About one in five people in Smith County, Mississippi, has a disability
In Smith County, 20.9% of people reported a disability (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 84% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 71% of U.S. counties.
What drives Smith County's score
In Smith County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 87.5. About two in five people (38.9%, Q4 2025) have a subprime credit score, a higher share than in 94% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 78.2.
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.
Smith County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (9.4%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.8%, fiscal year 2027).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Smith 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.
- 87.5 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.8% · August 202581st percentile
- People with a credit card behind8.3% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.9% · Q4 202594th percentile
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- 78.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line24.5% · 202481st percentile
- People with a disability20.9% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,932 · 202475th percentile
- People below the poverty line16.7% · 202474th percentile
- People without health insurance11.4% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
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- 69.6 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 people248.2 · 202584th percentile
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- 57.9 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.9% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.5% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202631st percentile
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- 19.9 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 income18.8% · fiscal year 202729th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent9.4% · 2020 to 202410th 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 Smith 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
Smith County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Smith County in 2024, pay from work was 62 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 9 cents. Benefit checks were 30 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 11 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Smith County, benefit checks rose from 11 to 30 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Smith County, Mississippi: 29.8% and 61.5% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 29.8% of all personal income in Smith 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 Smith County, 20.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Smith County has changed
The number of people living in Smith County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 13,684 to 14,051. The number of jobs located there fell by about three in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 5.6% in 1990 to 3.5% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 13,684 | 2024 14,051 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 3,880 | 2024 2,675 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.6% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 22.9% | 2024 16.7% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $18,103 | 2024 $57,932 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 11.3% | 2024 29.8% |
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 Smith County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 19,403. The 2020 Census counted 14,209, 73% of the peak. Census Bureau
1833
Founded 1833. Wikipedia
1957
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
1969
Tornado: nine deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1992
Tornado: $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Smith County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Smith County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Smith County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Smith County ranks 6th of the seven; Simpson County is highest, at 35.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jasper County, MS | 95 | 19.6% | 34.5% |
| Simpson County, MS | 88 | 19.7% | 35.2% |
| Scott County, MS | 86 | 19.2% | 33.0% |
| Covington County, MS | 83 | 20.0% | 31.7% |
| Jones County, MS | 79 | 19.2% | 32.3% |
| Smith County, MS | 71 | 16.7% | 29.8% |
| Rankin County, MS | 49 | 8.9% | 19.7% |
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 Smith County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Smith County's poverty rate was 16.7% in 2024, 62nd 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, Smith County ranks 70th of 82 in the state.
Smith County in photographs
Places in Smith County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Smith County Courthouse in Raleigh, Mississippi, United States.
Smith County, Mississippi.
Photo: NatalieMaynor from Jackson, Mississippi, USA via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
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Smith County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Smith County, Mississippi?
16.7% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 24.5%.
Is Smith County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Smith County's poverty rate was 16.7% in 2024, 62nd 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, Smith County ranks 70th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Smith County, Mississippi?
About 14,051 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 14,209, 73% of the county's peak of 19,403 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 Smith 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 Smith County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.