In Tunica County, Mississippi, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in three dollars of the typical household's income
In Tunica County, 30.6% of the median household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom at HUD's fair market rent (HUD and Census Bureau, HUD rent fiscal year 2027; household income 2024). That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 99% of U.S. counties.
What drives Tunica County's score
In Tunica County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 95.0. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 30.6% of the median household's income (fiscal year 2027), higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 95.0.
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.
Tunica County does better than most counties on one measure: people with a disability (10.5%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Tunica 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.
- 95.0 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorHUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income30.6% · fiscal year 202795th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent33.9% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
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- 95.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector42.2% · August 202595th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people498.2 · 202595th percentile
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- 95.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind19.6% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a credit card behind12.1% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score56.9% · Q4 202595th percentile
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- 89.4 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working33.2% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average5.2% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202684th percentile
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- 74.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line39.8% · 202495th percentile
- People with a disability10.5% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$45,292 · 202495th percentile
- People below the poverty line25.0% · 202495th percentile
- People without health insurance13.1% · 2020 to 202483rd 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 Tunica 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
Tunica County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Tunica County in 2024, pay from work was 50 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 17 cents. Benefit checks were 33 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 17 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Tunica County, benefit checks rose from 17 to 33 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Tunica County, Mississippi: 33.1% and 50.0% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 33.1% of all personal income in Tunica 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 Tunica County, 14.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Tunica County has changed
The number of people living in Tunica County fell by about three in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 12,378 to 9,157. The number of jobs located there more than doubled from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 13.3% in 1990 to 5.2% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 12,378 | 2024 9,157 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,134 | 2024 5,799 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 13.3% | 2025 5.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 56.0% | 2024 25.0% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $9,749 | 2024 $45,292 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 16.6% | 2024 33.1% |
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 Tunica County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 22,610. The 2020 Census counted 9,782, 43% of the peak. Census Bureau
1836
Tunica County founded in 1836. Wikipedia
1844
Mississippi River flood of 1844. Wikipedia
1962
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
1983
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Flood: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Flood: $1 billion in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Tunica County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Tunica County beside its neighbors
Tunica County scores higher than all eight counties that border it, in Mississippi and Arkansas. For the share of income from benefit checks, Tunica County ranks 6th of the nine; Quitman County is highest, at 50.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tunica County, MS | 99 | 25.0% | 33.1% |
| Crittenden County, AR | 99 | 22.5% | 31.3% |
| Phillips County, AR | 99 | 35.8% | 43.4% |
| Coahoma County, MS | 99 | 34.9% | 41.1% |
| Lee County, AR | 98 | 41.3% | 39.1% |
| Panola County, MS | 97 | 20.7% | 34.2% |
| Quitman County, MS | 97 | 31.9% | 50.3% |
| Tate County, MS | 81 | 15.0% | 27.9% |
| DeSoto County, MS | 60 | 9.6% | 16.6% |
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 Tunica County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Tunica County's poverty rate was 25.0% in 2024, 18th 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, Tunica County ranks 6th of 82 in the state.
Tunica County in photographs
Places in Tunica County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
TUNICA COUNTY COURTHOUSE 1922-1923 BEAUX ARTS.
Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Sam's Town Casino (Tunica, Mississippi).
Photo: Alberto Cabello from Vitoria Gasteiz via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Tunica County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Tunica County, Mississippi?
25.0% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in four people. Among children it was 39.8%.
Is Tunica County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Tunica County's poverty rate was 25.0% in 2024, 18th 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, Tunica County ranks 6th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Tunica County, Mississippi?
About 9,157 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 9,782, 43% of the county's peak of 22,610 in 1940.
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 Tunica 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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Tunica Co. Community Dev. Coalition
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Tunica 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 Tunica County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.