About one in five people in Clay County, Mississippi, lives below the poverty line
In Clay County, 20.6% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 95% of U.S. counties.
What drives Clay County's score
In Clay County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 92.5. People with a credit card behind: 10.5%, August 2025, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 89.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Clay 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.
Clay County does better than most counties on one measure: people with a disability (12.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.5 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind10.5% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.1% · August 202589th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score57.7% · second quarter of 202693rd percentile
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- 89.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector34.4% · August 202584th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people730.5 · 2025top 5%
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- 78.3 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 rent24.2% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.2% · fiscal year 202772nd percentile
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- 71.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202670th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.9% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
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- 70.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line20.6% · 202488th percentile
- Children below the poverty line31.3% · 202493rd percentile
- People with a disability12.0% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
- People without health insurance9.1% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$46,829 · 2024top 5%
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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 Clay 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 Clay County, 19.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Clay County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Clay County had its largest rise, from 22.7% in 2004 to 29.3% in 2009.
In Clay County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 31.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Clay County, Mississippi, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Clay County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 23.0% in 2016 to 19.8% in 2017.
The share of households in Clay County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 16.0% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Clay County, Mississippi.
How Clay County has changed
Clay County's population had its largest rise, from 19,796 in 1974 to 20,991 in 1979.
Clay County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1999 and is down 17% since
High on the chart: 21,947 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Clay County, Mississippi.
The number of jobs located in Clay County had its largest drop, from 7,115 in 2005 to 5,049 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Clay County fell by about a fifth from 1990 to 2025, reaching 6,482, with its low point on the chart in 2010
Low on the chart: 5,049 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Clay County, Mississippi.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.8% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 22.8% | 2024 20.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,937 | 2024 $46,829 |
The table uses 4.6% for 2025; the score uses 4.5% 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 Clay County's history
1871
Established in 1871. Wikipedia
1980
A tornado in March 1980 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1988
A tornado in January 1988 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 21,979. The 2020 Census counted 18,636, 85% of the peak. Census Bureau
2007
Bryan Foods closed in West Point in March 2007. Wikipedia
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Since 1973
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Clay County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Clay County beside its neighbors
Clay County scores higher than all five counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Clay County ranks 4th of the six; Chickasaw County is highest, at 39.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County, MS | 95 | 20.6% | 31.0% |
| Monroe County, MS | 93 | 18.2% | 33.5% |
| Chickasaw County, MS | 93 | 23.1% | 39.9% |
| Oktibbeha County, MS | 82 | 19.4% | 23.5% |
| Lowndes County, MS | 81 | 17.5% | 27.0% |
| Webster County, MS | 65 | 15.3% | 36.5% |
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 Clay County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Clay 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, Clay County ranks 23rd of 82 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Clay 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.
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North Mississippi Rural Legal Services
Legal aid
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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.
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 Clay County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.