About one in four people in Winston County, Mississippi, has a disability
In Winston County, 23.6% of people reported a disability (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 93% of U.S. counties.
What drives Winston County's score
In Winston County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 92.8. People with a car or retail loan behind: 13.2%, August 2025, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 91.1.
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.
Winston County does better than most counties on one measure: unemployment rate, 12-month average (3.7%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Winston 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.
- 92.8 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind13.2% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a credit card behind9.8% · August 202594th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.7% · Q4 202589th percentile
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- 91.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector35.6% · August 202587th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people436.4 · 202595th percentile
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- 87.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line31.2% · 202493rd percentile
- People with a disability23.6% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$50,729 · 202490th percentile
- People below the poverty line22.0% · 202491st percentile
- People without health insurance10.5% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
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- 62.1 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 income21.4% · fiscal year 202757th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent20.9% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
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- 59.2 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.4% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202639th 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 Winston 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
Winston County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Winston County in 2024, pay from work was 54 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 11 cents. Benefit checks were 35 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 12 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Winston County, benefit checks rose from 12 to 35 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Winston County, Mississippi: 34.7% and 53.9% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 34.7% of all personal income in Winston 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 Winston County, 21.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Winston County has changed
The number of people living in Winston County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 18,482 to 17,418. The number of jobs located there fell by about two in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 7.8% in 1990 to 4.0% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 18,482 | 2024 17,418 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 6,103 | 2024 5,065 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.8% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 24.9% | 2024 22.0% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $18,554 | 2024 $50,729 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 12.0% | 2024 34.7% |
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 Winston County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 22,751. The 2020 Census counted 17,714, 78% of the peak. Census Bureau
1833
Founded in 1833 as one of sixteen counties formed when chief Greenwood LeFlore ceded the lands in the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek. Wikipedia
1977
Tornado: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
Thunderstorm wind: $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
Tornado: $115 million in property damage, 10 deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Winston County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Winston County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Winston County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Winston County ranks 4th of the seven; Kemper County is highest, at 44.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noxubee County, MS | 99 | 27.4% | 38.8% |
| Kemper County, MS | 94 | 25.4% | 44.7% |
| Winston County, MS | 93 | 22.0% | 34.7% |
| Attala County, MS | 87 | 19.5% | 36.2% |
| Choctaw County, MS | 85 | 20.6% | 33.9% |
| Neshoba County, MS | 85 | 18.6% | 29.2% |
| Oktibbeha County, MS | 84 | 19.4% | 23.5% |
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 Winston County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Winston County's poverty rate was 22.0% in 2024, 25th 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, Winston County ranks 27th of 82 in the state.
Winston County in photographs
Places in Winston County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
The historic Strand Theatre in Louisville, Mississippi, United States.
Aerial Photography Index for Winston County, Mississippi, Sheet 5 - DPLA - 99061b6781c369f35e772acfd0a7c12a.jpg.
Winston County, Mississippi: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Winston County, Mississippi?
22.0% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 31.2%.
Is Winston County the poorest county in Mississippi?
No, Winston County's poverty rate was 22.0% in 2024, 25th 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, Winston County ranks 27th of 82 in the state.
What is the population of Winston County, Mississippi?
About 17,418 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 17,714, 78% of the county's peak of 22,751 in 1940.
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 Winston 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 Winston 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 Winston County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.