About one in four people in Alcorn County, Mississippi, has a disability
In Alcorn County, 22.6% of people reported a disability (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). 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 83.6. About one in three people (34.3%, Q4 2025) has a subprime credit score, a higher share than in 86% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 75.7.
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.
Alcorn County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, 12-month average (3.2%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.9%, fiscal year 2027).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Alcorn 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.
- 83.6 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.5% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a credit card behind8.1% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.3% · Q4 202586th percentile
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- 75.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line20.1% · 202465th percentile
- People with a disability22.6% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$54,635 · 202483rd percentile
- People below the poverty line15.4% · 202467th percentile
- People without health insurance10.9% · 2020 to 202472nd 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
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.9% · fiscal year 202741st percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent18.5% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
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- 39.6 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.2% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.2% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202619th 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 Alcorn 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
Alcorn County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Alcorn County in 2024, pay from work was 53 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 14 cents. Benefit checks were 33 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 11 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Alcorn County, benefit checks rose from 11 to 33 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Alcorn County, Mississippi: 33.0% and 53.3% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 33.0% of all personal income in Alcorn County, Mississippi (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 Alcorn County, 19.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Alcorn County has changed
The number of people living in Alcorn County grew by about 26% between 1969 and 2024, from 27,126 to 34,228. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 9.6% in 1990 to 3.5% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 27,126 | 2024 34,228 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 12,339 | 2024 13,271 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.6% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.9% | 2024 15.4% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $20,892 | 2024 $54,635 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 10.9% | 2024 33.0% |
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 Alcorn County's history
Largest decennial census count
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
1970
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage, four deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
Flash flood: $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
Flash flood: $4.5 million in property damage, one death. 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
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
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 | 84 | 18.0% | 33.8% |
| Prentiss County, MS | 78 | 20.3% | 34.1% |
| McNairy County, TN | 76 | 16.7% | 39.8% |
| Alcorn County, MS | 73 | 15.4% | 33.0% |
| Tippah County, MS | 72 | 16.2% | 32.8% |
| Tishomingo County, MS | 66 | 15.7% | 34.2% |
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 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.
Alcorn County in photographs
Places in Alcorn County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Alcorn County Courthouse at Corinth, Mississippi in 2013.
Alcorn County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Alcorn County, Mississippi?
15.4% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 20.1%.
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.
What is the population of Alcorn County, Mississippi?
About 34,228 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 34,740, 94% of the county's peak of 37,057 in 2010.
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 Alcorn 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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Mississippi Center for Legal Services
Legal aid
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North Mississippi Rural Legal Services
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 Alcorn 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 Alcorn County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.