About two in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Amite County, Mississippi, are not working
In Amite County, 40.7% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives Amite County's score
In Amite County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 89.4. About one in four people (24.2%, 2020 to 2024) has a disability, a higher share than in 94% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 84.7.
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.
Amite 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 Amite 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.
- 89.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line29.7% · 202491st percentile
- People with a disability24.2% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$48,604 · 202493rd percentile
- People below the poverty line22.0% · 202491st percentile
- People without health insurance11.4% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
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- 84.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind11.2% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.8% · August 202570th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.6% · Q4 202589th percentile
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- 80.4 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working40.7% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.5% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202665th percentile
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- 76.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.1% · August 202564th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people281.3 · 202588th percentile
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- 49.6 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 income22.3% · fiscal year 202765th 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 Amite 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
Amite County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Amite County in 2024, pay from work was 53 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 13 cents. Benefit checks were 35 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 13 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Amite County, benefit checks rose from 13 to 35 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Amite County, Mississippi: 34.6% and 52.7% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 34.6% of all personal income in Amite 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 Amite County, 26.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Amite County has changed
The number of people living in Amite County fell by about one in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 13,945 to 12,451. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.1% in 1990 to 4.8% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 13,945 | 2024 12,451 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,107 | 2024 2,038 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.1% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 27.4% | 2024 22.0% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $15,952 | 2024 $48,604 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 12.9% | 2024 34.6% |
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 Amite County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 22,954. The 2020 Census counted 12,720, 55% of the peak. Census Bureau
1809
Amite County was established in February 1809 from the eastern portion of Wilkinson County. Wikipedia
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Since 1965
29 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Amite County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Amite County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Amite County, in Mississippi and Louisiana, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Amite County ranks 4th of the eight; Wilkinson County is highest, at 43.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilkinson County, MS | 99 | 31.6% | 43.4% |
| Pike County, MS | 98 | 21.4% | 39.1% |
| St. Helena Parish, LA | 95 | 20.8% | 31.4% |
| Tangipahoa Parish, LA | 94 | 19.4% | 29.8% |
| Amite County, MS | 91 | 22.0% | 34.6% |
| Franklin County, MS | 89 | 18.8% | 38.1% |
| Lincoln County, MS | 88 | 16.2% | 29.0% |
| East Feliciana Parish, LA | 64 | 18.4% | 31.7% |
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 Amite County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Amite County's poverty rate was 22.0% in 2024, 25th 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, Amite County ranks 38th of 82 in the state.
Amite County in photographs
Places in Amite County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Courthouse, Amite County, Mississippi.
Bottomland mixed hardwood-spruce pine forest along the West Fork Amite River at the Ethel Stratton Vance Natural Area, dominated by southern magnolia, American beech, spruce pine, and.
Amite County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Amite County, Mississippi?
22.0% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 29.7%.
Is Amite County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Amite County's poverty rate was 22.0% in 2024, 25th 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, Amite County ranks 38th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Amite County, Mississippi?
About 12,451 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 12,720, 55% of the county's peak of 22,954 in 1910.
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 Amite 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.
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 Amite County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.