About one in four people in Perry County, Mississippi, has a disability
In Perry County, 27.0% of people reported a disability (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 86% of U.S. counties.
What drives Perry County's score
In Perry County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 86.7. About one in four people (27.0%, 2020 to 2024) has a disability, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 80.3.
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.
Perry County does better than most counties on one measure: renters paying half their income or more in rent (13.2%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Perry 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.
- 86.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line25.3% · 202482nd percentile
- People with a disability27.0% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$53,764 · 202485th percentile
- People below the poverty line17.8% · 202479th percentile
- People without health insurance15.8% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
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- 80.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.4% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a credit card behind10.5% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.9% · Q4 202592nd percentile
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- 68.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.3% · August 202554th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people229.8 · 202581st percentile
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- 66.4 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.2% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.4% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202662nd percentile
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- 59.1 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 income29.4% · fiscal year 202795th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent13.2% · 2020 to 202423rd 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 Perry 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
Perry County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Perry County in 2024, pay from work was 52 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 10 cents. Benefit checks were 38 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 15 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Perry County, benefit checks rose from 15 to 38 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Perry County, Mississippi: 38.3% and 51.6% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 38.3% of all personal income in Perry 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 Perry County, 19.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Perry County has changed
The number of people living in Perry County grew by about 26% between 1969 and 2024, from 9,075 to 11,406. The number of jobs located there fell by about one in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 9.1% in 1990 to 4.4% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 9,075 | 2024 11,406 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,337 | 2024 2,098 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.1% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 25.4% | 2024 17.8% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $17,948 | 2024 $53,764 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 14.8% | 2024 38.3% |
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 Perry County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 14,682. The 2020 Census counted 11,511, 78% of the peak. Census Bureau
1958
Tornado: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
Flash flood: $1.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
32 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Perry County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Perry County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Perry County, three score higher. Of the group, Perry County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (38.3%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greene County, MS | 94 | 22.0% | 33.7% |
| Forrest County, MS | 92 | 21.4% | 28.3% |
| Wayne County, MS | 91 | 21.3% | 32.1% |
| Perry County, MS | 86 | 17.8% | 38.3% |
| Jones County, MS | 79 | 19.2% | 32.3% |
| Stone County, MS | 79 | 16.0% | 35.8% |
| George County, MS | 72 | 14.1% | 28.5% |
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 Perry County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Perry County's poverty rate was 17.8% in 2024, 60th 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, Perry County ranks 49th of 82 in the state.
Perry County in photographs
Places in Perry County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Perry County courthouse in New Augusta, Mississippi, United States.
Underside of the camelback truss on the abandoned Mahned Bridge over the Leaf River in Perry County, Mississippi, USA.
Perry County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Perry County, Mississippi?
17.8% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 25.3%.
Is Perry County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Perry County's poverty rate was 17.8% in 2024, 60th 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, Perry County ranks 49th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Perry County, Mississippi?
About 11,406 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 11,511, 78% of the county's peak of 14,682 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 Perry 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.
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 Perry County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.