Jefferson Davis County

Jefferson Davis County sits at a median home price of $99,263, which is among the lowest entry points you will find anywhere in the country. The county ranks in the 81st national percentile overall with a score of 70 out of 100, and it earns a perfect 100 on affordability. What the data does not provide is a rent figure or cap rate, which means the cash-flow score coming in at zero reflects missing inputs rather than a confirmed zero-yield market. Appreciation is modest, with a 1.22% year-over-year price gain, and the score of 62 on appreciation is respectable but not exceptional. The price-to-rent ratio cannot be calculated from the available data, so investors should treat underwriting here as a ground-level research exercise: pull actual rents from the local MLS or property management contacts before committing any capital.

At a $99,263 purchase price with a 20% down payment of roughly $19,853, the dollar-in is low enough that even thin gross yields can produce acceptable cash-on-cash returns if rents hold. The stability score of 50 suggests this is not a set-it-and-forget-it market, and the 1.22% annual appreciation rate tells you this county is not pricing in a lot of near-term growth. That combination positions Jefferson Davis as a potential cash-flow play rather than an appreciation story, but it requires an investor who can verify local rent levels, because the tool's data gap on rents is real and material. A value-add operator willing to buy distressed single-family stock at or below the $99K median and spend $15,000 to $25,000 on renovation could see meaningful percentage gains in both rent and resale, given how low the absolute numbers are. Appreciation buyers who need 6-8% annual price growth should look elsewhere; the 1.22% gain does not support that thesis.

No economic anchor data was provided for Jefferson Davis County, so the analysis cannot speak to specific employers or job drivers. What the population figure of 11,291 does tell you is that this is a small, rural county. Thin population bases create real concentration risk: one plant closure or one highway bypass that shifts commerce can move vacancy rates in a way that a city of 200,000 would absorb without noticing. Any underwrite here needs to account for the possibility that tenant demand is narrow and that finding qualified replacement tenants after a vacancy may take longer than in a metro market.

On carry costs, the combined monthly tax and insurance estimate comes in at $108, based on Mississippi's state-average effective property tax rate of 0.81% and an insurance rate of 0.50%. That is a manageable figure relative to a sub-$100K purchase, and the 0.81% rate earns a "normal" flag, meaning it is neither a tailwind nor a drag worth isolating on its underwrite. The honest caveat, stated in the underlying data, is that this is a state-average estimate from Tax Foundation 2024 figures, and actual Jefferson Davis County or township-level rates may differ. Pull the county assessor's current millage rates before finalizing numbers.

The small population and rural character are the primary risks here, and they are structural rather than cyclical. An 11,291-person county has a shallow renter pool. If local industry contracts, there is limited economic diversification to cushion the blow. The 1.22% appreciation rate is consistent with a county that has not seen meaningful in-migration pressure, and nothing in the data suggests that changes in the near term. Regulatory risk is not flagged in the data, but Mississippi is generally considered a landlord-friendly state, which is a qualitative positive for buy-and-hold investors.

Compared to its neighbors, Jefferson Davis offers the lowest entry price by a wide margin. Rankin County's median is $261,732 with a rent-to-price ratio of 7.95%, and Lauderdale County comes in at $122,775 with a rent-to-price ratio of 11.69%. That 11.69% figure in Lauderdale is notably higher than what can be inferred for Jefferson Davis, and Lauderdale carries an overall score of 72 versus Jefferson Davis's 70. If you can stomach a slightly higher purchase price, Lauderdale's published rent data and stronger implied yield make it the more underwrite-ready choice for an investor entering the market blind. Jefferson Davis makes sense over its neighbors specifically when an investor already has local market knowledge, a property management relationship, and confirmed rent comps, because the low absolute price means even a modest verified yield produces acceptable dollar returns on a small capital deployment.