Mississippi County, Missouri
County Distress Index score and five-domain breakdown for Mississippi County. Population: 11,822 (small).
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17
Mississippi County, MO shows significant household financial distress with a score of 76.6 — 37th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Missouri, it ranks 5th of 115 counties. It scores higher than all 7 of its neighboring counties.
Five-Domain Breakdown
How Mississippi County compares to all U.S. counties across five dimensions of financial distress. Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed.
Income & Poverty
Primary DriverCommunity Vulnerability
Debt & Delinquency
Housing Cost Burden
Employment & Wages
How Mississippi County Compares
Neighboring Counties
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi County, MO | 76.6 | Serious Stress | — |
| Fulton County, KY | 72.6 | Serious Stress | -4.0 |
| New Madrid County, MO | 65.7 | Serious Stress | -10.9 |
| Alexander County, IL | 65.3 | Serious Stress | -11.4 |
| Scott County, MO | 56.3 | Elevated | -20.4 |
| Hickman County, KY | 53.1 | Elevated | -23.6 |
Population Peers
Counties with similar population (small) and closest distress scores nationally.
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bolivar County, MS | 76.5 | Serious Stress | -0.1 |
| Seminole County, OK | 76.8 | Serious Stress | +0.1 |
| McIntosh County, OK | 76.8 | Serious Stress | +0.1 |
| Lauderdale County, TN | 76.4 | Serious Stress | -0.2 |
| Scotland County, NC | 76.8 | Serious Stress | +0.2 |
Download Data
Export all distress indicators for Mississippi County as a CSV file.
Resources
Mississippi County scores in the Serious Stress zone. If you or someone you know is experiencing financial hardship, free help is available.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the distress score for Mississippi County, Missouri?
Mississippi County has a County Distress Index score of 76.6 out of 100, placing it in the Serious Stress zone. It ranks 37th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 5th in Missouri out of 115 counties.
What drives financial distress in Mississippi County?
The primary driver of distress in Mississippi County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 85.7 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.
How does Mississippi County compare to neighboring counties?
Mississippi County (76.6) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Fulton County, KY (72.6); New Madrid County, MO (65.7); Alexander County, IL (65.3).
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 Mississippi County?
Mississippi County, Missouri has a population of approximately 11,822 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.