In Copiah County, Mississippi, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in three dollars of the typical household's income
In Copiah County, 29.7% of the median household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom at HUD's fair market rent (HUD and Census Bureau, HUD rent fiscal year 2027; household income 2024). That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 97% of U.S. counties.
What drives Copiah County's score
In Copiah County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 94.9. Bankruptcy filings ran at 469.9 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 97% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 94.3.
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.
Copiah County does better than most counties on one measure: unemployment rate, 12-month average (3.8%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Copiah 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.
- 94.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector38.4% · August 202591st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people469.9 · 202597th percentile
-
- 94.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.2% · August 202589th percentile
- People with a credit card behind10.6% · August 202596th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.6% · Q4 202597th percentile
-
- 80.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line28.9% · 202490th percentile
- People with a disability16.8% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,118 · 202488th percentile
- People below the poverty line19.5% · 202485th percentile
- People without health insurance12.9% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
-
- 77.9 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 income29.7% · fiscal year 202796th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent19.7% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
-
- 64.9 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working30.0% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.8% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202640th percentile
-
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 Copiah 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
Copiah County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Copiah County in 2024, pay from work was 53 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 11 cents. Benefit checks were 36 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 Copiah County, benefit checks rose from 15 to 36 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Copiah County, Mississippi: 35.8% and 53.1% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 35.8% of all personal income in Copiah 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 Copiah County, 19.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Copiah County has changed
The number of people living in Copiah County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 25,075 to 27,536. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 9.3% in 1990 to 4.0% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 25,075 | 2024 27,536 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 6,781 | 2024 6,434 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.3% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 29.5% | 2024 19.5% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $15,773 | 2024 $52,118 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 15.0% | 2024 35.8% |
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 Copiah County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 35,914. The 2020 Census counted 28,368, 79% of the peak. Census Bureau
1823
Organized in 1823 as Mississippi's 18th county. Wikipedia
1870
Crystal Springs developed as one of largest tomato shipping centers after commercial farming started 1870. Wikipedia
1969
Tornado: 11 deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1976
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1978
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
1992
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1969
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Copiah County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Copiah County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Copiah County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Copiah County ranks 4th of the seven; Claiborne County is highest, at 47.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claiborne County, MS | 98 | 33.3% | 47.1% |
| Hinds County, MS | 98 | 22.2% | 26.8% |
| Copiah County, MS | 97 | 19.5% | 35.8% |
| Jefferson County, MS | 97 | 30.5% | 42.7% |
| Lawrence County, MS | 89 | 19.9% | 39.0% |
| Lincoln County, MS | 88 | 16.2% | 29.0% |
| Simpson County, MS | 88 | 19.7% | 35.2% |
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 Copiah County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Copiah County's poverty rate was 19.5% in 2024, 46th 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, Copiah County ranks 19th of 82 in the state.
Copiah County in photographs
Places in Copiah County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Aerial view southeastward centered on northwestern Copiah County, Mississippi from an aircraft heading towards George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Coors Springs.
Copiah County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Copiah County, Mississippi?
19.5% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 28.9%.
Is Copiah County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Copiah County's poverty rate was 19.5% in 2024, 46th 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, Copiah County ranks 19th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Copiah County, Mississippi?
About 27,536 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 28,368, 79% of the county's peak of 35,914 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 Copiah 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.
-
Mississippi Center for Legal Services
Legal aid
-
North Mississippi Rural Legal Services
Legal aid
-
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 Copiah 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 Copiah County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.