About one in five people in Webster County, Mississippi, has a disability
In Webster County, 22.4% of people reported a disability (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 89% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 66% of U.S. counties.
What drives Webster County's score
In Webster County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 83.3. People with a car or retail loan behind: 8.7%, August 2025, higher than in 87% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 74.5.
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.
Webster County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, 12-month average (3.0%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.9%, fiscal year 2027).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Webster 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.
- 83.3 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.7% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a credit card behind7.7% · August 202581st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.5% · Q4 202581st percentile
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- 74.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line20.8% · 202467th percentile
- People with a disability22.4% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,401 · 202476th percentile
- People below the poverty line15.3% · 202466th percentile
- People without health insurance10.8% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
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- 68.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.5% · August 202551st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people250.3 · 202585th percentile
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- 40.6 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.9% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.0% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202613th percentile
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- 31.5 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 income18.9% · fiscal year 202730th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent15.1% · 2020 to 202432nd 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 Webster 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
Webster County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Webster County in 2024, pay from work was 52 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 12 cents. Benefit checks were 37 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 14 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Webster County, benefit checks rose from 14 to 37 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Webster County, Mississippi: 36.5% and 52.0% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 36.5% of all personal income in Webster 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 Webster County, 18.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Webster County has changed
The number of people living in Webster County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 10,134 to 10,039. The number of jobs located there fell by about three in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 8.5% in 1990 to 3.3% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 10,134 | 2024 10,039 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,933 | 2024 2,037 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.5% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.9% | 2024 15.3% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $17,905 | 2024 $57,401 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 13.6% | 2024 36.5% |
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 Webster County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 14,853. The 2020 Census counted 9,926, 67% of the peak. Census Bureau
1861
Edwards-Gray feud erupted 1861; three Gray brothers killed judge Edward D. Edwards Sr. and son Luther Edwards; mob shot/hanged Gray brothers. Wikipedia
1874
Formed in 1874 as Sumner County during Reconstruction from parts of Montgomery, Chickasaw, Choctaw and Oktibbeha counties. Name changed to Webster County in 1882. Wikipedia
1976
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
1992
Tornado: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Tornado: $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Webster County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Webster County beside its neighbors
All seven counties that border Webster County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Webster County ranks 5th of the eight; Montgomery County is highest, at 43.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, MS | 97 | 22.8% | 43.8% |
| Clay County, MS | 95 | 20.6% | 31.0% |
| Chickasaw County, MS | 93 | 23.1% | 39.9% |
| Grenada County, MS | 92 | 19.4% | 37.4% |
| Choctaw County, MS | 85 | 20.6% | 33.9% |
| Oktibbeha County, MS | 84 | 19.4% | 23.5% |
| Calhoun County, MS | 83 | 18.6% | 39.8% |
| Webster County, MS | 66 | 15.3% | 36.5% |
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 Webster County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Webster County's poverty rate was 15.3% in 2024, 73rd 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, Webster County ranks 76th of 82 in the state.
Webster County in photographs
Places in Webster County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Webster County, Mississippi.
Photo: NatalieMaynor from Jackson, Mississippi, USA via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
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Eupora Cemetery, Webster County, Mississippi.
Photo: NatalieMaynor from Jackson, Mississippi, USA via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
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Webster County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Webster County, Mississippi?
15.3% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 20.8%.
Is Webster County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Webster County's poverty rate was 15.3% in 2024, 73rd 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, Webster County ranks 76th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Webster County, Mississippi?
About 10,039 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 9,926, 67% of the county's peak of 14,853 in 1910.
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 Webster 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 Webster 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 Webster County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.