About one in five people in Tishomingo County, Mississippi, has a disability
In Tishomingo County, 21.3% of people reported a disability (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 86% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 66% 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. About one in five people (21.3%, 2020 to 2024) has a disability, a higher share than in 86% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 69.9.
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.
Tishomingo County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, 12-month average (3.5%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026) and people with a car or retail loan behind (3.8%, August 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Tishomingo 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.
- 72.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line19.1% · 202460th percentile
- People with a disability21.3% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,250 · 202480th percentile
- People below the poverty line15.7% · 202468th percentile
- People without health insurance9.6% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
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- 69.9 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
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.3% · fiscal year 202734th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent24.5% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
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- 55.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.8% · August 202529th percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.9% · August 202572nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score27.3% · Q4 202565th percentile
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- 42.6 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.7% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.5% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202628th 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 Tishomingo 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
Tishomingo County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Tishomingo County in 2024, pay from work was 52 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 13 cents. Benefit checks were 34 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 14 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Tishomingo County, benefit checks rose from 14 to 34 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Tishomingo County, Mississippi: 34.2% and 52.4% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 34.2% of all personal income in Tishomingo 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 Tishomingo County, 21.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Tishomingo County has changed
The number of people living in Tishomingo County grew by about 25% between 1969 and 2024, from 14,882 to 18,553. The number of jobs located there grew by about 16% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 12.9% in 1990 to 3.8% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 14,882 | 2024 18,553 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 5,289 | 2024 6,121 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 12.9% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.5% | 2024 15.7% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $18,618 | 2024 $56,250 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 14.1% | 2024 34.2% |
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 Tishomingo County's history
Largest decennial census count
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
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
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
Tornado: $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
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
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 | 84 | 18.0% | 33.8% |
| Prentiss County, MS | 78 | 20.3% | 34.1% |
| Colbert County, AL | 73 | 14.9% | 30.2% |
| Alcorn County, MS | 73 | 15.4% | 33.0% |
| Tishomingo County, MS | 66 | 15.7% | 34.2% |
| Franklin County, AL | 65 | 17.9% | 30.1% |
| Itawamba County, MS | 60 | 18.7% | 31.4% |
| Lauderdale County, AL | 54 | 12.8% | 28.4% |
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 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.
Tishomingo County in photographs
Places in Tishomingo County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Tishomingo County Courthouse in Iuka, Mississippi.
View of the Bear Creek Mound, located at mile 308.8 on the Natchez Trace Parkway east of Tishomingo in Tishomingo County, Mississippi, United States.
Photo: Unknown author Unknown author via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Tishomingo County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Tishomingo County, Mississippi?
15.7% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 19.1%.
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.
What is the population of Tishomingo County, Mississippi?
About 18,553 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 18,850, 96% of the county's peak of 19,593 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 Tishomingo 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.
Download the CSV for Tishomingo County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
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 Tishomingo County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.