About one in four people in Clarke County, Mississippi, has a disability
In Clarke County, 24.4% of people reported a disability (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 92% of U.S. counties.
What drives Clarke County's score
In Clarke County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 91.3. People with a car or retail loan behind: 11.2%, August 2025, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 87.5.
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.
Clarke County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, 12-month average (3.9%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.6%, fiscal year 2027).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Clarke 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.
- 91.3 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind11.2% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a credit card behind9.1% · August 202591st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.8% · Q4 202587th percentile
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- 87.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line26.2% · 202484th percentile
- People with a disability24.4% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,695 · 202487th percentile
- People below the poverty line19.6% · 202486th percentile
- People without health insurance13.3% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
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- 80.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector31.7% · August 202578th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people229.8 · 202581st percentile
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- 68.7 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working31.5% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.9% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202645th percentile
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- 60.4 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 income20.6% · fiscal year 202749th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent21.8% · 2020 to 202471st 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 Clarke 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
Clarke County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Clarke 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 37 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 15 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Clarke County, benefit checks rose from 15 to 37 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Clarke County, Mississippi: 36.8% and 51.5% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 36.8% of all personal income in Clarke 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 Clarke County, 22.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Clarke County has changed
The number of people living in Clarke County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 15,193 to 15,155. The number of jobs located there fell by about four in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 7.1% in 1990 to 4.1% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 15,193 | 2024 15,155 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 4,604 | 2024 2,987 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.1% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.8% | 2024 19.6% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $18,999 | 2024 $52,695 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 15.2% | 2024 36.8% |
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 Clarke County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 21,630. The 2020 Census counted 15,615, 72% of the peak. Census Bureau
1987
Tornado: $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Flash flood: $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Tornado: four deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
Lightning: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Clarke County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Clarke County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Clarke County, in Mississippi and Alabama, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Clarke County ranks 2nd of the five; Choctaw County is highest, at 39.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jasper County, MS | 95 | 19.6% | 34.5% |
| Choctaw County, AL | 93 | 21.9% | 39.2% |
| Clarke County, MS | 92 | 19.6% | 36.8% |
| Lauderdale County, MS | 92 | 20.0% | 29.7% |
| Wayne County, MS | 91 | 21.3% | 32.1% |
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 Clarke County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Clarke County's poverty rate was 19.6% in 2024, 44th 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, Clarke County ranks 31st of 82 in the state.
Clarke County in photographs
Places in Clarke County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Clarke County Courthouse in Quitman, Mississippi, United States.
Clarke County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Clarke County, Mississippi?
19.6% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 26.2%.
Is Clarke County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Clarke County's poverty rate was 19.6% in 2024, 44th 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, Clarke County ranks 31st of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Clarke County, Mississippi?
About 15,155 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 15,615, 72% of the county's peak of 21,630 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 Clarke 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 1,313 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 Clarke 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 Clarke County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.