About one in four people in Benton County, Mississippi, has a disability
In Benton County, 26.3% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 86% of U.S. counties.
What drives Benton County's score
In Benton County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 91.3. About three in five people (57.6%, Q2 2026) have a subprime credit score, a higher share than in 93% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 90.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Benton 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.
Benton County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (14.2%, 2020 to 2024) and adults 25 to 54 not working (20.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.3 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.0% · August 202590th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.4% · August 202589th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score57.6% · second quarter of 202693rd percentile
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- 90.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector35.8% · August 202587th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people349.6 · 202593rd percentile
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- 85.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.9% · 202487th percentile
- Children below the poverty line29.1% · 202490th percentile
- People with a disability26.3% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance9.1% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$49,106 · 202492nd percentile
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- 47.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202648th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.3% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
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- 45.8 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 rent14.2% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.1% · fiscal year 202763rd 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 Benton 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 Benton County, 21.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Benton County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Benton County had its largest rise, from 29.9% in 2004 to 35.7% in 2009.
In Benton County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 35.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Benton County, Mississippi, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 35.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Benton County getting SNAP food aid fell most sharply on the way to its 2019 low, from 17.0% in 2018 to 11.9% in 2019.
The share of households in Benton County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 11.9% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Benton County, Mississippi.
How Benton County has changed
Benton County's population had its largest drop, from 8,689 in 2009 to 8,008 in 2014.
Benton County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2009 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 8,689 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Benton County, Mississippi.
The number of jobs located in Benton County had its largest rise, from 997 in 1990 to 1,408 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Benton County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a third
High on the chart: 1,533 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Benton County, Mississippi.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.0% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 28.0% | 2024 19.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,530 | 2024 $49,106 |
The table uses 4.0% for 2025; the score uses 3.9% 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 Benton County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 10,510. The 2020 Census counted 7,646, 73% of the peak. Census Bureau
2010
A tornado in May 2010 did $1 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A tornado in December 2015 did $1.96 million in property damage and killed six people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1971
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Benton County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Benton County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Benton County, in Mississippi and Tennessee, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Benton County ranks 2nd of the six; Hardeman County is highest, at 40.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardeman County, TN | 98 | 21.5% | 40.0% |
| Marshall County, MS | 97 | 20.4% | 31.2% |
| Benton County, MS | 86 | 19.9% | 35.7% |
| Tippah County, MS | 72 | 16.2% | 32.8% |
| Union County, MS | 68 | 14.0% | 28.7% |
| Fayette County, TN | 43 | 9.3% | 17.6% |
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 Benton County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Benton County's poverty rate was 19.9% in 2024, 40th 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, Benton County ranks 47th of 82 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Benton 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 Benton 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 Benton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.