About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in Leake County, Mississippi, is not working
In Leake County, 34.2% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 87% of U.S. counties.
What drives Leake County's score
In Leake County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 96.2. People with a credit card behind: 13.9%, August 2025, higher than in 99% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 89.0.
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.
Leake County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, 12-month average (3.1%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (13.1%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Leake 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.
- 96.2 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind11.8% · August 202596th percentile
- People with a credit card behind13.9% · August 202599th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.9% · Q4 202592nd percentile
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- 89.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector37.3% · August 202590th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people272.8 · 202587th percentile
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- 82.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line30.5% · 202492nd percentile
- People with a disability17.3% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,130 · 202477th percentile
- People below the poverty line20.8% · 202489th percentile
- People without health insurance15.5% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
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- 56.3 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working34.2% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.1% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202617th percentile
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- 38.5 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 income21.1% · fiscal year 202754th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent13.1% · 2020 to 202422nd 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 Leake 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
Leake County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Leake County in 2024, pay from work was 57 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 11 cents. Benefit checks were 33 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 15 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Leake County, benefit checks rose from 15 to 33 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Leake County, Mississippi: 32.6% and 56.9% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 32.6% of all personal income in Leake 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 Leake County, 18.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Leake County has changed
The number of people living in Leake County grew by about 24% between 1969 and 2024, from 17,312 to 21,462. The number of jobs located there grew by about 11% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 7.2% in 1990 to 3.4% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 17,312 | 2024 21,462 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 4,883 | 2024 5,416 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.2% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 28.4% | 2024 20.8% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $14,802 | 2024 $57,130 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 15.2% | 2024 32.6% |
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 Leake County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 24,570. The 2020 Census counted 21,275, 87% of the peak. Census Bureau
1833
Founded 1833. Wikipedia
1958
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
1966
Tornado: $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1976
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
1982
Tornado: $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility closed. Wikipedia
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Since 1974
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Leake County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Leake County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Leake County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Leake County ranks 4th of the six; Attala County is highest, at 36.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newton County, MS | 92 | 21.6% | 33.7% |
| Leake County, MS | 87 | 20.8% | 32.6% |
| Attala County, MS | 87 | 19.5% | 36.2% |
| Scott County, MS | 86 | 19.2% | 33.0% |
| Neshoba County, MS | 85 | 18.6% | 29.2% |
| Madison County, MS | 40 | 9.9% | 12.4% |
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 Leake County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Leake County's poverty rate was 20.8% in 2024, 32nd 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, Leake County ranks 47th of 82 in the state.
Leake County in photographs
Places in Leake County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Leake County Courthouse; Carthage, Mississippi; January 2011.
Aerial view of south-central Attala County and northwestern Leake County in Mississippi from an aircraft which departed from George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Leake County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Leake County, Mississippi?
20.8% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 30.5%.
Is Leake County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Leake County's poverty rate was 20.8% in 2024, 32nd 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, Leake County ranks 47th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Leake County, Mississippi?
About 21,462 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 21,275, 87% of the county's peak of 24,570 in 1940.
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 Leake 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 Leake County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.