In Hinds County, Mississippi, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in three dollars of the typical household's income
In Hinds County, 29.8% 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 98% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hinds County's score
In Hinds County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 97.7. About one in two people (45.1%, Q4 2025) has a subprime credit score, a higher share than in 98% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 94.6.
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.
Hinds County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, 12-month average (3.8%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026) and people with a disability (15.5%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Hinds 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.
- 97.7 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind13.7% · August 202598th percentile
- People with a credit card behind10.5% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.1% · Q4 202598th percentile
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- 94.6 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 income29.8% · fiscal year 202796th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent27.4% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
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- 94.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector38.5% · August 202592nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people424 · 202596th percentile
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- 80.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line31.6% · 202493rd percentile
- People with a disability15.5% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$51,926 · 202488th percentile
- People below the poverty line22.2% · 202492nd percentile
- People without health insurance12.9% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
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- 58.4 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.1% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.8% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202642nd 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 Hinds 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
Hinds County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Hinds County in 2024, pay from work was 51 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 22 cents. Benefit checks were 27 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 7 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Hinds County, benefit checks rose from 7 to 27 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Hinds County, Mississippi: 26.8% and 51.1% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 26.8% of all personal income in Hinds 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 Hinds County, 16.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Hinds County has changed
The number of people living in Hinds County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 212,840 to 211,975. The number of jobs located there fell by about two in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 5.6% in 1990 to 3.9% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 212,840 | 2024 211,975 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 131,541 | 2024 109,172 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.6% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 23.6% | 2024 22.2% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $22,137 | 2024 $51,926 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 6.9% | 2024 26.8% |
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 Hinds County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1990 Census count of 254,441. The 2020 Census counted 227,742, 90% of the peak. Census Bureau
1966
Tornado: $25 million in property damage, 57 deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Thunderstorm wind: $60 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Hail: $200 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Hail: $75 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hinds County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Hinds County beside its neighbors
Hinds County scores higher than all six counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Hinds County ranks 5th of the seven; Claiborne County is highest, at 47.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hinds County, MS | 98 | 22.2% | 26.8% |
| Claiborne County, MS | 98 | 33.3% | 47.1% |
| Yazoo County, MS | 98 | 25.5% | 34.5% |
| Copiah County, MS | 97 | 19.5% | 35.8% |
| Warren County, MS | 88 | 18.8% | 28.2% |
| Rankin County, MS | 49 | 8.9% | 19.7% |
| Madison County, MS | 40 | 9.9% | 12.4% |
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 Hinds County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Hinds County's poverty rate was 22.2% in 2024, 24th 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, Hinds County ranks 13th of 82 in the state.
Hinds County in photographs
Places in Hinds County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
African American woman during the Great Depression in Hinds County, Mississippi.
Hinds County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Hinds County, Mississippi?
22.2% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 31.6%.
Is Hinds County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Hinds County's poverty rate was 22.2% in 2024, 24th 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, Hinds County ranks 13th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Hinds County, Mississippi?
About 211,975 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 227,742, 90% of the county's peak of 254,441 in 1990.
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 Hinds 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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Housing Education and Economic Development, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Mississippi Faith Based Coalition for Community Renewal, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Mississippi Housing Partnership, Inc.
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.
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 Hinds County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.