In Sharkey County, Mississippi, benefit checks brought in more money than paychecks in 2024
In 2024, 45 cents of every dollar of income here came from a benefit check: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits and the like (44.7%, Bureau of Economic Analysis). Across the country it was 18 cents.
More distressed than 96% of U.S. counties.
What drives Sharkey County's score
In Sharkey County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 94.5. People with a credit card behind: 10.2%, August 2025, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 89.3.
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.
Sharkey County does better than most counties on one measure: renters paying half their income or more in rent (11.1%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Sharkey 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.
- 94.5 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202593rd percentile
- People with a credit card behind10.2% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score48.5% · Q4 202595th percentile
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- 89.3 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working32.2% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average5.3% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202685th percentile
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- 87.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line51.6% · 202495th percentile
- People with a disability17.0% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$40,518 · 202495th percentile
- People below the poverty line32.6% · 202495th percentile
- People without health insurance16.9% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
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- 86.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector47.5% · August 202595th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people209.8 · 202577th percentile
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- 52.8 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 income26.8% · fiscal year 202790th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent11.1% · 2020 to 202415th 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 Sharkey 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
Sharkey County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Sharkey County in 2024, pay from work was 39 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 16 cents. Benefit checks were 45 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
In 1969, pay was 75 cents of every dollar here and benefit checks were 14 cents. They crossed in 2024.
In Sharkey County, benefit checks have brought in more than pay since 2024
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Sharkey County, Mississippi: 44.7% and 39.4% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 44.7% of all personal income in Sharkey 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 Sharkey County, 18.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Sharkey County has changed
The number of people living in Sharkey County fell by about six in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 9,130 to 3,234. The number of jobs located there fell by about six in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 12.8% in 1990 to 5.8% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 9,130 | 2024 3,234 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,091 | 2024 913 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 12.8% | 2025 5.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 50.4% | 2024 32.6% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $12,195 | 2024 $40,518 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 13.7% | 2024 44.7% |
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 Sharkey County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 15,694. The 2020 Census counted 3,800, 24% of the peak. Census Bureau
1876
1876 during Reconstruction era. Wikipedia
1971
Tornado: 14 deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1971
Tornado: $25 million in property damage, nine deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2022
Tornado: $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
Tornado: $83 million in property damage, 14 deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1971
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Sharkey County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Sharkey County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Sharkey County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Sharkey County ranks 2nd of the five; Humphreys County is highest, at 47.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, MS | 99 | 29.4% | 36.1% |
| Humphreys County, MS | 98 | 33.3% | 47.1% |
| Yazoo County, MS | 98 | 25.5% | 34.5% |
| Sharkey County, MS | 96 | 32.6% | 44.7% |
| Issaquena County, MS | 87 | 55.7% | 31.9% |
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 Sharkey County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Sharkey County's poverty rate was 32.6% in 2024, 6th 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, Sharkey County ranks 22nd of 82 in the state.
Sharkey County in photographs
Places in Sharkey County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Sharkey County Courthouse in Rolling Fork, Mississippi.
Sharkey County, Mississippi, near Anguilla.
Photo: NatalieMaynor from Jackson, Mississippi, USA via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
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Sharkey County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Sharkey County, Mississippi?
32.6% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in three people. Among children it was 51.6%.
Is Sharkey County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Sharkey County's poverty rate was 32.6% in 2024, 6th 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, Sharkey County ranks 22nd of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Sharkey County, Mississippi?
About 3,234 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 3,800, 24% of the county's peak of 15,694 in 1910.
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 Sharkey 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 Sharkey 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 Sharkey County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.