About three in ten people in Lawrence County, Mississippi, have a disability
In Lawrence County, 29.4% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 88% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lawrence County's score
In Lawrence County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 93.3. People with a car or retail loan behind: 11.4%, August 2025, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 87.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lawrence 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.
Lawrence County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (11.0%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.7%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 93.3 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.9% · August 202594th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind11.4% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a subprime credit score55.8% · second quarter of 202690th percentile
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- 87.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector32.1% · August 202579th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people391.8 · 2025top 5%
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- 87.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.9% · 202487th percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.4% · 202485th percentile
- People with a disability29.4% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance12.4% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,187 · 202488th percentile
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- 67.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202639th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working33.3% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
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- 33.3 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent11.0% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.8% · fiscal year 202751st 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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence County, 19.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lawrence County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lawrence County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 39.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a third more than benefit checks
In Lawrence County, Mississippi, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 39.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lawrence County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.9% in 2018 to 18.4% in 2019.
The share of households in Lawrence County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2018, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 13.9% in 2018. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lawrence County, Mississippi.
How Lawrence County has changed
Lawrence County's population rose most sharply from its first year (11,101 in 1969) to 11,752 in 1974.
Lawrence County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2004 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 13,149 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lawrence County, Mississippi.
The number of jobs located in Lawrence County had its largest drop, from 3,200 in 2000 to 2,658 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Lawrence County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 3,200 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lawrence County, Mississippi.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.1% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.9% | 2024 19.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,233 | 2024 $52,187 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Lawrence County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 15,103. The 2020 Census counted 12,016, 80% of the peak. Census Bureau
1978
A tornado in April 1978 killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1986
A tornado in April 1986 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
A tornado in April 2020 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A thunderstorm in May 2023 did $1.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
33 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lawrence County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lawrence County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Lawrence County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lawrence County ranks 3rd of the seven; Jefferson Davis County is highest, at 42.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copiah County, MS | 96 | 19.5% | 35.8% |
| Walthall County, MS | 91 | 22.3% | 39.2% |
| Jefferson Davis County, MS | 91 | 23.9% | 42.8% |
| Lawrence County, MS | 88 | 19.9% | 39.0% |
| Simpson County, MS | 88 | 19.7% | 35.2% |
| Lincoln County, MS | 87 | 16.2% | 29.0% |
| Marion County, MS | 86 | 19.8% | 37.9% |
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 Lawrence County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Lawrence County's poverty rate was 19.9% in 2024, 40th 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, Lawrence County ranks 41st of 82 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lawrence 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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Mississippi Center for 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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.