About one in five people in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, lives below the poverty line
In Oktibbeha County, 19.4% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 85% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 82% of U.S. counties.
What drives Oktibbeha County's score
In Oktibbeha County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 83.3. About one in three renters (32.3%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 98% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 78.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Oktibbeha 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.
Oktibbeha County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (12.7%, 2020 to 2024) and people without health insurance (7.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 83.3 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent32.3% · 2020 to 202498th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.6% · fiscal year 202767th percentile
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- 78.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.4% · August 202565th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people302.7 · 202591st percentile
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- 76.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.4% · August 202577th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.9% · August 202582nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.4% · second quarter of 202667th percentile
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- 62.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.4% · 202485th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.8% · 202478th percentile
- People with a disability12.7% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- People without health insurance7.0% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$54,391 · 202483rd percentile
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- 47.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202644th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.8% · 2020 to 202450th 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 Oktibbeha 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 Oktibbeha County, 12.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Oktibbeha County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Oktibbeha County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 23.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Oktibbeha County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 14.3% in 2018 to 12.5% in 2019.
The share of households in Oktibbeha 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: 9.0% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Oktibbeha County, Mississippi.
How Oktibbeha County has changed
Oktibbeha County's population had its largest rise, from 43,382 in 2004 to 47,400 in 2009.
Oktibbeha County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 51,965, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 51,965. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Oktibbeha County, Mississippi.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Oktibbeha County rose by about half to 20,613, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2010 to 2015, reaching 19,647. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Oktibbeha County, Mississippi.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.5% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 27.3% | 2024 19.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,726 | 2024 $54,391 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Oktibbeha County's history
1951
A tornado in February 1951 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A thunderstorm in February 2001 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A tornado in September 2005 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in January 2011 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 51,788, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1979
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Oktibbeha County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Oktibbeha County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Oktibbeha County, four score higher. Of the group, Oktibbeha County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Noxubee County gets the largest, at 38.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noxubee County, MS | 99 | 27.4% | 38.8% |
| Clay County, MS | 95 | 20.6% | 31.0% |
| Winston County, MS | 93 | 22.0% | 34.7% |
| Choctaw County, MS | 85 | 20.6% | 33.9% |
| Oktibbeha County, MS | 82 | 19.4% | 23.5% |
| Lowndes County, MS | 81 | 17.5% | 27.0% |
| Webster County, MS | 65 | 15.3% | 36.5% |
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 Oktibbeha County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Oktibbeha County's poverty rate was 19.4% in 2024, 48th 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, Oktibbeha County ranks 58th of 82 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Oktibbeha 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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North Mississippi Rural 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 Oktibbeha 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 Oktibbeha County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.