Pemiscot County, Missouri
County Distress Index score and five-domain breakdown for Pemiscot County. Population: 14,613 (small).
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17
Pemiscot County, MO ranks among the most financially distressed counties in America with a score of 82.9 — 1st 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 1st of 115 counties. It scores higher than all 5 of its neighboring counties.
Five-Domain Breakdown
How Pemiscot 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 Pemiscot County Compares
Neighboring Counties
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pemiscot County, MO | 82.9 | Crisis | — |
| Dunklin County, MO | 79.7 | Serious Stress | -3.2 |
| Lake County, TN | 74.2 | Serious Stress | -8.8 |
| Mississippi County, AR | 69.7 | Serious Stress | -13.2 |
| New Madrid County, MO | 65.7 | Serious Stress | -17.2 |
| Dyer County, TN | 58.8 | Elevated | -24.1 |
Population Peers
Counties with similar population (small) and closest distress scores nationally.
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petersburg city, VA | 82.0 | Crisis | -1.0 |
| Gadsden County, FL | 80.3 | Crisis | -2.6 |
| Wayne County, MO | 80.2 | Crisis | -2.7 |
| Dunklin County, MO | 79.7 | Serious Stress | -3.2 |
| Mitchell County, GA | 79.6 | Serious Stress | -3.3 |
Download Data
Export all distress indicators for Pemiscot County as a CSV file.
Resources
Pemiscot County scores in the Crisis zone. If you or someone you know is experiencing financial hardship, free help is available.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the distress score for Pemiscot County, Missouri?
Pemiscot County has a County Distress Index score of 82.9 out of 100, placing it in the Crisis zone. It ranks 1st nationally out of 3,144 counties and 1st in Missouri out of 115 counties.
What drives financial distress in Pemiscot County?
The primary driver of distress in Pemiscot County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 95.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.
How does Pemiscot County compare to neighboring counties?
Pemiscot County (82.9) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Dunklin County, MO (79.7); Lake County, TN (74.2); Mississippi County, AR (69.7).
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 Pemiscot County?
Pemiscot County, Missouri has a population of approximately 14,613 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.