Newton County

Newton County prices at $146,319 median put it firmly in the affordable tier, ranking 99th percentile on affordability across the 1,000 counties in this dataset. The price-to-rent story, however, is incomplete: the dataset does not supply a median rent or rent-to-price ratio for Newton, and the cap rate, cash-on-cash return, and estimated cash flow fields all return zero. That means any underwrite you build here has to start from your own rent comps, not from a published figure. What the data does confirm is that home prices slipped 1.96% year over year, which matters less as a risk flag and more as a negotiating environment: sellers are not in a position of strength. The overall score of 61 out of 100, landing at the 56th national percentile and 28th out of 80 Mississippi counties, reflects a market that is neither a standout nor a basket case.

Without a published rent-to-price ratio, you cannot firmly place Newton on the cash-flow versus appreciation spectrum using this data alone. The appreciation score of 40 and the negative price trend suggest this is not a market where you buy and wait for equity gains to do the heavy lifting. The affordability score of 99 and the low entry price of $146,319 are the real draw. If your rent comps support a gross yield above 8%, the low purchase price makes cash flow plausible at modest leverage. The cash-flow score of 0 is a warning, not a verdict, but it signals that the dataset could not confirm positive cash flow at current market rents, which means you need to verify local rents carefully before committing capital. This county suits a value-add operator or a buyer who can acquire below median, force rents through renovation, and manufacture yield that the market itself is not handing over organically.

No economic anchors or employer data were provided for Newton County, so job-base and rental demand drivers cannot be assessed from this dataset. With a population of 21,275, Newton is a small county, and small markets carry concentration risk by definition: a single employer exit or a demographic shift has an outsized effect on vacancy and rent levels that a larger metro would absorb more easily. That thinness in the tenant pool is the single most important qualitative factor to verify on the ground before buying here.

The combined monthly tax and insurance burden on a median-priced acquisition runs $160, using the state-average effective property tax rate of 0.81% and an insurance rate of 0.50%. The 0.81% rate is flagged as normal, which means it is neither a tailwind nor a headwind, but the honest caveat applies: that figure is a state-average estimate from Tax Foundation 2024 data, and your actual Newton County or township assessment could differ materially. Budget $160 per month as a starting point, then confirm the county millage rate before closing. Mississippi's insurance environment can vary significantly by geography, and 0.50% should be treated as a floor estimate worth verifying with a local carrier.

The primary risks here are market thinness and data opacity. A population of 21,275 means the rentable universe is limited. Negative price appreciation of 1.96% year over year in a small market can reflect genuine softness in demand or can be statistical noise on thin transaction volume; either way, it is not a signal to ignore. Regulatory risk is not flagged by the data, and vacancy and crime statistics are not available in this dataset, so those dimensions require independent diligence.

Comparing Newton to its neighbors clarifies where it sits. Forrest County prices at $182,639 with a rent-to-price ratio of 7.34% and Harrison County at $220,811 with a ratio of 7.55% both offer better-documented yield profiles, more population mass, and comparable overall scores of 62 versus Newton's 61. DeSoto County at $295,634 and a 7.04% rent-to-price ratio sits at the premium end and still delivers a documented yield. Pike County, at $97,344 median and a 61 overall score matching Newton, is the cheaper entry point but supplies no rent data either. If your priority is yield confidence and you have capital for a slightly higher entry price, Forrest or Harrison give you a published rent-to-price ratio to underwrite against and meaningfully larger tenant pools. Choose Newton over its neighbors specifically when you identify a property well below the $146,319 median, have independent rent comps showing a gross yield above what the neighbor markets offer, and are comfortable with the execution risk that comes with a thinner market.