In Claiborne County, Mississippi, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2015
In 2024, 47 cents of every dollar of income here came from a benefit check: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits and the like (47.1%, Bureau of Economic Analysis). Across the country it was 18 cents.
More distressed than 98% of U.S. counties.
What drives Claiborne County's score
In Claiborne County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 95.0. People with a car or retail loan behind: 16.5%, August 2025, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 95.0.
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.
Claiborne County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (13.4%, 2020 to 2024) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (14.6%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Claiborne 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.
- 95.0 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind16.5% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a credit card behind17.6% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score55.3% · Q4 202595th percentile
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- 95.0 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working47.4% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average7.8% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202695th percentile
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- 94.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector42.9% · August 202595th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people336.5 · 202593rd percentile
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- 80.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line45.2% · 202495th percentile
- People with a disability13.4% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$38,548 · 202495th percentile
- People below the poverty line33.3% · 202495th percentile
- People without health insurance15.1% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
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- 61.6 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 income28.2% · fiscal year 202793rd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent14.6% · 2020 to 202429th 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 Claiborne 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
Claiborne County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Claiborne County in 2024, pay from work was 41 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 12 cents. Benefit checks were 47 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
In 1969, pay was 77 cents of every dollar here and benefit checks were 13 cents.
In Claiborne County, benefit checks have brought in more than pay since 2015
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Claiborne County, Mississippi: 47.1% and 40.7% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 47.1% of all personal income in Claiborne 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 Claiborne County, 19.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Claiborne County has changed
The number of people living in Claiborne County fell by about two in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 10,195 to 8,122. The number of jobs located there fell by about two in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 15.1% in 1990 to 9.0% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 10,195 | 2024 8,122 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 4,198 | 2024 3,256 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 15.1% | 2025 9.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 44.3% | 2024 33.3% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $14,950 | 2024 $38,548 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 12.9% | 2024 47.1% |
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 Claiborne County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 20,787. The 2020 Census counted 9,135, 44% of the peak. Census Bureau
1802
1802 as the fourth county in the Mississippi Territory; originally settled by French, Spanish, and English colonists. Wikipedia
1858
Grand Gulf Mississippi River port declined from 1000-1500 residents 1858 to 150 by end of century ghost town. Wikipedia
1907
Outmigration to Indian Territory with 4000 population loss expected by 1910 census. Wikipedia
1978
Tornado: $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
Port Gibson Oil Works cottonseed mill closed 2002. Wikipedia
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Since 1965
29 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Claiborne County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Claiborne County beside its neighbors
Claiborne County scores higher than all five counties that border it, in Mississippi and Louisiana. Of the group, Claiborne County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (47.1%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claiborne County, MS | 98 | 33.3% | 47.1% |
| Hinds County, MS | 98 | 22.2% | 26.8% |
| Tensas Parish, LA | 97 | 27.4% | 39.0% |
| Copiah County, MS | 97 | 19.5% | 35.8% |
| Jefferson County, MS | 97 | 30.5% | 42.7% |
| Warren County, MS | 88 | 18.8% | 28.2% |
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 Claiborne County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Claiborne County's poverty rate was 33.3% in 2024, 4th 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, Claiborne County ranks 14th of 82 in the state.
Claiborne County in photographs
Places in Claiborne County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Claiborne County Courthouse and Confederate monument, Port Gibson, Mississippi.
Photo: Infrogmation of New Orleans via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Hermanville Cemetery, Claiborne County, Mississippi.
Photo: NatalieMaynor from Jackson, Mississippi, USA via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
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Claiborne County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Claiborne County, Mississippi?
33.3% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in three people. Among children it was 45.2%.
Is Claiborne County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Claiborne County's poverty rate was 33.3% in 2024, 4th 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, Claiborne County ranks 14th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Claiborne County, Mississippi?
About 8,122 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 9,135, 44% of the county's peak of 20,787 in 1900.
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 Claiborne 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 Claiborne 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 Claiborne County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.