Winston County, Mississippi

County Distress Index: Serious · 65.2 | 17,416 people · 30th most distressed in Mississippi
American Default Research

Behind on your mortgage or facing eviction? Take a 2-minute assessment to see your options.

Winston County, MS shows significant household financial distress with a score of 65.2 — 484th 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 30th of 82 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Winston County's primary driver is Debt & Delinquency at 88.8 — worse than roughly 89% of U.S. counties.

Debt & Delinquency Primary driver 88.8
Debt in Collections 87
Medical Debt 84
Student Loan Delinquency 78
Auto Loan Delinquency 95
Credit Card Delinquency 94
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 95
Community Vulnerability 85.0
Uninsured Rate 75
Disability Rate 94
Income & Poverty 79.7
Poverty Rate 95
Income vs. State Median 49
Child Poverty Rate 95
Housing Cost Burden 48.8
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 42
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 67
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 17
Homeownership Rate 72
Rent-to-Income Ratio 46
Employment & Wages 23.9
Unemployment Rate 41
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 11
Business Formation Rate 20

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Winston County
Winston County, MS 65.2 Serious —
Noxubee County, MS 76.5 Serious +11.3
Kemper County, MS 69.5 Serious +4.3
Leake County, MS 65.5 Serious +0.2
Neshoba County, MS 61.4 Elevated -3.8
Oktibbeha County, MS 60.9 Elevated -4.4
Attala County, MS 59.7 Elevated -5.5
Choctaw County, MS 57.5 Elevated -7.7

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Winston County
Izard County, AR 65.2 Serious -0.1
Mariposa County, CA 65.3 Serious +0.1
Franklin Parish, LA 65.2 Serious -0.1
Crawford County, KS 65.2 Serious -0.1
Jackson County, TN 65.1 Serious -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Winston 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 Winston County residents at no cost.

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

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in Mississippi →

Continue Reading

Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Winston County has a County Distress Index score of 65.2 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 484th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 30th in Mississippi out of 82 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Winston County?

    The primary driver of distress in Winston County is Debt & Delinquency, where the county scores 88.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Debt in Collections, Medical Debt, Student Loan Delinquency.

  • How does Winston County compare to neighboring counties?

    Winston County (65.2) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Noxubee County, MS (76.5); Kemper County, MS (69.5); Leake County, MS (65.5).

  • 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 Winston County?

    Winston County, Mississippi has a population of approximately 17,416 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.