In Montgomery County, Mississippi, benefit checks brought in more money than paychecks in 2024
In 2024, 44 cents of every dollar of income here came from a benefit check: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits and the like (43.8%, Bureau of Economic Analysis). Across the country it was 18 cents.
More distressed than 97% of U.S. counties.
What drives Montgomery County's score
In Montgomery County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 92.5. People with a credit card behind: 10.1%, August 2025, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 86.1.
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.
Montgomery County does better than most counties on one measure: unemployment rate, 12-month average (3.8%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Montgomery 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.
- 92.6 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.8% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a credit card behind10.1% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.5% · Q4 202595th percentile
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- 86.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector31.1% · August 202577th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people458.3 · 202595th percentile
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- 84.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line35.0% · 202495th percentile
- People with a disability18.7% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$47,011 · 202495th percentile
- People below the poverty line22.8% · 202493rd percentile
- People without health insurance10.2% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
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- 83.5 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 income23.1% · fiscal year 202772nd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent37.4% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
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- 68.2 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working32.6% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.8% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202642nd 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 Montgomery 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
Montgomery County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Montgomery County in 2024, pay from work was 43 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 13 cents. Benefit checks were 44 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
In 1969, pay was 73 cents of every dollar here and benefit checks were 16 cents. They crossed in 2024.
In Montgomery County, benefit checks have brought in more than pay since 2024
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Montgomery County, Mississippi: 43.8% and 42.8% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 43.8% of all personal income in Montgomery 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 Montgomery County, 22.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Montgomery County has changed
The number of people living in Montgomery County fell by about three in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 13,014 to 9,411. The number of jobs located there fell by about two in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 8.9% in 1990 to 4.0% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 13,014 | 2024 9,411 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,960 | 2024 2,432 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.9% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 29.7% | 2024 22.8% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $14,679 | 2024 $47,011 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 16.1% | 2024 43.8% |
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 Montgomery County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 17,706. The 2020 Census counted 9,822, 55% of the peak. Census Bureau
1830
Indian Removal Act of 1830 forced most Native Americans west of Mississippi River to open lands for settlement. Wikipedia
1871
Organized by legislature in 1871 during Reconstruction era. Wikipedia
1910
Great Migration from Montgomery County peaked population in 1910, declined markedly 1910-1920 and 1940-1970. Wikipedia
2006
Hail: $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
Tornado: $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
Tornado: $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
Tornado: $4.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Montgomery County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Montgomery County beside its neighbors
Montgomery County scores higher than all five counties that border it. Of the group, Montgomery County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (43.8%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, MS | 97 | 22.8% | 43.8% |
| Grenada County, MS | 92 | 19.4% | 37.4% |
| Attala County, MS | 87 | 19.5% | 36.2% |
| Choctaw County, MS | 85 | 20.6% | 33.9% |
| Carroll County, MS | 70 | 15.8% | 33.1% |
| Webster County, MS | 66 | 15.3% | 36.5% |
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 Montgomery County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Montgomery County's poverty rate was 22.8% in 2024, 22nd 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, Montgomery County ranks 18th of 82 in the state.
Montgomery County in photographs
Places in Montgomery County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Hebron Baptist Church Cemetery, Montgomery County, Mississippi.
Photo: NatalieMaynor from Jackson, Mississippi, USA via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Poplar Creek Church Cemetery, Montgomery County, Mississippi.
Photo: NatalieMaynor from Jackson, Mississippi, USA via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Montgomery County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Montgomery County, Mississippi?
22.8% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in four people. Among children it was 35.0%.
Is Montgomery County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Montgomery County's poverty rate was 22.8% in 2024, 22nd 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, Montgomery County ranks 18th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Montgomery County, Mississippi?
About 9,411 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 9,822, 55% of the county's peak of 17,706 in 1910.
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 Montgomery 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 1,313 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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.