About one in five people in Itawamba County, Mississippi, lives below the poverty line
In Itawamba County, 18.7% of people lived below the poverty line (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is higher than in 82% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 60% of U.S. counties.
What drives Itawamba County's score
In Itawamba County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 71.6. Bankruptcy filings ran at 344.5 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 93% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 71.5.
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.
Itawamba County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, 12-month average (3.3%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.9%, fiscal year 2027).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Itawamba 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.
- 71.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.9% · August 202549th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people344.5 · 202593rd percentile
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- 71.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.8% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.8% · August 202570th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.8% · Q4 202584th percentile
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- 66.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line24.7% · 202481st percentile
- People with a disability14.6% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,396 · 202474th percentile
- People below the poverty line18.7% · 202482nd percentile
- People without health insurance9.0% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
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- 37.1 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 income18.9% · fiscal year 202730th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent17.0% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
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- 36.0 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.7% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.3% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202622nd 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 Itawamba 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
Itawamba County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Itawamba County in 2024, pay from work was 58 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 11 cents. Benefit checks were 31 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 10 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Itawamba County, benefit checks rose from 10 to 31 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Itawamba County, Mississippi: 31.4% and 57.6% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 31.4% of all personal income in Itawamba 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 Itawamba County, 17.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Itawamba County has changed
The number of people living in Itawamba County grew by about 45% between 1969 and 2024, from 16,738 to 24,198. The number of jobs located there grew by about 12% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.9% in 1990 to 3.4% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 16,738 | 2024 24,198 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 5,355 | 2024 6,000 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.9% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.4% | 2024 18.7% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $21,726 | 2024 $58,396 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 9.9% | 2024 31.4% |
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 Itawamba County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 23,863, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2014
Tornado: $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
Lightning: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Itawamba County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Itawamba County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Itawamba County, in Mississippi and Alabama, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Itawamba County ranks 5th of the seven; Tishomingo County is highest, at 34.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe County, MS | 93 | 18.2% | 33.5% |
| Marion County, AL | 80 | 16.3% | 32.3% |
| Lee County, MS | 78 | 16.2% | 24.3% |
| Prentiss County, MS | 78 | 20.3% | 34.1% |
| Tishomingo County, MS | 66 | 15.7% | 34.2% |
| Franklin County, AL | 65 | 17.9% | 30.1% |
| Itawamba County, MS | 60 | 18.7% | 31.4% |
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 Itawamba County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Itawamba County's poverty rate was 18.7% in 2024, 54th 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, Itawamba County ranks 78th of 82 in the state.
Itawamba County in photographs
Places in Itawamba County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Itawamba County Courthouse in Fulton, Mississippi, United States.
Aerial view of the G.
Photo: Adrien Lamarre, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Itawamba County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Itawamba County, Mississippi?
18.7% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 24.7%.
Is Itawamba County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Itawamba County's poverty rate was 18.7% in 2024, 54th 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, Itawamba County ranks 78th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Itawamba County, Mississippi?
About 24,198 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 23,863, 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 Itawamba 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 1,313 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 Itawamba 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 Itawamba County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.