About one in five people in Jackson County, Mississippi, has a disability
In Jackson County, 21.5% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 86% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 74% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jackson County's score
In Jackson County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 79.9. People with a credit card behind: 7.7%, August 2025, higher than in 82% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 78.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jackson County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Jackson County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.5%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.0%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.9 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.7% · August 202582nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.8% · August 202581st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score48.6% · second quarter of 202676th percentile
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- 78.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.2% · August 202568th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people269.1 · 202587th percentile
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- 64.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.8% · 202455th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.8% · 202463rd percentile
- People with a disability21.5% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- People without health insurance11.5% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,544 · 202442nd percentile
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- 54.7 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent23.0% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.0% · fiscal year 202731st percentile
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- 45.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202629th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.4% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; 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 Sep 2026.
Where the money in Jackson County comes from
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 Jackson County, 17.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jackson County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Jackson County had its largest rise, from 14.0% in 1999 to 18.3% in 2004.
In Jackson County, benefit checks' share of income has grown since 1969, reaching 24.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Jackson County, Mississippi, benefit checks' share of income rose from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Jackson County getting SNAP food aid fell to 9.2%, the lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 2010 and 2011
High on the chart: 15.1% in 2015. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Jackson County, Mississippi.
How Jackson County has changed
Jackson County's population nearly doubled to 147,002, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 106,518. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jackson County, Mississippi.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Jackson County rose 14% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 51,511 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jackson County, Mississippi.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.1% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.4% | 2024 13.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,310 | 2024 $69,544 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 3.5% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Jackson County's history
2005
Hurricane Camille in August 1969 and Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005 caused catastrophic effects to county. Wikipedia
2006
Naval Station Pascagoula decommissioned in 2006 as part of 2005 BRAC recommendations. Wikipedia
2011
Lightning in July 2011 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A flash flood in August 2012 did $1.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flash flood in May 2013 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 143,252, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A tornado in October 2021 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
36 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jackson County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jackson County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Jackson County, in Mississippi and Alabama, three score higher. Of the group, Jackson County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Stone County gets the largest, at 35.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile County, AL | 90 | 16.7% | 27.2% |
| Harrison County, MS | 84 | 15.9% | 27.9% |
| Stone County, MS | 78 | 16.0% | 35.8% |
| Jackson County, MS | 74 | 13.8% | 24.9% |
| George County, MS | 71 | 14.1% | 28.5% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 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 Jackson County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Jackson County's poverty rate was 13.8% in 2024, 78th 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, Jackson County ranks 66th of 82 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jackson County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Mississippi Center for Legal Services
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, 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 Jackson County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Jackson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.