About one in four people in Jasper County, Mississippi, has a disability
In Jasper County, 23.1% of people reported a disability (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 95% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jasper County's score
In Jasper County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 94.5. People with a car or retail loan behind: 15.1%, August 2025, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 87.4.
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.
Jasper County is worse off than the typical U.S. county on every measure in the score.
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Jasper 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.
- 94.5 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind15.1% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a credit card behind9.5% · August 202593rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.2% · Q4 202595th percentile
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- 87.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector33.3% · August 202582nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people312.2 · 202592nd percentile
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- 83.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line28.1% · 202488th percentile
- People with a disability23.1% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$49,500 · 202492nd percentile
- People below the poverty line19.6% · 202486th percentile
- People without health insurance8.5% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
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- 70.9 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.9% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.1% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202652nd percentile
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- 64.1 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 income21.9% · fiscal year 202762nd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent20.7% · 2020 to 202465th 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 Jasper 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
Jasper County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Jasper County in 2024, pay from work was 55 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 11 cents. Benefit checks were 35 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 15 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Jasper County, benefit checks rose from 15 to 35 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Jasper County, Mississippi: 34.5% and 54.9% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 34.5% of all personal income in Jasper 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 Jasper County, 21.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Jasper County has changed
The number of people living in Jasper County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 16,136 to 15,799. The number of jobs located there grew by about 13% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 9.2% in 1990 to 4.0% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 16,136 | 2024 15,799 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 3,421 | 2024 3,856 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.2% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 27.0% | 2024 19.6% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $15,865 | 2024 $49,500 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 15.3% | 2024 34.5% |
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 Jasper County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 19,484. The 2020 Census counted 16,367, 84% of the peak. Census Bureau
1833
Formed in 1833 from the middle section of what was previously a much larger Jones County. Wikipedia
1880
Sawmill built at Bay Springs 1880. Wikipedia
1900
Railroad route shifted west from Paulding to Bay Springs due to local lack of investment, stimulating Bay Springs growth around 1900. Wikipedia
1936
WPA project built first east-west road 1935-1936. Wikipedia
1992
Tornado: $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Tornado: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
Tornado: $5 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
Tornado: $2 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jasper County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Jasper County beside its neighbors
Jasper County scores higher than all five counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Jasper County ranks 2nd of the six; Clarke County is highest, at 36.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jasper County, MS | 95 | 19.6% | 34.5% |
| Clarke County, MS | 92 | 19.6% | 36.8% |
| Newton County, MS | 92 | 21.6% | 33.7% |
| Wayne County, MS | 91 | 21.3% | 32.1% |
| Jones County, MS | 79 | 19.2% | 32.3% |
| Smith County, MS | 71 | 16.7% | 29.8% |
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 Jasper County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Jasper County's poverty rate was 19.6% in 2024, 44th 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, Jasper County ranks 24th of 82 in the state.
Jasper County in photographs
Places in Jasper County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
A home that was unroofed by an EF2 tornado in Jasper County, Mississippi.
Photo: National Weather Service Jackson MS via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
"The Jasper County Confederate Monument.
Jasper County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Jasper County, Mississippi?
19.6% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 28.1%.
Is Jasper County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Jasper County's poverty rate was 19.6% in 2024, 44th 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, Jasper County ranks 24th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Jasper County, Mississippi?
About 15,799 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 16,367, 84% of the county's peak of 19,484 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 Jasper 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 Jasper 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 Jasper County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.