About two in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Noxubee County, Mississippi, are not working
In Noxubee County, 41.6% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 99% of U.S. counties.
What drives Noxubee County's score
In Noxubee County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 95.0. About two in five people with a credit file (41.8%, August 2025) have unpaid debt sent to a collector, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 94.2.
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.
Noxubee County is worse off than the typical U.S. county on every measure in the score.
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Noxubee 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.
- 95.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector41.8% · August 202595th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people393.4 · 202595th percentile
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- 94.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line38.0% · 202495th percentile
- People with a disability26.8% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$41,273 · 202495th percentile
- People below the poverty line27.4% · 202495th percentile
- People without health insurance15.8% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
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- 91.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.6% · August 202591st percentile
- People with a credit card behind8.7% · August 202588th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score48.8% · Q4 202595th percentile
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- 85.7 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working41.6% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.8% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202676th percentile
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- 85.5 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 income26.3% · fiscal year 202788th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent23.9% · 2020 to 202482nd 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 Noxubee 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
Noxubee County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Noxubee County in 2024, pay from work was 50 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 11 cents. Benefit checks were 39 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks brought in more than pay in one of the years since 1969, but pay is ahead now.
In Noxubee County, benefit checks rose from 13 to 39 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Noxubee County, Mississippi: 38.8% and 49.9% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 38.8% of all personal income in Noxubee 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 Noxubee County, 18.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Noxubee County has changed
The number of people living in Noxubee County fell by about three in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 14,570 to 9,825. The number of jobs located there fell by about two in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 11.7% in 1990 to 4.8% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 14,570 | 2024 9,825 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,577 | 2024 2,160 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 11.7% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 39.7% | 2024 27.4% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $12,934 | 2024 $41,273 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 13.4% | 2024 38.8% |
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 Noxubee County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 30,846. The 2020 Census counted 10,285, 33% of the peak. Census Bureau
1863
Macon served as Mississippi state capital 1863 onward during Civil War. Wikipedia
1957
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
1957
Tornado: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Tornado: $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
Hail: $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Noxubee County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Noxubee County beside its neighbors
Noxubee County scores higher than all six counties that border it, in Mississippi and Alabama. For the share of income from benefit checks, Noxubee County ranks 3rd of the seven; Kemper County is highest, at 44.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noxubee County, MS | 99 | 27.4% | 38.8% |
| Sumter County, AL | 97 | 32.6% | 39.7% |
| Kemper County, MS | 94 | 25.4% | 44.7% |
| Winston County, MS | 93 | 22.0% | 34.7% |
| Pickens County, AL | 92 | 22.0% | 36.2% |
| Oktibbeha County, MS | 84 | 19.4% | 23.5% |
| Lowndes County, MS | 81 | 17.5% | 27.0% |
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 Noxubee County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Noxubee County's poverty rate was 27.4% in 2024, 15th 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, Noxubee County ranks 5th of 82 in the state.
Noxubee County in photographs
Places in Noxubee County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Noxubee County Courthouse in Macon, Mississippi.
Photo: R. Stephens ( Rdstephens at en.wikipedia ) via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
AL14 West End - MS388 Begins - Noxubee County Line.
Photo: formulanone from Huntsville, United States via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Noxubee County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Noxubee County, Mississippi?
27.4% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in four people. Among children it was 38.0%.
Is Noxubee County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Noxubee County's poverty rate was 27.4% in 2024, 15th 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, Noxubee County ranks 5th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Noxubee County, Mississippi?
About 9,825 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 10,285, 33% of the county's peak of 30,846 in 1900.
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 Noxubee 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 Noxubee 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 Noxubee County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.