About one in four people in Walthall County, Mississippi, has a disability
In Walthall County, 23.6% of people reported a disability (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives Walthall County's score
In Walthall County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 86.9. About two in five people (40.5%, Q4 2025) have a subprime credit score, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 85.0.
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.
Walthall County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (17.5%, 2020 to 2024) and people without health insurance (7.7%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Walthall 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.
- 86.9 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.4% · August 202577th percentile
- People with a credit card behind8.5% · August 202588th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.5% · Q4 202595th percentile
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- 85.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line34.0% · 202495th percentile
- People with a disability23.6% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$46,285 · 202495th percentile
- People below the poverty line22.3% · 202492nd percentile
- People without health insurance7.7% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
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- 81.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector34.6% · August 202585th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people216.4 · 202578th percentile
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- 67.1 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.6% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.2% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202657th percentile
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- 62.4 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 income24.0% · fiscal year 202778th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent17.5% · 2020 to 202446th 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 Walthall 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
Walthall County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Walthall County in 2024, pay from work was 48 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 13 cents. Benefit checks were 39 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 13 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Walthall County, benefit checks rose from 13 to 39 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Walthall County, Mississippi: 39.2% and 47.9% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 39.2% of all personal income in Walthall 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 Walthall County, 22.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Walthall County has changed
The number of people living in Walthall County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 12,651 to 13,839. The number of jobs located there fell by about two in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.8% in 1990 to 4.7% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 12,651 | 2024 13,839 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,710 | 2024 2,270 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.8% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 34.3% | 2024 22.3% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $14,472 | 2024 $46,285 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 12.7% | 2024 39.2% |
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 Walthall County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 17,534. The 2020 Census counted 13,884, 79% of the peak. Census Bureau
1912
Walthall County was formed in 1912. Wikipedia
1997
Thunderstorm wind: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
Tornado: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
Tornado: $5 million in property damage, three deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
Tornado: $5 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
29 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Walthall County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Walthall County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Walthall County, in Mississippi and Louisiana, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Walthall County ranks 2nd of the six; Washington Parish is highest, at 41.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pike County, MS | 98 | 21.4% | 39.1% |
| Washington Parish, LA | 94 | 25.6% | 41.4% |
| Walthall County, MS | 91 | 22.3% | 39.2% |
| Lawrence County, MS | 89 | 19.9% | 39.0% |
| Lincoln County, MS | 88 | 16.2% | 29.0% |
| Marion County, MS | 86 | 19.8% | 37.9% |
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 Walthall County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Walthall County's poverty rate was 22.3% in 2024, 23rd 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, Walthall County ranks 35th of 82 in the state.
Walthall County in photographs
Places in Walthall County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Walthall County Courthouse in Tylertown, Mississippi, United States.
Walthall County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Walthall County, Mississippi?
22.3% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 34.0%.
Is Walthall County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Walthall County's poverty rate was 22.3% in 2024, 23rd 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, Walthall County ranks 35th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Walthall County, Mississippi?
About 13,839 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 13,884, 79% of the county's peak of 17,534 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 Walthall 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 1,313 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 Walthall 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 Walthall County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.