About one in four people in Marion County, Mississippi, has a disability
In Marion County, 23.0% of people reported a disability (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 86% of U.S. counties.
What drives Marion County's score
In Marion County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 91.5. People with a credit card behind: 9.2%, August 2025, higher than in 92% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 89.1.
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.
Marion County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (10.0%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, 12-month average (3.9%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Marion 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.
- 91.5 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.5% · August 202590th percentile
- People with a credit card behind9.2% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.5% · Q4 202591st percentile
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- 89.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line28.7% · 202489th percentile
- People with a disability23.0% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$49,639 · 202491st percentile
- People below the poverty line19.8% · 202486th percentile
- People without health insurance13.5% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
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- 71.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.1% · August 202568th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people198.2 · 202574th percentile
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- 66.8 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.5% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.9% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202645th percentile
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- 41.5 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 income22.9% · fiscal year 202770th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent10.0% · 2020 to 202412th 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 Marion 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
Marion County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Marion County in 2024, pay from work was 49 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 13 cents. Benefit checks were 38 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 Marion County, benefit checks rose from 15 to 38 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Marion County, Mississippi: 37.9% and 48.7% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 37.9% of all personal income in Marion 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 Marion County, 18.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Marion County has changed
The number of people living in Marion County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 23,006 to 24,008. The number of jobs located there grew by about 21% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 9.6% in 1990 to 4.1% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 23,006 | 2024 24,008 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 6,858 | 2024 8,318 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.6% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 29.6% | 2024 19.8% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $15,680 | 2024 $49,639 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 15.1% | 2024 37.9% |
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 Marion County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 27,088. The 2020 Census counted 24,441, 90% of the peak. Census Bureau
1811
Founded 1811, created out of Amite County. Wikipedia
1997
Flash flood: $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
Tornado: $25 million in property damage, three deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2022
Hail: $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
37 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Marion County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Marion County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Marion County, in Mississippi and Louisiana, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Marion County ranks 5th of the seven; Jefferson Davis County is highest, at 42.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Parish, LA | 94 | 25.6% | 41.4% |
| Jefferson Davis County, MS | 91 | 23.9% | 42.8% |
| Walthall County, MS | 91 | 22.3% | 39.2% |
| Lawrence County, MS | 89 | 19.9% | 39.0% |
| Marion County, MS | 86 | 19.8% | 37.9% |
| 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 Marion County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Marion County's poverty rate was 19.8% in 2024, 42nd 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, Marion County ranks 50th of 82 in the state.
Marion County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Marion County, Mississippi?
19.8% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 28.7%.
Is Marion County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Marion County's poverty rate was 19.8% in 2024, 42nd 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, Marion County ranks 50th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Marion County, Mississippi?
About 24,008 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 24,441, 90% of the county's peak of 27,088 in 2010.
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 Marion 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.
Download the CSV for Marion 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 Marion County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.