Benefit checks make up 43 cents of every dollar of income in Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi
In Jefferson Davis County, 42.8% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024). That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jefferson Davis County's score
In Jefferson Davis County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 91.9. Bankruptcy filings ran at 328.2 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 92% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 91.8.
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.
Jefferson Davis County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (13.9%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, 12-month average (3.6%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Jefferson Davis 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.
- 91.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector37.7% · August 202590th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people328.2 · 202592nd percentile
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- 91.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.4% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a credit card behind14.4% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.0% · Q4 202595th percentile
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- 90.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line35.9% · 202495th percentile
- People with a disability23.2% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$41,586 · 202495th percentile
- People below the poverty line23.9% · 202494th percentile
- People without health insurance11.1% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
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- 57.3 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 income26.1% · fiscal year 202788th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent13.9% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
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- 50.3 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.5% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.6% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202634th 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 Jefferson Davis 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
Jefferson Davis County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Jefferson Davis County in 2024, pay from work was 46 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 11 cents. Benefit checks were 43 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks brought in more than pay in three of the years since 1969, but pay is ahead now.
In Jefferson Davis County, benefit checks rose from 14 to 43 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi: 42.8% and 46.4% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 42.8% of all personal income in Jefferson Davis 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 Jefferson Davis County, 24.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Jefferson Davis County has changed
The number of people living in Jefferson Davis County fell by about two in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 13,047 to 11,059. The number of jobs located there fell by about four in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 13.5% in 1990 to 3.8% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 13,047 | 2024 11,059 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,707 | 2024 1,639 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 13.5% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 32.3% | 2024 23.9% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $14,797 | 2024 $41,586 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 13.6% | 2024 42.8% |
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 Jefferson Davis County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 15,869. The 2020 Census counted 11,321, 71% of the peak. Census Bureau
1935
Bank of Blountville robbed by Raymond Hamilton in 1935. Wikipedia
1992
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
Tornado: $18 million in property damage, four deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
Tornado: $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
Tornado: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
33 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jefferson Davis County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Jefferson Davis County beside its neighbors
Jefferson Davis County scores higher than all five counties that border it. Of the group, Jefferson Davis County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (42.8%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Davis County, MS | 91 | 23.9% | 42.8% |
| Lawrence County, MS | 89 | 19.9% | 39.0% |
| Simpson County, MS | 88 | 19.7% | 35.2% |
| Marion County, MS | 86 | 19.8% | 37.9% |
| Covington County, MS | 83 | 20.0% | 31.7% |
| Lamar County, MS | 46 | 11.6% | 20.0% |
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 Jefferson Davis County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Jefferson Davis County's poverty rate was 23.9% in 2024, 20th 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, Jefferson Davis County ranks 37th of 82 in the state.
Jefferson Davis County in photographs
Places in Jefferson Davis County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Jefferson Davis County Courthouse, located at the intersection of N.
Bassfield Catholic Cemetery, Bassfield ( Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi ).
Photo: NatalieMaynor from Jackson, Mississippi, USA via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
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Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi?
23.9% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in four people. Among children it was 35.9%.
Is Jefferson Davis County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Jefferson Davis County's poverty rate was 23.9% in 2024, 20th 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, Jefferson Davis County ranks 37th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi?
About 11,059 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 11,321, 71% of the county's peak of 15,869 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 Jefferson Davis 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 Jefferson Davis 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 Jefferson Davis County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.