About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in Choctaw County, Mississippi, is not working
In Choctaw County, 32.5% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 85% of U.S. counties.
What drives Choctaw County's score
In Choctaw County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 86.9. People with a car or retail loan behind: 12.4%, August 2025, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes 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.
Choctaw County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (6.9%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.3%, fiscal year 2027).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Choctaw 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.
- 86.9 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind12.4% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a credit card behind8.2% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.7% · Q4 202579th percentile
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- 84.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line27.3% · 202487th percentile
- People with a disability22.8% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$53,406 · 202485th percentile
- People below the poverty line20.6% · 202488th percentile
- People without health insurance10.6% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
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- 83.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.9% · August 202573rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people346.2 · 202593rd percentile
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- 73.2 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working32.5% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.1% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202652nd percentile
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- 26.3 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 income20.3% · fiscal year 202746th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent6.9% · 2020 to 20246th 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 Choctaw 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
Choctaw County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Choctaw County in 2024, pay from work was 55 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 11 cents. Benefit checks were 34 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 14 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Choctaw County, benefit checks rose from 14 to 34 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Choctaw County, Mississippi: 33.9% and 54.8% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 33.9% of all personal income in Choctaw 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 Choctaw County, 23.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Choctaw County has changed
The number of people living in Choctaw County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 8,477 to 8,091. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 9.2% in 1990 to 4.4% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 8,477 | 2024 8,091 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,051 | 2024 2,250 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.2% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 28.9% | 2024 20.6% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $15,770 | 2024 $53,406 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 14.1% | 2024 33.9% |
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 Choctaw County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 14,357. The 2020 Census counted 8,246, 57% of the peak. Census Bureau
1830
Choctaw people forced to cede lands and move west of Mississippi River under Indian Removal Act of 1830. Wikipedia
1963
Tornado: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1992
Tornado: $25 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
Tornado: $90 million in property damage, five deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Thunderstorm wind: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1979
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Choctaw County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Choctaw County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Choctaw County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Choctaw County ranks 5th of the six; Montgomery County is highest, at 43.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, MS | 97 | 22.8% | 43.8% |
| Winston County, MS | 93 | 22.0% | 34.7% |
| Attala County, MS | 87 | 19.5% | 36.2% |
| Choctaw County, MS | 85 | 20.6% | 33.9% |
| Oktibbeha County, MS | 84 | 19.4% | 23.5% |
| Webster County, MS | 66 | 15.3% | 36.5% |
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 Choctaw County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Choctaw County's poverty rate was 20.6% in 2024, 34th 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, Choctaw County ranks 54th of 82 in the state.
Choctaw County in photographs
Places in Choctaw County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
This presumably is somebody's grave -- unless it's the remains of a barbeque pit for people who enjoying picnicking in cemeteries.
Photo: NatalieMaynor from Jackson, Mississippi, USA via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
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Bankston Cemetery in en:Choctaw County, Mississippi.
Choctaw County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Choctaw County, Mississippi?
20.6% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 27.3%.
Is Choctaw County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Choctaw County's poverty rate was 20.6% in 2024, 34th 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, Choctaw County ranks 54th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Choctaw County, Mississippi?
About 8,091 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 8,246, 57% of the county's peak of 14,357 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 Choctaw 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 Choctaw 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 Choctaw County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.