Union County, Mississippi

County Distress Index: Elevated · 51.3 | 28,284 people · 74th most distressed in Mississippi
American Default Research

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Union County, MS registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 51.3 — 1488th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Debt & Delinquency, where residents carry heavy debt burdens with elevated delinquency and collections rates. Within Mississippi, it ranks 74th of 82 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 5 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Union County's primary driver is Debt & Delinquency at 87.0 — worse than roughly 87% of U.S. counties.

Debt & Delinquency Primary driver 87.0
Debt in Collections 65
Medical Debt 79
Student Loan Delinquency 98
Auto Loan Delinquency 93
Credit Card Delinquency 93
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 95
Community Vulnerability 75.8
Uninsured Rate 74
Disability Rate 78
Income & Poverty 47.9
Poverty Rate 61
Income vs. State Median 24
Child Poverty Rate 59
Housing Cost Burden 26.1
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 30
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 17
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 8
Homeownership Rate 48
Rent-to-Income Ratio 27
Employment & Wages 19.7
Unemployment Rate 8
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 8
Business Formation Rate 44

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Union County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Union County
Union County, MS 51.3 Elevated —
Marshall County, MS 72.1 Serious +20.8
Benton County, MS 61.0 Elevated +9.6
Tippah County, MS 58.6 Elevated +7.3
Pontotoc County, MS 55.5 Elevated +4.2
Prentiss County, MS 53.8 Elevated +2.5
Lee County, MS 48.1 Normal -3.2
Lafayette County, MS 47.1 Normal -4.2

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Union County
Bosque County, TX 51.3 Elevated 0.0
Calhoun County, TX 51.3 Elevated -0.0
Monroe County, MS 51.4 Elevated +0.0
Beauregard Parish, LA 51.4 Elevated +0.0
Chippewa County, MI 51.3 Elevated -0.0

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Union County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Union County

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Mississippi Bar Lawyer Referral offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Mississippi Bar Lawyer Referral 601-948-4471

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Union County residents at no cost.

Mississippi Center for Legal Services 1-800-498-1804
North Mississippi Rural Legal Services 1-800-898-8731

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Union County, Mississippi?

    Union County has a County Distress Index score of 51.3 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,488th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 74th in Mississippi out of 82 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Union County?

    The primary driver of distress in Union County is Debt & Delinquency, where the county scores 87.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Debt in Collections, Medical Debt, Student Loan Delinquency.

  • How does Union County compare to neighboring counties?

    Union County (51.3) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Marshall County, MS (72.1); Benton County, MS (61.0); Tippah County, MS (58.6).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Union County?

    Union County, Mississippi has a population of approximately 28,284 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.