In Quitman County, Mississippi, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2014
In 2024, 50 cents of every dollar of income here came from a benefit check: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits and the like (50.3%, Bureau of Economic Analysis). Across the country it was 18 cents.
More distressed than 97% of U.S. counties.
What drives Quitman County's score
In Quitman County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 95.0. About half of people with a credit file (48.1%, August 2025) have unpaid debt sent to a collector, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 95.0.
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.
Quitman County does better than most counties on one measure: renters paying half their income or more in rent (16.1%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Quitman 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 collector48.1% · August 202595th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people577 · 202595th percentile
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- 95.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind16.9% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a credit card behind16.4% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score53.0% · Q4 202595th percentile
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- 87.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line44.3% · 202495th percentile
- People with a disability18.4% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$37,474 · 202495th percentile
- People below the poverty line31.9% · 202495th percentile
- People without health insurance12.5% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
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- 77.5 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.5% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.5% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202666th percentile
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- 66.3 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 income29.0% · fiscal year 202795th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent16.1% · 2020 to 202437th 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 Quitman 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
Quitman County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Quitman County in 2024, pay from work was 37 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 13 cents. Benefit checks were 50 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
In 1969, pay was 72 cents of every dollar here and benefit checks were 15 cents.
In Quitman County, benefit checks have brought in more than pay since 2014
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Quitman County, Mississippi: 50.3% and 37.1% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 50.3% of all personal income in Quitman 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 Quitman County, 18.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Quitman County has changed
The number of people living in Quitman County fell by about seven in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 16,409 to 5,542. The number of jobs located there fell by about half from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 10.9% in 1990 to 5.0% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 16,409 | 2024 5,542 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,100 | 2024 1,001 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.9% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 46.8% | 2024 31.9% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $11,764 | 2024 $37,474 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 14.6% | 2024 50.3% |
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 Quitman County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 27,191. The 2020 Census counted 6,176, 23% of the peak. Census Bureau
1877
Quitman County was formed in 1877 from portions of Tunica, Coahoma, Panola, and Tallahatchie Counties; the bill for its creation was introduced into the Mississippi Legislature by Leopold Marks. Wikipedia
1940
Thousands of African Americans left in Great Migration to St. Louis and Chicago. Wikipedia
1978
Tornado: $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
Tornado: $5 million in property damage, two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
Flood: $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Quitman County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Quitman County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Quitman County, two score higher. Of the group, Quitman County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (50.3%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coahoma County, MS | 99 | 34.9% | 41.1% |
| Tunica County, MS | 99 | 25.0% | 33.1% |
| Quitman County, MS | 97 | 31.9% | 50.3% |
| Panola County, MS | 97 | 20.7% | 34.2% |
| Tallahatchie County, MS | 83 | 32.3% | 38.0% |
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 Quitman County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Quitman County's poverty rate was 31.9% in 2024, 8th 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, Quitman County ranks 15th of 82 in the state.
Quitman County in photographs
Places in Quitman County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Quitman County courthouse (Marks, Mississippi).
Photo: Thomas R Machnitzki (thomas@machnitzki.com) via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Police automobiles in Marks, Mississippi Sheriff Constable cruiser.
Photo: Thomas R Machnitzki (thomas@machnitzki.com) via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Quitman County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Quitman County, Mississippi?
31.9% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in three people. Among children it was 44.3%.
Is Quitman County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Quitman County's poverty rate was 31.9% in 2024, 8th 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, Quitman County ranks 15th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Quitman County, Mississippi?
About 5,542 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 6,176, 23% of the county's peak of 27,191 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 Quitman 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 Quitman 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 Quitman County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.