About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 in Scott County, Mississippi, is not working
In Scott County, 29.1% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 86% of U.S. counties.
What drives Scott County's score
In Scott County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 88.1. Bankruptcy filings ran at 312.6 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 92% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 85.6.
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.
Scott County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, 12-month average (3.1%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (13.4%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Scott 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.
- 88.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector34.1% · August 202583rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people312.6 · 202592nd percentile
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- 85.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.5% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a credit card behind7.0% · August 202573rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.4% · Q4 202596th percentile
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- 83.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line30.3% · 202492nd percentile
- People with a disability18.3% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,147 · 202488th percentile
- People below the poverty line19.2% · 202484th percentile
- People without health insurance13.1% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
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- 52.2 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.1% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.1% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202616th percentile
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- 49.9 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 income23.6% · fiscal year 202775th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent13.4% · 2020 to 202424th 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 Scott 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
Scott County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Scott County in 2024, pay from work was 57 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 10 cents. Benefit checks were 33 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 12 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Scott County, benefit checks rose from 12 to 33 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Scott County, Mississippi: 33.0% and 57.3% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 33.0% of all personal income in Scott 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 Scott County, 15.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Scott County has changed
The number of people living in Scott County grew by about 29% between 1969 and 2024, from 21,449 to 27,666. The number of jobs located there grew by about 30% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.0% in 1990 to 3.3% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 21,449 | 2024 27,666 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 10,411 | 2024 13,546 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.0% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 25.5% | 2024 19.2% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $16,703 | 2024 $52,147 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 11.8% | 2024 33.0% |
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 Scott County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 28,423. The 2020 Census counted 27,990, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
1833
Founded 1833. Wikipedia
1967
Tornado: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1992
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Flash flood: $50 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Hail: $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Scott County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Scott County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Scott County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Scott County ranks 2nd of the six; Newton County is highest, at 33.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newton County, MS | 92 | 21.6% | 33.7% |
| Leake County, MS | 87 | 20.8% | 32.6% |
| Scott County, MS | 86 | 19.2% | 33.0% |
| Smith County, MS | 71 | 16.7% | 29.8% |
| Rankin County, MS | 49 | 8.9% | 19.7% |
| Madison County, MS | 40 | 9.9% | 12.4% |
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 Scott County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Scott County's poverty rate was 19.2% in 2024, 50th 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, Scott County ranks 51st of 82 in the state.
Scott County in photographs
Places in Scott County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Aerial view southeastward centered on the border of Newton County and Scott County in Mississippi, seen from an aircraft heading towards George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Aerial view southeastward centered on southwestern Scott County, Mississippi, seen from an aircraft heading towards George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Scott County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Scott County, Mississippi?
19.2% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 30.3%.
Is Scott County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Scott County's poverty rate was 19.2% in 2024, 50th 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, Scott County ranks 51st of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Scott County, Mississippi?
About 27,666 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 27,990, 98% of the county's peak of 28,423 in 2000.
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 Scott 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.
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 Scott County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.