Unemployment in Lamar County, Mississippi, is lower than in 83% of U.S. counties
In Lamar County, 3.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). That is lower than in 83% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lamar County's score
In Lamar County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 79.4. Jobs are the lowest part, at 29.6. Unemployment averaged 3.1%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, lower than in 83% of U.S. counties.
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.
Even so, Lamar County is worse off than most counties on people with a car or retail loan behind (7.9%, August 2025) and people with a subprime credit score (32.1%, Q4 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Lamar 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
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.9% · August 202582nd percentile
- People with a credit card behind7.2% · August 202575th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.1% · Q4 202580th percentile
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- 57.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.0% · August 202556th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people145 · 202558th percentile
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- 44.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line15.3% · 202440th percentile
- People with a disability15.9% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$79,568 · 202421st percentile
- People below the poverty line11.6% · 202436th percentile
- People without health insurance11.1% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
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- 30.0 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 income19.9% · fiscal year 202740th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent12.1% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
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- 29.6 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.5% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.1% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202616th 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 Lamar 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
Lamar County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lamar County in 2024, pay from work was 61 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 19 cents. Benefit checks were 20 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 12 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Lamar County, benefit checks rose from 12 to 20 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Lamar County, Mississippi: 20.0% and 60.9% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 20.0% of all personal income in Lamar 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 Lamar County, 15.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Lamar County has changed
The number of people living in Lamar County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 15,130 to 66,734. The number of jobs located there more than doubled from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 5.0% in 1990 to 3.3% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 15,130 | 2024 66,734 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 6,294 | 2024 20,129 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.0% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.3% | 2024 11.6% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $24,216 | 2024 $79,568 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 11.5% | 2024 20.0% |
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 Lamar County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 64,222, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1905
Purvis began as sawmill town, lumber companies bought large tracts of virgin pine forest and erected sawmills along railroad. Wikipedia
2004
Flash flood: $6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Tornado: $13.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
Lightning: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lamar County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Lamar County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Lamar County score higher than it does. Of the group, Lamar County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Jefferson Davis County gets the largest, at 42.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forrest County, MS | 92 | 21.4% | 28.3% |
| Jefferson Davis County, MS | 91 | 23.9% | 42.8% |
| Marion County, MS | 86 | 19.8% | 37.9% |
| Covington County, MS | 83 | 20.0% | 31.7% |
| Pearl River County, MS | 77 | 16.5% | 30.2% |
| 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 Lamar County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Lamar County's poverty rate was 11.6% in 2024, 79th 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, Lamar County ranks 81st of 82 in the state.
Lamar County in photographs
Places in Lamar County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Current Lamar County Courthouse in Purvis, Mississippi, circa 1956.
Becky Bounds, Lamar County Schools, Mississippi explained how Lamar County Schools are eating healthier meals and exercising more due to the HealthierUS Schools Challenge prior to First Lady Michelle.
Photo: U.S. Department of Agriculture via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Lamar County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Lamar County, Mississippi?
11.6% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in nine people. Among children it was 15.3%.
Is Lamar County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Lamar County's poverty rate was 11.6% in 2024, 79th 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, Lamar County ranks 81st of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Lamar County, Mississippi?
About 66,734 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 64,222, 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 Lamar 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 Lamar County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.