About one in five people in Hancock County, Mississippi, has a disability
In Hancock County, 20.4% of people reported a disability (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 82% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 69% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hancock County's score
In Hancock County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 72.1. About one in five renters (22.4%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 74% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 70.0.
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.
Hancock County does better than most counties on one measure: unemployment rate, 12-month average (3.0%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Hancock 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.
- 72.1 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorHUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.8% · fiscal year 202769th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent22.4% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
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- 70.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.4% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.8% · August 202569th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score29.4% · Q4 202573rd percentile
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- 69.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line21.1% · 202468th percentile
- People with a disability20.4% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,485 · 202462nd percentile
- People below the poverty line16.5% · 202473rd percentile
- People without health insurance9.3% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
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- 61.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.5% · August 202555th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people175.5 · 202568th percentile
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- 32.4 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.9% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.0% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202613th 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 Hancock 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
Hancock County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Hancock County in 2024, pay from work was 52 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 20 cents. Benefit checks were 28 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 8 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Hancock County, benefit checks rose from 8 to 28 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Hancock County, Mississippi: 28.2% and 51.6% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 28.2% of all personal income in Hancock 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 Hancock County, 22.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Hancock County has changed
The number of people living in Hancock County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 16,641 to 46,492. The number of jobs located there grew by about 40% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 7.2% in 1990 to 3.2% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 16,641 | 2024 46,492 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 10,305 | 2024 14,399 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.2% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 22.0% | 2024 16.5% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $21,522 | 2024 $62,485 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 7.8% | 2024 28.2% |
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 Hancock County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 46,053, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1980
Tornado: $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
Lightning: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
Hurricane Katrina made final landfall in 2005, over entire 7-mile beach front not one building or home was left intact. Wikipedia
2005
Lightning: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
33 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hancock County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Hancock County beside its neighbors
Of the three counties that border Hancock County, in Mississippi and Louisiana, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Hancock County ranks 2nd of the four; Pearl River County is highest, at 30.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison County, MS | 86 | 15.9% | 27.9% |
| Pearl River County, MS | 77 | 16.5% | 30.2% |
| Hancock County, MS | 69 | 16.5% | 28.2% |
| St. Tammany Parish, LA | 53 | 10.2% | 17.2% |
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 Hancock County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Hancock County's poverty rate was 16.5% in 2024, 63rd 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, Hancock County ranks 74th of 82 in the state.
Hancock County in photographs
Places in Hancock County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Hancock County Courthouse, Bay St.
Photo: Infrogmation of New Orleans via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Soldiers assist people stranded by Hurricane Isaac storm surge in Hancock County, Miss., Aug.
Photo: English: Staff Sgt. Shane Hamann via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Hancock County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Hancock County, Mississippi?
16.5% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 21.1%.
Is Hancock County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Hancock County's poverty rate was 16.5% in 2024, 63rd 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, Hancock County ranks 74th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Hancock County, Mississippi?
About 46,492 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 46,053, the most of any census.
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 Hancock 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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Hancock Housing Resource Center
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Hancock 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 Hancock County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.