About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in Wayne County, Mississippi, is not working
In Wayne County, 31.4% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wayne County's score
In Wayne County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 92.5. People with a car or retail loan behind: 11.7%, August 2025, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 89.8.
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.
Wayne County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (14.5%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, 12-month average (3.9%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Wayne 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.
- 92.5 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind11.7% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a credit card behind8.4% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.7% · Q4 202595th percentile
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- 89.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line32.8% · 202494th percentile
- People with a disability20.1% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$48,582 · 202493rd percentile
- People below the poverty line21.3% · 202490th percentile
- People without health insurance15.2% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
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- 83.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.9% · August 202576th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people294.4 · 202590th percentile
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- 68.8 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working31.4% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.9% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202645th percentile
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- 47.3 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 income22.4% · fiscal year 202765th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent14.5% · 2020 to 202428th 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 Wayne 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
Wayne County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Wayne County in 2024, pay from work was 53 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 15 cents. Benefit checks were 32 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 Wayne County, benefit checks rose from 13 to 32 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Wayne County, Mississippi: 32.1% and 53.2% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 32.1% of all personal income in Wayne 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 Wayne County, 18.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Wayne County has changed
The number of people living in Wayne County grew by about 18% between 1969 and 2024, from 16,687 to 19,749. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 8.8% in 1990 to 4.2% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 16,687 | 2024 19,749 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 5,000 | 2024 4,723 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.8% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 30.9% | 2024 21.3% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $17,096 | 2024 $48,582 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 13.0% | 2024 32.1% |
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 Wayne County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 21,216. The 2020 Census counted 19,779, 93% of the peak. Census Bureau
1809
Founded in 1809. Wikipedia
1940
Oil discovery in Wayne County during 1940s drove economic and population boom. Wikipedia
1958
Tornado: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1987
Tornado: $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
Tornado: $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
Flash flood: $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
32 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wayne County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Wayne County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Wayne County, in Mississippi and Alabama, four score higher. Of the group, Wayne County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Choctaw County gets the largest, at 39.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jasper County, MS | 95 | 19.6% | 34.5% |
| Greene County, MS | 94 | 22.0% | 33.7% |
| Choctaw County, AL | 93 | 21.9% | 39.2% |
| Clarke County, MS | 92 | 19.6% | 36.8% |
| Wayne County, MS | 91 | 21.3% | 32.1% |
| Perry County, MS | 86 | 17.8% | 38.3% |
| Jones County, MS | 79 | 19.2% | 32.3% |
| Washington County, AL | 67 | 17.8% | 34.9% |
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 Wayne County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Wayne County's poverty rate was 21.3% in 2024, 31st 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, Wayne County ranks 36th of 82 in the state.
Wayne County in photographs
Places in Wayne County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Wayne County courthouse in Waynesboro, Mississippi, United States.
Restroom door at Subway restaurant in Waynesboro, MS.
Wayne County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Wayne County, Mississippi?
21.3% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 32.8%.
Is Wayne County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Wayne County's poverty rate was 21.3% in 2024, 31st 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, Wayne County ranks 36th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Wayne County, Mississippi?
About 19,749 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 19,779, 93% of the county's peak of 21,216 in 2000.
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 Wayne 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.
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 Wayne County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.