About one in five people in Newton County, Mississippi, lives below the poverty line
In Newton County, 21.6% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 92% of U.S. counties.
What drives Newton County's score
In Newton County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 92.8. People with a credit card behind: 10.8%, August 2025, higher than in 96% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 89.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Newton 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.
Newton County does better than most counties on one measure: 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.
- 92.8 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind10.8% · August 202596th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.1% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score55.0% · second quarter of 202689th percentile
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- 89.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line21.6% · 202491st percentile
- Children below the poverty line30.9% · 202492nd percentile
- People with a disability22.2% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- People without health insurance12.2% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$49,159 · 202492nd percentile
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- 80.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.6% · August 202575th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people256.9 · 202586th percentile
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- 60.7 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 202637th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.8% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
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- 60.3 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 rent19.3% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.1% · fiscal year 202763rd 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 Newton 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 Newton County, 17.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Newton County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Newton County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 33.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Newton County, Mississippi, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Newton County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.2% in 2011 to 13.8% in 2012.
The share of households in Newton County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 10.0% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Newton County, Mississippi.
How Newton County has changed
Newton County's population had its largest rise, from 20,192 in 1989 to 21,100 in 1994.
Newton County's population rose 10% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 21,879 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Newton County, Mississippi.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Newton County fell by about a quarter to 5,081, the lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 2015 to 2020, reaching 5,174. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Newton County, Mississippi.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.3% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.2% | 2024 21.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,466 | 2024 $49,159 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Newton County's history
1836
Founded February 26, 1836, split off from southern part of Neshoba County. Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 24,249. The 2020 Census counted 21,291, 88% of the peak. Census Bureau
1976
A tornado in March 1976 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1982
A tornado in January 1982 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1992
A tornado in November 1992 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A flash flood in April 2003 did $30 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Newton County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Newton County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Newton County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Newton County ranks 2nd of the six; Jasper County is highest, at 34.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jasper County, MS | 94 | 19.6% | 34.5% |
| Newton County, MS | 92 | 21.6% | 33.7% |
| Lauderdale County, MS | 91 | 20.0% | 29.7% |
| Leake County, MS | 87 | 20.8% | 32.6% |
| Scott County, MS | 86 | 19.2% | 33.0% |
| Neshoba County, MS | 85 | 18.6% | 29.2% |
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 Newton County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Newton County's poverty rate was 21.6% in 2024, 28th 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, Newton County ranks 33rd of 82 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Newton 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 Newton 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 Newton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.