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. That is higher than in 79% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 53% 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 three in ten renters (27.9%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 93% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 59.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lafayette County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Lafayette County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (2.9%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and people with a disability (11.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.4 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent27.9% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.3% · fiscal year 202765th percentile
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- 59.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.7% · August 202554th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.3% · August 202576th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.5% · second quarter of 202647th percentile
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- 57.2 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
- People below the poverty line17.9% · 202479th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.0% · 202433rd percentile
- People with a disability11.5% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- People without health insurance9.3% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,571 · 202447th percentile
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- 17.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202610th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.5% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; 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 Sep 2026.
Where the money in Lafayette County comes from
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 that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lafayette County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Lafayette County had its largest rise, from 16.9% in 2004 to 19.2% in 2009.
In Lafayette County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 19.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Lafayette County, Mississippi, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lafayette County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 7.9% in 2018 to 6.1% in 2019.
The share of households in Lafayette County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 5.2%
Low on the chart: 3.9% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lafayette County, Mississippi.
How Lafayette County has changed
Lafayette County's population had its largest rise, from 46,712 in 2009 to 52,713 in 2014.
Lafayette County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 59,843, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 31,588. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lafayette County, Mississippi.
The number of jobs located in Lafayette County had its largest rise, from 17,448 in 2010 to 21,328 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Lafayette County more than doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 25,968, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 17,448. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lafayette County, Mississippi.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.4% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.1% | 2024 17.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,772 | 2024 $67,571 |
The table uses 3.2% for 2025; the score uses 2.9% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Lafayette County's history
1832
Oxford and Lafayette County formed from lands ceded by Chickasaw people in Treaty of Pontotoc Creek in 1832. Wikipedia
1984
A tornado in April 1984 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A thunderstorm in July 2000 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in February 2008 did $35 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A tornado in May 2010 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 55,813, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1971
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lafayette County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
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 | 96 | 20.7% | 34.2% |
| Yalobusha County, MS | 88 | 18.7% | 43.7% |
| Calhoun County, MS | 83 | 18.6% | 39.8% |
| Tate County, MS | 80 | 15.0% | 27.9% |
| Pontotoc County, MS | 68 | 14.9% | 27.0% |
| Union County, MS | 68 | 14.0% | 28.7% |
| Lafayette County, MS | 53 | 17.9% | 19.0% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 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.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lafayette County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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North Mississippi Rural Legal Services
HUD-approved housing counselor
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North Mississippi Rural Legal Services
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, 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 Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- 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.