About one in five people in Tishomingo County, Mississippi, has a disability
In Tishomingo County, 21.3% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 86% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Tishomingo County's score
In Tishomingo County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 72.0. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 69.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Tishomingo 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.
Tishomingo County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.4%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and people with a car or retail loan behind (3.8%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 72.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.7% · 202468th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.1% · 202460th percentile
- People with a disability21.3% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- People without health insurance9.6% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,250 · 202480th percentile
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- 69.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.7% · August 202548th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people302.6 · 202591st percentile
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- 60.0 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 rent24.5% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.3% · fiscal year 202734th percentile
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- 60.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.9% · August 202572nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.8% · August 202528th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score49.4% · second quarter of 202678th percentile
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- 42.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202628th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.7% · 2020 to 202456th 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 Tishomingo 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 Tishomingo County, 21.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Tishomingo County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Tishomingo County had its largest rise, from 14.3% in 1979 to 22.8% in 1984.
In Tishomingo County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 34.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Tishomingo County, Mississippi, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Tishomingo County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.2% in 2012 to 13.3% in 2013.
The share of households in Tishomingo County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 8.9%
Low on the chart: 8.2% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Tishomingo County, Mississippi.
How Tishomingo County has changed
Tishomingo County's population rose by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18,553, with most of the change between 1974 and 1979
High on the chart: 19,552 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Tishomingo County, Mississippi.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Tishomingo County rose by about a fifth from 1990 to 2025, reaching 6,317, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 6,520 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Tishomingo County, Mississippi.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 12.9% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.5% | 2024 15.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,618 | 2024 $56,250 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 3.4% 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 Tishomingo County's history
1836
Organized February 9, 1836, from Chickasaw lands ceded to the United States. Wikipedia
1904
Mineral spring water from Iuka won first prize for purest and best mineral water at 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. Wikipedia
1999
A flash flood in January 1999 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A flash flood in August 2004 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 19,593. The 2020 Census counted 18,850, 96% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
A flash flood in September 2011 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A tornado in March 2019 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Tishomingo County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Tishomingo County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Tishomingo County, in Mississippi, Tennessee and Alabama, four score higher. Of the group, Tishomingo County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (34.2%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardin County, TN | 85 | 18.0% | 33.8% |
| Prentiss County, MS | 79 | 20.3% | 34.1% |
| Colbert County, AL | 73 | 14.9% | 30.2% |
| Alcorn County, MS | 73 | 15.4% | 33.0% |
| Tishomingo County, MS | 68 | 15.7% | 34.2% |
| Franklin County, AL | 65 | 17.9% | 30.1% |
| Itawamba County, MS | 60 | 18.7% | 31.4% |
| Lauderdale County, AL | 55 | 12.8% | 28.4% |
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 Tishomingo County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Tishomingo County's poverty rate was 15.7% in 2024, 71st 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, Tishomingo County ranks 75th of 82 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Tishomingo 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.
Download the CSV for Tishomingo 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 Tishomingo County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.