About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in Stone County, Mississippi, is not working
In Stone County, 29.6% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Stone County's score
In Stone County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 87.3. About one in three people (36.3%, Q4 2025) has a subprime credit score, a higher share than in 90% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 75.4.
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.
Stone County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, 12-month average (3.7%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (16.5%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Stone 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.
- 87.3 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.9% · August 202582nd percentile
- People with a credit card behind8.6% · August 202588th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.3% · Q4 202590th percentile
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- 75.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line22.1% · 202472nd percentile
- People with a disability21.9% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,350 · 202462nd percentile
- People below the poverty line16.0% · 202470th percentile
- People without health insurance12.9% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
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- 68.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.0% · August 202571st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people165.3 · 202564th percentile
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- 63.8 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.6% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202638th percentile
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- 42.1 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 income20.2% · fiscal year 202744th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent16.5% · 2020 to 202440th 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 Stone 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
Stone County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Stone County in 2024, pay from work was 50 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 14 cents. Benefit checks were 36 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 Stone County, benefit checks rose from 11 to 36 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Stone County, Mississippi: 35.8% and 50.4% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 35.8% of all personal income in Stone 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 Stone County, 17.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Stone County has changed
The number of people living in Stone County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 8,029 to 19,569. The number of jobs located there grew by about 65% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 7.3% in 1990 to 4.0% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 8,029 | 2024 19,569 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,911 | 2024 4,801 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.3% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 23.9% | 2024 16.0% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $18,889 | 2024 $62,350 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 11.1% | 2024 35.8% |
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 Stone County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 18,333, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1910
Wiggins business district destroyed by fire; pickle processing facility later closed. Wikipedia
1916
Formed June 5, 1916, from northern portion of Harrison County. Wikipedia
1995
Thunderstorm wind: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
31 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Stone County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Stone County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Stone County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Stone County ranks 2nd of the seven; Perry County is highest, at 38.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forrest County, MS | 92 | 21.4% | 28.3% |
| Harrison County, MS | 86 | 15.9% | 27.9% |
| Perry County, MS | 86 | 17.8% | 38.3% |
| Stone County, MS | 79 | 16.0% | 35.8% |
| Pearl River County, MS | 77 | 16.5% | 30.2% |
| Jackson County, MS | 75 | 13.8% | 24.9% |
| 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 Stone County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Stone County's poverty rate was 16.0% in 2024, 68th 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, Stone County ranks 62nd of 82 in the state.
Stone County in photographs
Places in Stone County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Stone County Courthouse, Wiggins, Mississippi, USA.
Aerial view of Beatrice community located in Stone County, Mississippi, USA.
Stone County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Stone County, Mississippi?
16.0% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 22.1%.
Is Stone County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Stone County's poverty rate was 16.0% in 2024, 68th 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, Stone County ranks 62nd of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Stone County, Mississippi?
About 19,569 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 18,333, the most of any census.
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 Stone 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 Stone County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.