About one in three people with a credit file in Warren County, Mississippi, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Warren County, 35.0% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector (Urban Institute, Debt in America, August 2025). That is higher than in 86% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 88% of U.S. counties.
What drives Warren County's score
In Warren County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 96.2. People with a car or retail loan behind: 13.7%, August 2025, higher than in 98% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 88.2.
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.
Warren County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.2%, fiscal year 2027) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (17.9%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Warren 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.
- 96.2 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind13.7% · August 202598th percentile
- People with a credit card behind10.5% · August 202596th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.9% · Q4 202594th percentile
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- 88.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector35.0% · August 202586th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people290.8 · 202589th percentile
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- 75.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line30.0% · 202491st percentile
- People with a disability18.3% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,686 · 202468th percentile
- People below the poverty line18.8% · 202483rd percentile
- People without health insurance9.4% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
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- 62.5 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.8% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.2% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202657th percentile
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- 46.3 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 rent17.9% · 2020 to 202448th 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 Warren 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
Warren County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Warren County in 2024, pay from work was 54 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 18 cents. Benefit checks were 28 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 8 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Warren County, benefit checks rose from 8 to 28 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Warren County, Mississippi: 28.2% and 54.1% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 28.2% of all personal income in Warren 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 Warren County, 19.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Warren County has changed
The number of people living in Warren County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 44,925 to 42,105. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 7.4% in 1990 to 4.3% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 44,925 | 2024 42,105 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 19,649 | 2024 18,797 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.4% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.0% | 2024 18.8% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $23,860 | 2024 $60,686 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 8.2% | 2024 28.2% |
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 Warren County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 51,627. The 2020 Census counted 44,722, 87% of the peak. Census Bureau
1809
Established by legislative act December 22, 1809. Wikipedia
1953
Tornado: $25 million in property damage, 38 deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1971
Tornado: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Hail: $75 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Hail: $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1971
33 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Warren County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Warren County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Warren County, in Mississippi and Louisiana, six score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Warren County ranks 7th of the eight; Claiborne County is highest, at 47.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Carroll Parish, LA | 99 | 44.4% | 45.3% |
| Madison Parish, LA | 99 | 33.3% | 41.5% |
| Claiborne County, MS | 98 | 33.3% | 47.1% |
| Hinds County, MS | 98 | 22.2% | 26.8% |
| Yazoo County, MS | 98 | 25.5% | 34.5% |
| Tensas Parish, LA | 97 | 27.4% | 39.0% |
| Warren County, MS | 88 | 18.8% | 28.2% |
| 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 Warren County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Warren County's poverty rate was 18.8% in 2024, 52nd 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, Warren County ranks 42nd of 82 in the state.
Warren County in photographs
Places in Warren County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Warren County Courthouse in Vicksburg, MS (built c.
Warren County, Mississippi.
Photo: NatalieMaynor from Jackson, Mississippi, USA via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
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Warren County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Warren County, Mississippi?
18.8% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 30.0%.
Is Warren County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Warren County's poverty rate was 18.8% in 2024, 52nd 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, Warren County ranks 42nd of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Warren County, Mississippi?
About 42,105 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 44,722, 87% of the county's peak of 51,627 in 1980.
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 Warren 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 Warren 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 Warren County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.