About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in Franklin County, Mississippi, is not working
In Franklin County, 35.2% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 89% of U.S. counties.
What drives Franklin County's score
In Franklin County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 86.4. People with a credit card behind: 10.5%, August 2025, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 81.6.
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.
Franklin County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.4%, fiscal year 2027) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (17.9%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Franklin 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.
- 86.4 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.6% · August 202580th percentile
- People with a credit card behind10.5% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.4% · Q4 202583rd percentile
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- 81.6 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working35.2% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.5% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202668th percentile
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- 79.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.5% · August 202565th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people315.4 · 202592nd percentile
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- 78.9 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 disability20.1% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$53,267 · 202485th percentile
- People below the poverty line18.8% · 202483rd percentile
- People without health insurance9.1% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
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- 47.7 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 income20.4% · fiscal year 202746th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent17.9% · 2020 to 202448th 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 Franklin 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
Franklin County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Franklin County in 2024, pay from work was 50 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 12 cents. Benefit checks were 38 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 17 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Franklin County, benefit checks rose from 17 to 38 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Franklin County, Mississippi: 38.1% and 49.8% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 38.1% of all personal income in Franklin 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 Franklin County, 21.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Franklin County has changed
The number of people living in Franklin County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 8,155 to 7,516. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 7.3% in 1990 to 5.1% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 8,155 | 2024 7,516 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 1,670 | 2024 1,556 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.3% | 2025 5.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 28.3% | 2024 18.8% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $16,268 | 2024 $53,267 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 16.5% | 2024 38.1% |
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 Franklin County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 15,193. The 2020 Census counted 7,675, 51% of the peak. Census Bureau
1809
Franklin County was formed on December 21, 1809, from portions of Adams County. Wikipedia
1983
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Flash flood: $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Flash flood: $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
Tornado: $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Franklin County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Franklin County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Franklin County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Franklin County ranks 3rd of the six; Wilkinson County is highest, at 43.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilkinson County, MS | 99 | 31.6% | 43.4% |
| Adams County, MS | 98 | 24.0% | 35.6% |
| Jefferson County, MS | 97 | 30.5% | 42.7% |
| Amite County, MS | 91 | 22.0% | 34.6% |
| Franklin County, MS | 89 | 18.8% | 38.1% |
| Lincoln County, MS | 88 | 16.2% | 29.0% |
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 Franklin County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Franklin County's poverty rate was 18.8% in 2024, 52nd 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, Franklin County ranks 39th of 82 in the state.
Franklin County in photographs
Places in Franklin County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Midway Cemetery, Meadville (Franklin County), Mississippi.
Photo: NatalieMaynor from Jackson, Mississippi, USA via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
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Franklin County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Franklin County, Mississippi?
18.8% 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 Franklin County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Franklin County's poverty rate was 18.8% in 2024, 52nd 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, Franklin County ranks 39th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Franklin County, Mississippi?
About 7,516 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 7,675, half the county's peak of 15,193 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 Franklin 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 1,311 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 Franklin 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 Franklin County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.