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USDA eligibility map: Mississippi

About 98.5% of Mississippi's area is in USDA-eligible rural areas, by HeritageDeed's estimate from USDA Rural Development's published eligibility map, the 14th highest share among the 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico. 71 of 82 counties have no ineligible area at all. 19 Census places in Mississippi lie mostly inside ineligible areas, including Gulfport city, Olive Branch city, Jackson city, Tupelo city and Hattiesburg city.

98.5%
of the area is USDA eligible (estimate)
717
square miles mapped ineligible
71 of 82
counties with no ineligible area
19
Census places mostly ineligible

Check a Mississippi address

USDA eligible area by county

The share of each county's area that is USDA eligible, and the places (cities, towns and census-designated places) at least half inside ineligible areas. These are estimates; check any single property with the lookup.

USDA eligible share of area and mostly ineligible places by county in Mississippi
countyArea eligibleMostly ineligible places
Adams County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Alcorn County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Amite County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Attala County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Benton County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Bolivar County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Calhoun County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Carroll County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Chickasaw County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Choctaw County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Claiborne County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Clarke County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Clay County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Coahoma County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Copiah County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Covington County100%None: the whole county is eligible
DeSoto County80.8%Olive Branch city, Southaven city, Horn Lake city
Forrest County89.9%Hattiesburg city
Franklin County100%None: the whole county is eligible
George County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Greene County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Grenada County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Hancock County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Harrison County78.2%Gulfport city, Biloxi city, D'Iberville city, Long Beach city
Hinds County82.6%Jackson city, Clinton city
Holmes County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Humphreys County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Issaquena County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Itawamba County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Jackson County95.9%Pascagoula city, Ocean Springs city
Jasper County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Jefferson County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Jefferson Davis County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Jones County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Kemper County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Lafayette County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Lamar County98.6%None mostly inside; part of the area is ineligible
Lauderdale County92.4%Meridian city
Lawrence County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Leake County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Lee County85.7%Tupelo city
Leflore County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Lincoln County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Lowndes County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Madison County93.2%Ridgeland city, Madison city
Marion County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Marshall County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Monroe County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Montgomery County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Neshoba County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Newton County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Noxubee County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Oktibbeha County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Panola County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Pearl River County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Perry County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Pike County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Pontotoc County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Prentiss County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Quitman County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Rankin County92.9%Brandon city, Pearl city
Scott County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Sharkey County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Simpson County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Smith County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Stone County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Sunflower County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Tallahatchie County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Tate County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Tippah County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Tishomingo County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Tunica County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Union County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Walthall County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Warren County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Washington County96.4%Greenville city
Wayne County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Webster County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Wilkinson County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Winston County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Yalobusha County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Yazoo County100%None: the whole county is eligible

How USDA decides what is rural

The rural-area definition is section 520 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1490): open country and places not part of or associated with an urban area with up to 2,500 people, up to 10,000 if rural in character, or up to 20,000 outside a metropolitan statistical area with a serious lack of mortgage credit for lower and moderate-income families. Areas that lost rural status in the 1990 to 2020 censuses stay rural until 2030 census data arrive if they have 10,000 to 35,000 people and meet the same conditions. Income is a separate test, applied to the household by the lender and USDA.

For other address-level designations in Mississippi, the free census tract lookup shows the income level and QCT and DDA status, and Mississippi has 100 designated Opportunity Zone tracts (Opportunity Zone lookup).

Questions

Is Mississippi eligible for USDA loans?

Much of it is. About 98.5% of the state's area is outside USDA's ineligible areas (717 of about 47,700 square miles are ineligible). 71 counties are entirely eligible. Most people live in the larger towns, which are often ineligible, so check the specific address.

Which Mississippi counties have the least USDA eligible area?

Harrison County (78.2% eligible), DeSoto County (80.8% eligible), Hinds County (82.6% eligible), Lee County (85.7% eligible), Forrest County (89.9% eligible). The share is of land area, by HeritageDeed's estimate from USDA's map; eligibility is decided for each property.

Which Mississippi towns are not eligible for USDA loans?

Places USDA's map shows as mostly inside an ineligible area include Gulfport city, Olive Branch city, Jackson city, Tupelo city, Hattiesburg city, Meridian city, Brandon city and Ridgeland city. The county table on this page lists every place that is mostly ineligible. Edges matter: part of a town, or land just outside it, can be on the other side of the line, so check the address.

How do I check a Mississippi address for USDA eligibility?

Enter the street address in the lookup on this page. It locates the address and checks it against USDA's published rural eligibility map. It is a screening: Rural Development makes the final determination on a complete application, and household income is a separate test (USDA's income eligibility tool).

When was the USDA eligibility map for Mississippi last updated?

The ineligible areas on USDA's map for Mississippi carry an effective date of July 25, 2023. USDA updates the map from ineligible-area changes sent in by its state offices. The statute keeps formerly rural areas of 10,000 to 35,000 people rural until data from the 2030 census arrive, if they still meet its conditions.

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Legal references

Areas are computed by HeritageDeed: estimates, not USDA figures. USDA's map is not a final determination; Rural Development decides on a complete application. HeritageDeed is not affiliated with USDA.

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