About one in six people in Lafayette County, Mississippi, lives below the poverty line
In Lafayette County, 17.9% of people lived below the poverty line (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is higher than in 79% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lafayette County's score
In Lafayette County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 79.4. About one in four renters (27.9%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 93% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 65.0.
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.
Lafayette County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, 12-month average (2.9%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026) and people with a disability (11.5%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Lafayette 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.
- 79.4 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorHUD'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 rent27.9% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
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- 65.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.3% · August 202576th percentile
- People with a credit card behind5.7% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.9% · Q4 202564th percentile
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- 57.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.0% · August 202545th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people176.2 · 202568th percentile
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- 46.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line14.0% · 202433rd percentile
- People with a disability11.5% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,571 · 202447th percentile
- People below the poverty line17.9% · 202479th percentile
- People without health insurance9.3% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
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- 17.3 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.5% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average2.9% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202610th 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 Lafayette 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
Lafayette County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lafayette County in 2024, pay from work was 53 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 28 cents. Benefit checks were 19 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 8 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Lafayette County, benefit checks rose from 8 to 19 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Lafayette County, Mississippi: 19.0% and 53.0% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 19.0% of all personal income in Lafayette 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 Lafayette County, 13.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Lafayette County has changed
The number of people living in Lafayette County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 23,999 to 59,843. The number of jobs located there more than doubled from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 5.4% in 1990 to 3.2% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 23,999 | 2024 59,843 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 11,476 | 2024 25,442 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.4% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.1% | 2024 17.9% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $19,772 | 2024 $67,571 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 8.4% | 2024 19.0% |
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 Lafayette County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 55,813, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1832
Oxford and Lafayette County formed from lands ceded by Chickasaw people in Treaty of Pontotoc Creek in 1832. Wikipedia
1984
Tornado: $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
Thunderstorm wind: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Tornado: $35 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1971
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lafayette County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Lafayette County beside its neighbors
All seven counties that border Lafayette County score higher than it does. Of the group, Lafayette County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Yalobusha County gets the largest, at 43.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall County, MS | 97 | 20.4% | 31.2% |
| Panola County, MS | 97 | 20.7% | 34.2% |
| Yalobusha County, MS | 88 | 18.7% | 43.7% |
| Calhoun County, MS | 83 | 18.6% | 39.8% |
| Tate County, MS | 81 | 15.0% | 27.9% |
| Union County, MS | 70 | 14.0% | 28.7% |
| Pontotoc County, MS | 69 | 14.9% | 27.0% |
| Lafayette County, MS | 55 | 17.9% | 19.0% |
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 Lafayette County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Lafayette County's poverty rate was 17.9% in 2024, 59th 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, Lafayette County ranks 79th of 82 in the state.
Lafayette County in photographs
Places in Lafayette County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
The north façade of the Lafayette County Courthouse in 2014.
The sun sets over Highway 6 looking towards Batesville from Oxford.
Lafayette County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Lafayette County, Mississippi?
17.9% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 14.0%.
Is Lafayette County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Lafayette County's poverty rate was 17.9% in 2024, 59th 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, Lafayette County ranks 79th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Lafayette County, Mississippi?
About 59,843 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 55,813, the most of any census.
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 Lafayette 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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North Mississippi Rural Legal Services
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Lafayette 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 Lafayette County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.