About one in five people in Attala County, Mississippi, lives below the poverty line
In Attala County, 19.5% of people lived below the poverty line (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is higher than in 85% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 87% of U.S. counties.
What drives Attala County's score
In Attala County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 89.4. Bankruptcy filings ran at 414.8 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 88.2.
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.
Attala County does better than most counties on one measure: unemployment rate, 12-month average (3.7%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Attala 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
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector34.1% · August 202583rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people414.8 · 202595th percentile
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- 88.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.7% · August 202593rd percentile
- People with a credit card behind7.3% · August 202576th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.7% · Q4 202593rd percentile
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- 76.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line29.1% · 202490th percentile
- People with a disability16.8% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$49,806 · 202491st percentile
- People below the poverty line19.5% · 202485th percentile
- People without health insurance8.5% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
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- 63.5 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 income21.8% · fiscal year 202761st percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent20.7% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
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- 45.9 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.3% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202638th 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 Attala 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
Attala County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Attala County in 2024, pay from work was 52 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 12 cents. Benefit checks were 36 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 16 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Attala County, benefit checks rose from 16 to 36 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Attala County, Mississippi: 36.2% and 52.0% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 36.2% of all personal income in Attala 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 Attala County, 19.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Attala County has changed
The number of people living in Attala County fell by about one in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 19,823 to 17,222. The number of jobs located there fell by about two in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 10.2% in 1990 to 4.0% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 19,823 | 2024 17,222 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 5,356 | 2024 4,510 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.2% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 30.6% | 2024 19.5% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $14,438 | 2024 $49,806 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 15.9% | 2024 36.2% |
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 Attala County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 30,227. The 2020 Census counted 17,889, 59% of the peak. Census Bureau
1833
Founded in 1833. Wikipedia
1850
Choate family forcibly removed to Indian Territory Oklahoma in 1850 by Indian Removal Act. Wikipedia
1950
Tornado: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1992
Tornado: $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
Tornado: $60 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Tornado: $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Attala County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Attala County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Attala County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Attala County ranks 3rd of the eight; Holmes County is highest, at 54.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holmes County, MS | 100 | 34.3% | 54.4% |
| Montgomery County, MS | 97 | 22.8% | 43.8% |
| Winston County, MS | 93 | 22.0% | 34.7% |
| Attala County, MS | 87 | 19.5% | 36.2% |
| Leake County, MS | 87 | 20.8% | 32.6% |
| Choctaw County, MS | 85 | 20.6% | 33.9% |
| Carroll County, MS | 70 | 15.8% | 33.1% |
| Madison County, MS | 40 | 9.9% | 12.4% |
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 Attala County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Attala County's poverty rate was 19.5% in 2024, 46th 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, Attala County ranks 46th of 82 in the state.
Attala County in photographs
Places in Attala County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Attala County courthouse in Kosciusko, Mississippi, United States.
Aerial view of south-central Attala County and northwestern Leake County in Mississippi from an aircraft which departed from George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Attala County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Attala County, Mississippi?
19.5% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 29.1%.
Is Attala County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Attala County's poverty rate was 19.5% in 2024, 46th 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, Attala County ranks 46th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Attala County, Mississippi?
About 17,222 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 17,889, 59% of the county's peak of 30,227 in 1940.
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 Attala 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 1,311 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 Attala 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 Attala County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.