About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in Jackson Parish, Louisiana, is not working
In Jackson Parish, 34.3% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 84% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jackson Parish's score
In Jackson Parish, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 84.1. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 80.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jackson Parish: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Jackson Parish does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.2%, fiscal year 2027) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (16.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 84.1 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202673rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working34.3% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 80.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.5% · August 202569th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people305.2 · 202591st percentile
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- 79.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.3% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.4% · August 202566th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score52.4% · second quarter of 202684th percentile
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- 72.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.8% · 202479th percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.0% · 202484th percentile
- People with a disability18.2% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- People without health insurance7.7% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,711 · 202481st percentile
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- 36.7 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent16.4% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.2% · fiscal year 202733rd percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; 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 Sep 2026.
Where the money in Jackson Parish comes from
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 Jackson Parish, 20.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jackson Parish
Louisiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Jackson Parish, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 36.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Jackson Parish, Louisiana, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jackson Parish getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 18.3% in 2013 to 22.3% in 2014.
The share of households in Jackson Parish getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 13.5% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Jackson Parish, Louisiana.
How Jackson Parish has changed
Jackson Parish's population had its largest drop, from 16,927 in 1984 to 16,035 in 1989.
Jackson Parish's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and is down 14% since
High on the chart: 17,156 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jackson Parish, Louisiana.
The number of jobs located in Jackson Parish had its largest drop, from 4,132 in 2000 to 3,516 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Jackson Parish fell to its lowest on the chart in 2020, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 3,339 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jackson Parish, Louisiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.0% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.7% | 2024 17.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,792 | 2024 $55,711 |
The table uses 4.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.6% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Jackson Parish's history
1845
Founded in 1845 from parts of Claiborne, Ouachita, and Union Parishes. Wikipedia
1845
Founded after Indian Removal. Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 17,807. The 2020 Census counted 15,031, 84% of the peak. Census Bureau
1961
A tornado in September 1961 killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1964
Deacons for Defense and Justice—armed civil rights self-defense. Wikipedia
2019
A tornado in May 2019 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1989
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jackson Parish, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jackson Parish beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Jackson Parish score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Jackson Parish ranks 3rd of the six; Bienville Parish is highest, at 41.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bienville Parish, LA | 95 | 25.8% | 41.9% |
| Caldwell Parish, LA | 95 | 21.8% | 40.2% |
| Winn Parish, LA | 92 | 23.7% | 32.8% |
| Ouachita Parish, LA | 90 | 19.6% | 29.1% |
| Lincoln Parish, LA | 87 | 25.5% | 24.0% |
| Jackson Parish, LA | 84 | 17.8% | 36.3% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 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 Jackson Parish the poorest county in Louisiana?
No, Jackson Parish's poverty rate was 17.8% in 2024, 45th highest of 64 in Louisiana (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is East Carroll Parish, at 44.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Jackson Parish ranks 39th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jackson Parish
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Acadiana Legal Service Corporation
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, 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 Jackson Parish · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Jackson Parish comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.