | 17.9% | 19.0% |
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 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.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Tate 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.
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North Mississippi Rural Legal Services
Legal aid
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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.
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 Tate County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.