About one in three people in Washington County, Mississippi, lives below the poverty line
In Washington County, 29.4% of people lived below the poverty line (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 99% of U.S. counties.
What drives Washington County's score
In Washington County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 99.3. People with a car or retail loan behind: 19.6%, August 2025, higher than in 99% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 95.3.
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.
Washington County is worse off than the typical U.S. county on every measure in the score.
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Washington 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.
- 99.3 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind19.6% · August 202599th percentile
- People with a credit card behind13.5% · August 202599th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.3% · Q4 202598th percentile
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- 95.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector42.2% · August 202596th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people345.7 · 202593rd percentile
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- 92.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line43.6% · 202499th percentile
- People with a disability23.4% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$43,941 · 202497th percentile
- People below the poverty line29.4% · 202498th percentile
- People without health insurance11.6% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
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- 88.9 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 income24.7% · fiscal year 202782nd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent29.0% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
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- 87.6 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working32.2% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average5.1% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202681st 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 Washington 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
Washington County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Washington County in 2024, pay from work was 45 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 19 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 9 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Washington County, benefit checks rose from 9 to 36 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Washington County, Mississippi: 36.1% and 44.8% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 36.1% of all personal income in Washington 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 Washington County, 17.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Washington County has changed
The number of people living in Washington County fell by about four in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 71,612 to 41,181. The number of jobs located there fell by about four in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 10.4% in 1990 to 5.2% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 71,612 | 2024 41,181 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 23,890 | 2024 14,601 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.4% | 2025 5.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 35.7% | 2024 29.4% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $16,793 | 2024 $43,941 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 9.0% | 2024 36.1% |
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 Washington County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 78,638. The 2020 Census counted 44,922, 57% of the peak. Census Bureau
1827
Washington County was organized in 1827. Wikipedia
2008
Flash flood: $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Flood: $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
Thunderstorm wind: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1971
30 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Washington County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Washington County beside its neighbors
Washington County scores higher than all six counties that border it, in Mississippi and Arkansas. For the share of income from benefit checks, Washington County ranks 6th of the seven; Humphreys County is highest, at 47.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, MS | 99 | 29.4% | 36.1% |
| Bolivar County, MS | 99 | 30.0% | 37.0% |
| Humphreys County, MS | 98 | 33.3% | 47.1% |
| Chicot County, AR | 97 | 27.9% | 41.3% |
| Sharkey County, MS | 96 | 32.6% | 44.7% |
| Sunflower County, MS | 96 | 29.8% | 39.6% |
| 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 Washington County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Washington County's poverty rate was 29.4% in 2024, 14th 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, Washington County ranks 2nd of 82 in the state.
Washington County in photographs
Places in Washington County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Lake Washington, Mississippi.
Photo: NatalieMaynor from Jackson, Mississippi, USA via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Washington County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Washington County, Mississippi?
29.4% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in three people. Among children it was 43.6%.
Is Washington County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Washington County's poverty rate was 29.4% in 2024, 14th 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, Washington County ranks 2nd of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Washington County, Mississippi?
About 41,181 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 44,922, 57% of the county's peak of 78,638 in 1960.
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 Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.