About one in five people in Carroll County, Mississippi, has a disability
In Carroll County, 21.6% of people reported a disability (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 86% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 70% of U.S. counties.
What drives Carroll County's score
In Carroll County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 75.4. About one in five people (21.6%, 2020 to 2024) has a disability, a higher share than in 87% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 73.0.
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.
Carroll County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (3.7%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.5%, fiscal year 2027).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Carroll 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.
- 75.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line22.9% · 202475th percentile
- People with a disability21.6% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,737 · 202481st percentile
- People below the poverty line15.8% · 202469th percentile
- People without health insurance9.6% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
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- 73.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.7% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a credit card behind9.0% · August 202591st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.8% · Q4 202584th percentile
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- 71.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.8% · August 202563rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people220.2 · 202579th percentile
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- 68.4 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.9% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.2% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202655th percentile
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- 20.7 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 income19.5% · fiscal year 202736th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent3.7% · 2020 to 20245th 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 Carroll 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
Carroll County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Carroll County in 2024, pay from work was 52 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 15 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 12 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Carroll County, benefit checks rose from 12 to 33 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Carroll County, Mississippi: 33.1% and 52.3% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 33.1% of all personal income in Carroll 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 Carroll County, 25.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Carroll County has changed
The number of people living in Carroll County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 9,595 to 9,378. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 7.6% in 1990 to 4.2% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 9,595 | 2024 9,378 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 1,005 | 2024 1,042 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.6% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 28.7% | 2024 15.8% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $15,443 | 2024 $55,737 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 12.0% | 2024 33.1% |
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 Carroll County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 23,139. The 2020 Census counted 9,998, 43% of the peak. Census Bureau
1857
Population relocated east to Vaiden to allow better access to railroad at former Choctaw town Shongalo, circa 1857. Wikipedia
1990
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
Thunderstorm wind: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
Thunderstorm wind: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
Tornado: $5.44 million in property damage, three deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1971
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Carroll County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Carroll County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Carroll County score higher than it does. Of the group, Carroll County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Holmes County gets the largest, at 54.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holmes County, MS | 100 | 34.3% | 54.4% |
| Leflore County, MS | 99 | 31.2% | 34.3% |
| Montgomery County, MS | 97 | 22.8% | 43.8% |
| Grenada County, MS | 92 | 19.4% | 37.4% |
| Attala County, MS | 87 | 19.5% | 36.2% |
| Carroll County, MS | 70 | 15.8% | 33.1% |
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 Carroll County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Carroll County's poverty rate was 15.8% in 2024, 70th 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, Carroll County ranks 72nd of 82 in the state.
Carroll County in photographs
Places in Carroll County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Carroll County, Mississippi.
Photo: NatalieMaynor from Jackson, Mississippi, USA via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Carroll County, Mississippi.
Photo: NatalieMaynor from Jackson, Mississippi, USA via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
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Carroll County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Carroll County, Mississippi?
15.8% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 22.9%.
Is Carroll County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Carroll County's poverty rate was 15.8% in 2024, 70th 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, Carroll County ranks 72nd of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Carroll County, Mississippi?
About 9,378 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 9,998, 43% of the county's peak of 23,139 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 Carroll 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 Carroll 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 Carroll County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.