About one in four people in Walthall County, Mississippi, has a disability
In Walthall County, 23.6% of people reported a disability. 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 three in five people (59.5%, Q2 2026) 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 looks at five parts of household money trouble in Walthall County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
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).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 86.9 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.5% · August 202588th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.4% · August 202577th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score59.5% · second quarter of 2026top 5%
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- 85.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line22.3% · 202492nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line34.0% · 2024top 5%
- People with a disability23.6% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- People without health insurance7.7% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$46,285 · 2024top 5%
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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
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202657th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.6% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
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- 62.4 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent17.5% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.0% · fiscal year 202778th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; 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 Sep 2026.
Where the money in Walthall County comes from
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 that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Walthall County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Walthall County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 39.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a quarter more than benefit checks
In Walthall County, Mississippi, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 39.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Walthall County getting SNAP food aid made its largest gain on the way to its 2012 high, from 16.6% in 2011 to 21.6% in 2012.
The share of households in Walthall County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2020, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 13.3% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Walthall County, Mississippi.
How Walthall County has changed
Walthall County's population rose most sharply after its 1974 low, from 12,509 in 1974 to 13,692 in 1979.
Walthall County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2009 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 15,505 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Walthall County, Mississippi.
The number of jobs located in Walthall County had its largest rise, from 2,710 in 1990 to 3,168 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Walthall County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 3,168 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Walthall County, Mississippi.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.8% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 34.3% | 2024 22.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $14,472 | 2024 $46,285 |
The table uses 4.7% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Walthall County's history
1912
Walthall County was formed in 1912. Wikipedia
1940
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
1997
A thunderstorm in June 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
A tornado in April 2020 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A tornado in March 2025 did $5 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A tornado in March 2025 did $5 million in property damage and killed one person. 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
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 | 88 | 19.9% | 39.0% |
| Lincoln County, MS | 87 | 16.2% | 29.0% |
| Marion County, MS | 86 | 19.8% | 37.9% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 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 34th of 82 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Walthall County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Mississippi Center for Legal Services
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, 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 Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- 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.