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 (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is higher than in 85% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 84% 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. Late payments on loans come next, at 81.9.
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.
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).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Oktibbeha 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.
- 83.3 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorHUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.6% · fiscal year 202767th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent32.3% · 2020 to 202498th percentile
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- 81.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.9% · August 202582nd percentile
- People with a credit card behind7.4% · August 202577th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.0% · Q4 202585th 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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- 62.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line23.8% · 202478th percentile
- People with a disability12.7% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$54,391 · 202483rd percentile
- People below the poverty line19.4% · 202485th percentile
- People without health insurance7.0% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
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- 47.3 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.8% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.9% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202644th 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 Oktibbeha 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
Oktibbeha County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Oktibbeha County in 2024, pay from work was 55 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 22 cents. Benefit checks were 24 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 9 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Oktibbeha County, benefit checks rose from 9 to 24 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Oktibbeha County, Mississippi: 23.5% and 54.5% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 23.5% of all personal income in Oktibbeha 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 Oktibbeha County, 12.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Oktibbeha County has changed
The number of people living in Oktibbeha County grew by about 82% between 1969 and 2024, from 28,629 to 51,965. The number of jobs located there grew by about 53% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.5% in 1990 to 4.1% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 28,629 | 2024 51,965 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 13,339 | 2024 20,428 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.5% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 27.3% | 2024 19.4% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $19,726 | 2024 $54,391 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 8.5% | 2024 23.5% |
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 Oktibbeha County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 51,788, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1951
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
Thunderstorm wind: $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
Tornado: $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Tornado: $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1979
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Oktibbeha County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
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 | 84 | 19.4% | 23.5% |
| Lowndes County, MS | 81 | 17.5% | 27.0% |
| 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 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 55th of 82 in the state.
Oktibbeha County in photographs
Places in Oktibbeha County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Textile Building in Starkville, Mississippi.
Amblyscirtes carolina.
Photo: Charles T. and John R. Bryson, , Bugwood.org via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 us
Oktibbeha County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi?
19.4% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 23.8%.
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 55th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Oktibbeha County, Mississippi?
About 51,965 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 51,788, the most of any census.
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 Oktibbeha 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 Oktibbeha 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 Oktibbeha County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.