Wayne County, Mississippi

County Distress Index: Serious · 69.2 | 19,703 people · 18th most distressed in Mississippi
American Default Research

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Wayne County, MS shows significant household financial distress with a score of 69.2 — 249th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Community Vulnerability, where uninsured and disability rates are well above the national average. Within Mississippi, it ranks 18th of 82 counties. It scores higher than all 7 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Wayne County's primary driver is Community Vulnerability at 83.3 — worse than roughly 83% of U.S. counties.

Community Vulnerability Primary driver 83.3
Uninsured Rate 91
Disability Rate 75
Income & Poverty 82.5
Poverty Rate 89
Income vs. State Median 67
Child Poverty Rate 92
Debt & Delinquency 80.8
Debt in Collections 76
Medical Debt 41
Student Loan Delinquency 95
Auto Loan Delinquency 95
Credit Card Delinquency 87
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 90
Housing Cost Burden 62.1
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 87
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 89
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 70
Homeownership Rate 5
Rent-to-Income Ratio 60
Employment & Wages 37.3
Unemployment Rate 41
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 34
Business Formation Rate 36

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Wayne County
Wayne County, MS 69.2 Serious —
Perry County, MS 66.5 Serious -2.7
Clarke County, MS 63.8 Elevated -5.4
Greene County, MS 62.8 Elevated -6.4
Jasper County, MS 61.4 Elevated -7.8
Choctaw County, AL 58.1 Elevated -11.1
Jones County, MS 57.9 Elevated -11.3
Washington County, AL 44.3 Normal -24.9

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Wayne County
Bryan County, OK 69.2 Serious +0.0
Lake County, MI 69.2 Serious +0.0
Washington County, MO 69.2 Serious -0.0
Scott County, TN 69.2 Serious -0.0
Hughes County, OK 69.1 Serious -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Wayne County

Find an Attorney

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 Wayne 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 Wayne County, Mississippi?

    Wayne County has a County Distress Index score of 69.2 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 249th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 18th in Mississippi out of 82 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Wayne County?

    The primary driver of distress in Wayne County is Community Vulnerability, where the county scores 83.3 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Uninsured Rate, Disability Rate.

  • How does Wayne County compare to neighboring counties?

    Wayne County (69.2) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Perry County, MS (66.5); Clarke County, MS (63.8); Greene County, MS (62.8).

  • 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 Wayne County?

    Wayne County, Mississippi has a population of approximately 19,703 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.