About three in five people in Issaquena County, Mississippi, live below the poverty line
In Issaquena County, 55.7% of people lived below the poverty line (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 87% of U.S. counties.
What drives Issaquena County's score
In Issaquena County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 92.1. About three in four children (73.2%, 2024) live below the poverty line, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 87.7.
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.
Issaquena County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (2.5%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (79.6, 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Issaquena 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.
- 92.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line73.2% · 202495th percentile
- People with a disability33.6% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$38,770 · 202495th percentile
- People below the poverty line55.7% · 202495th percentile
- People without health insurance12.4% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
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- 87.7 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not workingnot published for this county; scored at the state median · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average8.4% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202695th percentile
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- 83.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202593rd percentile
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202591st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score27.3% · Q4 202565th percentile
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- 51.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collectornot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202577th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people79.6 · 202525th percentile
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- 49.2 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 income28.0% · fiscal year 202793rd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent2.5% · 2020 to 20245th 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 Issaquena 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
Issaquena County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Issaquena County in 2024, pay from work was 53 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 15 cents. Benefit checks were 32 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks brought in more than pay in one of the years since 1969, but pay is ahead now.
In Issaquena County, benefit checks rose from 10 to 32 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Issaquena County, Mississippi: 31.9% and 53.4% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 31.9% of all personal income in Issaquena 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 Issaquena County, 24.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Issaquena County has changed
The number of people living in Issaquena County fell by about half between 1969 and 2024, from 2,786 to 1,295. The number of jobs located there fell by about two in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 12.0% in 1990 to 9.3% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 2,786 | 2024 1,295 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 252 | 2024 207 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 12.0% | 2025 9.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 45.4% | 2024 55.7% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $14,780 | 2024 $38,770 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 9.8% | 2024 31.9% |
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 Issaquena County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 10,560. The 2020 Census counted 1,338, 13% of the peak. Census Bureau
1844
Established January 23, 1844, from the southern portion of Washington County. Wikipedia
1953
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1995
Thunderstorm wind: $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Flood: $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1971
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Issaquena County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Issaquena County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Issaquena County, in Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Issaquena County ranks 6th of the seven; East Carroll Parish is highest, at 45.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Carroll Parish, LA | 99 | 44.4% | 45.3% |
| Washington County, MS | 99 | 29.4% | 36.1% |
| Yazoo County, MS | 98 | 25.5% | 34.5% |
| Chicot County, AR | 97 | 27.9% | 41.3% |
| Sharkey County, MS | 96 | 32.6% | 44.7% |
| Warren County, MS | 88 | 18.8% | 28.2% |
| Issaquena County, MS | 87 | 55.7% | 31.9% |
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 Issaquena County the poorest county in Mississippi?
Yes, Issaquena County's poverty rate was 55.7% in 2024, the highest of 82 counties in Mississippi (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Issaquena County ranks 45th of 82 in the state.
Issaquena County in photographs
Places in Issaquena County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Aerial Photography Index for Issaquena County, Mississippi, Sheet 1 - DPLA - 683656ba6520e7696ca230456300c04d.jpg.
Aerial Photography Index for Issaquena County, Mississippi, Sheet 4 - DPLA - 5e0fe9f41e0fee36006d230312a616c1.jpg.
Issaquena County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Issaquena County, Mississippi?
55.7% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about three in five people. Among children it was 73.2%.
Is Issaquena County the poorest county in Mississippi?
Yes, Issaquena County's poverty rate was 55.7% in 2024, the highest of 82 counties in Mississippi (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Issaquena County ranks 45th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Issaquena County, Mississippi?
About 1,295 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 1,338, 13% of the county's peak of 10,560 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 Issaquena 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 Issaquena 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 Issaquena County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.