About one in four people in Clarke County, Mississippi, has a disability
In Clarke County, 24.4% of people reported a disability. 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 91.9. Income and the safety net comes next, at 87.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Clarke 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.
Clarke County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.9%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.6%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.9 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.1% · August 202591st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind11.2% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a subprime credit score54.6% · second quarter of 202689th percentile
-
- 87.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.6% · 202486th percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.2% · 202484th percentile
- People with a disability24.4% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance13.3% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,695 · 202487th percentile
-
- 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
-
- 68.7 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 202645th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working31.5% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
-
- 60.4 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 rent21.8% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.6% · fiscal year 202749th percentile
-
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 Clarke 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 Clarke County, 22.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Clarke County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Clarke County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 40% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Clarke County, Mississippi, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Clarke County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 20.1% in 2010 to 17.3% in 2011.
The share of households in Clarke County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 15.7% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Clarke County, Mississippi.
How Clarke County has changed
Clarke County's population had its largest rise, from 15,545 in 1974 to 16,829 in 1979.
Clarke County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1999 and is down 16% since
High on the chart: 17,990 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Clarke County, Mississippi.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Clarke County fell 39% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 2000 and 2005
High on the chart: 4,685 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Clarke County, Mississippi.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.1% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.8% | 2024 19.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,999 | 2024 $52,695 |
The table uses 4.1% 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 Clarke County's history
1910
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
A tornado in February 1987 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flash flood in March 2011 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in April 2011 killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
Lightning in July 2014 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1973
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Clarke County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
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 | 94 | 19.6% | 34.5% |
| Choctaw County, AL | 93 | 21.9% | 39.2% |
| Clarke County, MS | 92 | 19.6% | 36.8% |
| Lauderdale County, MS | 91 | 20.0% | 29.7% |
| Wayne County, MS | 91 | 21.3% | 32.1% |
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 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 30th of 82 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Clarke 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.
-
Mississippi Center for Legal Services
Legal aid
-
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 Clarke 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 Clarke County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.