About one in four people in Alcorn County, Mississippi, has a disability
In Alcorn County, 22.6% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 90% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 73% of U.S. counties.
What drives Alcorn County's score
In Alcorn County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 82.6. People with a credit card behind: 8.1%, August 2025, higher than in 85% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 75.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Alcorn County: 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.
Alcorn County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.2%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.9%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 82.6 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.1% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.5% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score51.5% · second quarter of 202683rd percentile
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- 75.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.4% · 202467th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.1% · 202465th percentile
- People with a disability22.6% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- People without health insurance10.9% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$54,635 · 202483rd percentile
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- 74.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.0% · August 202553rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people395.5 · 202596th percentile
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- 46.6 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 rent18.5% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.9% · fiscal year 202741st percentile
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- 39.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202619th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.2% · 2020 to 202459th 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 Alcorn County 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 Alcorn County, 19.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Alcorn County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Alcorn County had its largest rise, from 22.6% in 1999 to 28.4% in 2004.
In Alcorn County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 33.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Alcorn County, Mississippi, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Alcorn County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.7% in 2019 to 18.1% in 2020.
The share of households in Alcorn County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2022 and has since fallen to 16.1%
Low on the chart: 9.3% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Alcorn County, Mississippi.
How Alcorn County has changed
Alcorn County's population had its largest rise, from 29,167 in 1974 to 32,420 in 1979.
Alcorn County's population rose by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34,228
High on the chart: 36,868 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Alcorn County, Mississippi.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Alcorn County rose 8% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 2010 and 2015
High on the chart: 13,869 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Alcorn County, Mississippi.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.6% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.9% | 2024 15.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,892 | 2024 $54,635 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.2% 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 Alcorn County's history
1970
A tornado in April 1970 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A flash flood in October 2001 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 37,057. The 2020 Census counted 34,740, 94% of the peak. Census Bureau
2010
A flash flood in May 2010 did $4.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Alcorn County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Alcorn County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Alcorn County, in Mississippi and Tennessee, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Alcorn County ranks 6th of the seven; Hardeman County is highest, at 40.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardeman County, TN | 98 | 21.5% | 40.0% |
| Hardin County, TN | 85 | 18.0% | 33.8% |
| Prentiss County, MS | 79 | 20.3% | 34.1% |
| McNairy County, TN | 77 | 16.7% | 39.8% |
| Alcorn County, MS | 73 | 15.4% | 33.0% |
| Tippah County, MS | 72 | 16.2% | 32.8% |
| Tishomingo County, MS | 68 | 15.7% | 34.2% |
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 Alcorn County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Alcorn County's poverty rate was 15.4% in 2024, 72nd highest of 82 in Mississippi (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Issaquena County, at 55.7%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Alcorn County ranks 67th of 82 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Alcorn County
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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North Mississippi Rural Legal Services
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 Alcorn County · 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 Alcorn County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.