About one in five people in Jones County, Mississippi, lives below the poverty line
In Jones County, 19.2% of people lived below the poverty line (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is higher than in 84% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jones County's score
In Jones County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 93.6. People with a car or retail loan behind: 13.3%, August 2025, higher than in 98% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 80.2.
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.
Jones County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, 12-month average (2.8%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (16.3%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Jones 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.
- 93.6 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind13.3% · August 202598th percentile
- People with a credit card behind9.4% · August 202593rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.9% · Q4 202589th percentile
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- 80.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line28.0% · 202488th percentile
- People with a disability17.5% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$53,046 · 202486th percentile
- People below the poverty line19.2% · 202484th percentile
- People without health insurance11.9% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
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- 71.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.5% · August 202572nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people184.2 · 202570th percentile
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- 52.2 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 income22.3% · fiscal year 202765th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent16.3% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
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- 41.2 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.0% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average2.8% · Sep 2025 to Aug 20268th 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 Jones 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
Jones County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Jones County in 2024, pay from work was 52 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 have grown from 11 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Jones County, benefit checks rose from 11 to 32 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Jones County, Mississippi: 32.3% and 52.4% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 32.3% of all personal income in Jones 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 Jones County, 17.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Jones County has changed
The number of people living in Jones County grew by about 16% between 1969 and 2024, from 56,909 to 65,837. The number of jobs located there grew by about 34% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.4% in 1990 to 3.1% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 56,909 | 2024 65,837 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 21,173 | 2024 28,390 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.4% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.0% | 2024 19.2% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $19,810 | 2024 $53,046 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 11.2% | 2024 32.3% |
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 Jones County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 67,761. The 2020 Census counted 67,246, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
1951
Tornado: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1960
Laurel reached peak census population in 1960, declined about one-third since then as lumber industry declined. Wikipedia
1987
Tornado: $25 million in property damage, six deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
Tornado: $2.2 million in property damage, two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
Tornado: $11.8 million in property damage, three deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
33 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jones County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Jones County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Jones County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Jones County ranks 3rd of the seven; Perry County is highest, at 38.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jasper County, MS | 95 | 19.6% | 34.5% |
| Forrest County, MS | 92 | 21.4% | 28.3% |
| Wayne County, MS | 91 | 21.3% | 32.1% |
| Perry County, MS | 86 | 17.8% | 38.3% |
| Covington County, MS | 83 | 20.0% | 31.7% |
| 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 Jones County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Jones County's poverty rate was 19.2% in 2024, 50th 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, Jones County ranks 61st of 82 in the state.
Jones County in photographs
Places in Jones County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Jones County courthouse in Ellisville, Mississippi, United States.
Jones County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Jones County, Mississippi?
19.2% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 28.0%.
Is Jones County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Jones County's poverty rate was 19.2% in 2024, 50th 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, Jones County ranks 61st of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Jones County, Mississippi?
About 65,837 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 67,246, 99% of the county's peak of 67,761 in 2010.
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 Jones 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.
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 Jones County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.