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 (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). 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 93.8. 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 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.
Newton County does better than most counties on one measure: unemployment rate, 12-month average (3.7%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Newton 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.
- 93.8 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.1% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a credit card behind10.8% · August 202596th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.2% · Q4 202592nd 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 line30.9% · 202492nd percentile
- People with a disability22.2% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$49,159 · 202492nd percentile
- People below the poverty line21.6% · 202491st percentile
- People without health insurance12.2% · 2020 to 202479th 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
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.8% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202637th percentile
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- 60.3 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 income22.1% · fiscal year 202763rd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent19.3% · 2020 to 202456th 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 Newton 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
Newton County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Newton County in 2024, pay from work was 52 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 14 cents. Benefit checks were 34 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 16 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Newton County, benefit checks rose from 16 to 34 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Newton County, Mississippi: 33.7% and 52.2% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 33.7% of all personal income in Newton 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 Newton County, 17.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Newton County has changed
The number of people living in Newton County grew by about 10% between 1969 and 2024, from 19,118 to 21,063. The number of jobs located there fell by about three in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.3% in 1990 to 3.7% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 19,118 | 2024 21,063 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 6,975 | 2024 5,127 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.3% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.2% | 2024 21.6% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $18,466 | 2024 $49,159 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 15.8% | 2024 33.7% |
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 Newton County's history
Largest decennial census count
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
1836
Founded February 26, 1836, split off from southern part of Neshoba County. Wikipedia
1976
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1982
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
1992
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Flash flood: $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
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
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 | 95 | 19.6% | 34.5% |
| Newton County, MS | 92 | 21.6% | 33.7% |
| Lauderdale County, MS | 92 | 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 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 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.
Newton County in photographs
Places in Newton County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Aerial view southeastward centered on the border of Newton County and Scott County in Mississippi, seen from an aircraft heading towards George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Abandoned house, Savell Road, Newton County, Mississippi.
Newton County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Newton County, Mississippi?
21.6% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 30.9%.
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.
What is the population of Newton County, Mississippi?
About 21,063 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 21,291, 88% of the county's peak of 24,249 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 Newton 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 Newton 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 Newton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.