In Kemper County, Mississippi, benefit checks brought in more money than paychecks in 2024
In 2024, 45 cents of every dollar of income here came from a benefit check: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits and the like (44.7%, Bureau of Economic Analysis). Across the country it was 18 cents.
More distressed than 94% of U.S. counties.
What drives Kemper County's score
In Kemper County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 93.3. About one in two people (45.5%, Q4 2025) has a subprime credit score, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 91.1.
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.
Kemper County does better than most counties on one measure: renters paying half their income or more in rent (10.3%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Kemper 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.
- 93.3 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.5% · August 202593rd percentile
- People with a credit card behind9.1% · August 202591st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.5% · Q4 202595th percentile
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- 91.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line35.0% · 202495th percentile
- People with a disability20.1% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$43,991 · 202495th percentile
- People below the poverty line25.4% · 202495th percentile
- People without health insurance15.4% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
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- 82.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.9% · August 202573rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people314.5 · 202592nd percentile
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- 82.0 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.6% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.9% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202677th percentile
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- 47.4 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 income24.7% · fiscal year 202781st percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent10.3% · 2020 to 202412th 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 Kemper 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
Kemper County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Kemper County in 2024, pay from work was 44 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 11 cents. Benefit checks were 45 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
In 1969, pay was 75 cents of every dollar here and benefit checks were 15 cents. They crossed in 2024.
In Kemper County, benefit checks have brought in more than pay since 2024
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Kemper County, Mississippi: 44.7% and 44.0% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 44.7% of all personal income in Kemper 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 Kemper County, 22.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Kemper County has changed
The number of people living in Kemper County fell by about two in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 10,455 to 8,562. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 10.0% in 1990 to 5.0% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 10,455 | 2024 8,562 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 1,841 | 2024 1,775 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.0% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 33.0% | 2024 25.4% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $13,675 | 2024 $43,991 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 15.3% | 2024 44.7% |
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 Kemper County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 21,881. The 2020 Census counted 8,988, 41% of the peak. Census Bureau
1982
Tornado: $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Tornado: $11 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Tornado: three deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Kemper County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Kemper County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Kemper County, in Mississippi and Alabama, two score higher. Of the group, Kemper County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (44.7%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noxubee County, MS | 99 | 27.4% | 38.8% |
| Sumter County, AL | 97 | 32.6% | 39.7% |
| Kemper County, MS | 94 | 25.4% | 44.7% |
| Winston County, MS | 93 | 22.0% | 34.7% |
| Lauderdale County, MS | 92 | 20.0% | 29.7% |
| Neshoba County, MS | 85 | 18.6% | 29.2% |
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 Kemper County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Kemper County's poverty rate was 25.4% in 2024, 17th 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, Kemper County ranks 25th of 82 in the state.
Kemper County in photographs
Places in Kemper County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Aerial view of northeastern Kemper County, Mississippi and surrounding areas from an aircraft heading towards George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Aerial view of southeastern Neshoba County and southwestern Kemper County in Mississippi from an aircraft heading towards George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Kemper County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Kemper County, Mississippi?
25.4% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in four people. Among children it was 35.0%.
Is Kemper County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Kemper County's poverty rate was 25.4% in 2024, 17th 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, Kemper County ranks 25th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Kemper County, Mississippi?
About 8,562 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 8,988, 41% of the county's peak of 21,881 in 1930.
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 Kemper 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.
Download the CSV for Kemper 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 Kemper County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.