In Humphreys County, Mississippi, benefit checks brought in more money than paychecks in 2024
In 2024, 47 cents of every dollar of income here came from a benefit check: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits and the like (47.1%, Bureau of Economic Analysis). Across the country it was 18 cents.
More distressed than 98% of U.S. counties.
What drives Humphreys County's score
In Humphreys County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 95.0. People with a car or retail loan behind: 15.2%, August 2025, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 93.6.
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.
Humphreys County does better than most counties on one measure: renters paying half their income or more in rent (13.8%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Humphreys 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.
- 95.0 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind15.2% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a credit card behind18.1% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score46.0% · Q4 202595th percentile
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- 93.6 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working38.3% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average5.9% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202692nd percentile
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- 93.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector39.6% · August 202593rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people332.6 · 202593rd percentile
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- 89.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line51.8% · 202495th percentile
- People with a disability26.2% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$39,287 · 202495th percentile
- People below the poverty line33.3% · 202495th percentile
- People without health insurance10.3% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
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- 59.1 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 income27.6% · fiscal year 202792nd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent13.8% · 2020 to 202425th 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 Humphreys 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
Humphreys County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Humphreys County in 2024, pay from work was 42 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 11 cents. Benefit checks were 47 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
In 1969, pay was 72 cents of every dollar here and benefit checks were 15 cents. They crossed in 2024.
In Humphreys County, benefit checks have brought in more than pay since 2024
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Humphreys County, Mississippi: 47.1% and 41.6% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 47.1% of all personal income in Humphreys 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 Humphreys County, 18.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Humphreys County has changed
The number of people living in Humphreys County fell by about half between 1969 and 2024, from 15,088 to 7,121. The number of jobs located there fell by about half from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 8.0% in 1990 to 6.3% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 15,088 | 2024 7,121 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 3,761 | 2024 1,922 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.0% | 2025 6.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 46.2% | 2024 33.3% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $11,105 | 2024 $39,287 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 14.8% | 2024 47.1% |
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 Humphreys County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 26,257. The 2020 Census counted 7,785, 30% of the peak. Census Bureau
1918
Formed in 1918, Mississippi's newest county. Wikipedia
1971
Tornado: 30 deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1971
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage, two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1990
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
Tornado: $13.3 million in property damage, three deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1971
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Humphreys County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Humphreys County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Humphreys County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Humphreys County ranks 2nd of the seven; Holmes County is highest, at 54.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holmes County, MS | 100 | 34.3% | 54.4% |
| Leflore County, MS | 99 | 31.2% | 34.3% |
| Washington County, MS | 99 | 29.4% | 36.1% |
| Humphreys County, MS | 98 | 33.3% | 47.1% |
| Yazoo County, MS | 98 | 25.5% | 34.5% |
| Sharkey County, MS | 96 | 32.6% | 44.7% |
| Sunflower County, MS | 96 | 29.8% | 39.6% |
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 Humphreys County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Humphreys County's poverty rate was 33.3% in 2024, 4th 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, Humphreys County ranks 10th of 82 in the state.
Humphreys County in photographs
Places in Humphreys County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Westbound on MS 12 bridge over the Sunflower River from Humphreys County, Mississippi.
Humphreys County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Humphreys County, Mississippi?
33.3% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in three people. Among children it was 51.8%.
Is Humphreys County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Humphreys County's poverty rate was 33.3% in 2024, 4th 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, Humphreys County ranks 10th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Humphreys County, Mississippi?
About 7,121 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 7,785, 30% of the county's peak of 26,257 in 1940.
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 Humphreys 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 Humphreys 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 Humphreys County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.