About one in three people in Sumter County, Alabama, lives below the poverty line
In Sumter County, 32.6% of people lived below the poverty line (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 97% of U.S. counties.
What drives Sumter County's score
In Sumter County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 93.0. Bankruptcy filings ran at 332.6 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 93% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 92.3.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Sumter County does better than most counties on one measure: renters paying half their income or more in rent (15.3%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Sumter County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 93.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector39.0% · August 202592nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people332.6 · 202593rd percentile
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- 92.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind11.6% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a credit card behind8.3% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.6% · Q4 202595th percentile
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- 85.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line41.2% · 202495th percentile
- People with a disability21.3% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$36,855 · 202495th percentile
- People below the poverty line32.6% · 202495th percentile
- People without health insurance8.6% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
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- 79.0 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working36.9% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.4% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202662nd percentile
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- 64.2 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income30.0% · fiscal year 202795th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent15.3% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Aug 2026.
Where the money in Sumter County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Sumter County
Alabama
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Sumter County in 2024, pay from work was 48 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 13 cents. Benefit checks were 40 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 18 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Sumter County, benefit checks rose from 18 to 40 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Sumter County, Alabama: 39.7% and 47.6% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 39.7% of all personal income in Sumter County, Alabama (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Sumter County, 19.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Sumter County has changed
The number of people living in Sumter County fell by about four in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 17,993 to 11,607. The number of jobs located there fell by about four in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 9.8% in 1990 to 4.2% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 17,993 | 2024 11,607 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 4,859 | 2024 2,849 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.8% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 37.5% | 2024 32.6% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $14,425 | 2024 $36,855 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 17.6% | 2024 39.7% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Sumter County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 32,710. The 2020 Census counted 12,345, 38% of the peak. Census Bureau
1830
1830 Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek: Choctaw Nation ceded land that became Sumter County; federal government removed most Choctaw to Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma. Wikipedia
1832
Established December 18, 1832. Wikipedia
2003
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
Heavy rain: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Tornado: $6.88 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Tornado: $3.91 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Sumter County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Sumter County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Sumter County, in Alabama and Mississippi, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Sumter County ranks 3rd of the eight; Kemper County is highest, at 44.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greene County, AL | 99 | 33.7% | 44.3% |
| Noxubee County, MS | 99 | 27.4% | 38.8% |
| Sumter County, AL | 97 | 32.6% | 39.7% |
| Kemper County, MS | 94 | 25.4% | 44.7% |
| Choctaw County, AL | 93 | 21.9% | 39.2% |
| Marengo County, AL | 92 | 21.6% | 34.2% |
| Pickens County, AL | 92 | 22.0% | 36.2% |
| Lauderdale County, MS | 92 | 20.0% | 29.7% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Sumter County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, Sumter County's poverty rate was 32.6% in 2024, 4th highest of 67 in Alabama (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Bullock County, at 36.7%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Sumter County ranks 9th of 67 in the state.
Sumter County in photographs
Places in Sumter County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
The Sumter County Alabama Courthouse in Livingston, Alabama.
Sumter County, Alabama: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Sumter County, Alabama?
32.6% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in three people. Among children it was 41.2%.
Is Sumter County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, Sumter County's poverty rate was 32.6% in 2024, 4th highest of 67 in Alabama (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Bullock County, at 36.7%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Sumter County ranks 9th of 67 in the state.
What is the population of Sumter County, Alabama?
About 11,607 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 12,345, 38% of the county's peak of 32,710 in 1900.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Sumter County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Legal Services Alabama
Legal aid
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Alabama State Bar Lawyer Referral Service
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Sumter County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Sumter County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.