Tate County

Tate County scores an 84 on appreciation and sits at the 82nd percentile nationally across 1,000 counties ranked, yet its cash-flow score registers at zero. That gap tells you exactly where this market sits on the spectrum: it leans hard toward appreciation with very little current income to show for it. At a median home price of $249,045 and a 4.17% year-over-year price gain, the market is moving, but the rent-to-price math clearly isn't supporting positive carry at today's numbers. With an interest rate environment at 6.85% and no rent or cap rate data populated in the model, the income side of the ledger is thin enough that any cash-flow calculation depends heavily on the specific rent a buyer can achieve on a given asset. The affordability index of 77 suggests the county isn't wildly overpriced relative to incomes, which does provide some floor under values, but this is not a market where the numbers hand you a cap rate on a silver platter.

This county suits an appreciation-oriented buyer who can stomach neutral or slightly negative cash flow in the near term, betting on continued price gains from a base of $249,045 that is still well below national medians. A pure cash-flow buyer has no business here without a deal priced significantly below median, because the zero cash-flow score signals that at-market purchases won't pencil at current financing costs. A value-add operator with the ability to force rent upward through renovation has the best shot at bridging the cash-flow gap, but even then, the model's missing rent data is a caution flag: you need to do your own rent comp work before underwriting a target return. What the appreciation score of 84 suggests is that patient capital, held through a full cycle, has historically seen above-average gains in this part of Mississippi.

The economic anchors and economy note fields are absent from the provided data, so employer-level demand drivers cannot be assessed here. What can be said is that Tate County's population of 28,094 is small enough that rental demand will be sensitive to any single large employer adding or shedding workers. Thin population bases concentrate risk: a market of this size has fewer renters absorbing vacancies, and absorption periods can stretch when the economy softens. Any investor underwriting this county should independently verify the primary employment base and whether there are institutional or infrastructure anchors creating durable rental demand before committing capital.

On carry costs, the combined monthly tax and insurance figure comes to $272, based on a state-average effective property tax rate of 0.81% and an insurance rate of 0.5% applied to the $249,045 purchase price. That tax rate is flagged as normal, neither a meaningful headwind nor a tailwind, so it won't distort your underwrite the way a 1.5%+ rate would. Keep in mind that 0.81% is a state-average estimate per Tax Foundation 2024 data, and actual county or township rates in Tate may differ, so verify the assessor's current millage before closing. The insurance figure of $1,245 annually is worth watching given Mississippi's exposure to severe weather and the broader trend of carrier withdrawals or premium increases across Gulf-adjacent states. Budget conservatively on the insurance line and confirm coverage availability before contract.

Comparing Tate against its neighbors sharpens the picture considerably. Lauderdale County shows a rent-to-price ratio of 0.1169, meaning gross rent represents about 11.7% of median home price annually, a figure that typically supports cash flow at reasonable leverage. Lauderdale also carries a median price of $122,775, less than half of Tate's, and scores equally at 72 overall. If income is your primary objective, Lauderdale is the more logical allocation. Rankin County prices slightly above Tate at $261,732 but delivers a rent-to-price ratio of 0.0795 with a median rent of $1,733, which at least provides a real rent figure to underwrite. Rankin scores 69 overall, lower than Tate's 71. Alcorn, Monroe, and Pontotoc all price well below Tate, in the $160,000 to $214,000 range, with overall scores of 72 to 73. You choose Tate over its neighbors specifically when you believe its appreciation trajectory, 4.17% year-over-year with an 84 appreciation score, will compound enough to justify the cash-flow sacrifice relative to cheaper alternatives. If that appreciation thesis softens, the capital is better deployed in Lauderdale or one of the lower-priced neighbors where entry cost and yield math work together rather than against each other.