About one in five people in Covington County, Mississippi, lives below the poverty line
In Covington County, 20.0% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 83% of U.S. counties.
What drives Covington County's score
In Covington County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 93.1. People with a credit card behind: 11.2%, August 2025, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 79.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Covington 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.
Covington County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (12.7%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.8%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 93.1 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind11.2% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.5% · August 202593rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score55.9% · second quarter of 202690th percentile
-
- 79.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector31.5% · August 202578th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people221.5 · 202580th percentile
-
- 78.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line20.0% · 202487th percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.9% · 202486th percentile
- People with a disability17.9% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- People without health insurance9.6% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$51,171 · 202489th percentile
-
- 60.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202640th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.6% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
-
- 38.4 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 rent12.7% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.2% · fiscal year 202755th 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 Covington 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 Covington County, 17.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Covington County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Covington County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 31.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Covington County, Mississippi, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Covington County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 22.0% in 2018 to 18.9% in 2019.
The share of households in Covington County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2018 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 14.5% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Covington County, Mississippi.
How Covington County has changed
Covington County's population had its largest rise, from 17,414 in 1994 to 19,125 in 1999.
Covington County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2004 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 19,621 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Covington County, Mississippi.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Covington County rose by about half from 1990 to 2025, reaching 5,570, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 5,614 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Covington County, Mississippi.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.0% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 26.2% | 2024 20.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $15,826 | 2024 $51,171 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Covington County's history
1992
A tornado in November 1992 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 19,568. The 2020 Census counted 18,340, 94% of the peak. Census Bureau
2020
A tornado in April 2020 did $25.9 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A tornado in March 2025 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A tornado in March 2025 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1969
33 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Covington County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Covington County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Covington County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Covington County ranks 4th of the seven; Jefferson Davis County is highest, at 42.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forrest County, MS | 92 | 21.4% | 28.3% |
| Jefferson Davis County, MS | 91 | 23.9% | 42.8% |
| Simpson County, MS | 88 | 19.7% | 35.2% |
| Covington County, MS | 83 | 20.0% | 31.7% |
| Jones County, MS | 79 | 19.2% | 32.3% |
| Smith County, MS | 70 | 16.7% | 29.8% |
| Lamar County, MS | 45 | 11.6% | 20.0% |
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 Covington County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Covington County's poverty rate was 20.0% in 2024, 38th 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, Covington County ranks 55th of 82 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Covington 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 Covington 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 Covington County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.