About one in five people in Adair County, Missouri, lives below the poverty line
In Adair County, 21.9% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 57% of U.S. counties.
What drives Adair County's score
In Adair County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 65.9. Unemployment averaged 4.7%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 72% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 62.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Adair County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Adair County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (12.4%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (95.5, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 65.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202672nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.2% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
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- 62.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line21.9% · 202491st percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.5% · 202458th percentile
- People with a disability12.4% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- People without health insurance10.3% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,548 · 202474th percentile
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- 54.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.6% · August 202552nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.9% · August 202560th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.2% · second quarter of 202650th percentile
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- 51.4 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent20.4% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.7% · fiscal year 202739th percentile
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- 41.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.2% · August 202549th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people95.5 · 202533rd percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; 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 Sep 2026.
Where the money in Adair County comes from
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 Adair County, 15.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Adair County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Adair County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 28.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Adair County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Adair County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 11.9% in 2016 to 10.3% in 2017.
The share of households in Adair County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 7.6% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Adair County, Missouri.
How Adair County has changed
Adair County's population rose 14% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 23,893. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Adair County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Adair County had its largest rise, from 9,677 in 1990 to 11,157 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Adair County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 16% since
High on the chart: 11,157 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Adair County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.1% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.7% | 2024 21.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,049 | 2024 $58,548 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Adair County's history
1832
Fort Clark and Fort Matson military posts established in response to frontier tensions. Wikipedia
2009
A tornado in May 2009 did $5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 25,607. The 2020 Census counted 25,314, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Adair County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA
Adair County beside its neighbors
Adair County scores higher than all seven counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Adair County ranks 7th of the eight; Linn County is highest, at 33.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adair County, MO | 57 | 21.9% | 28.6% |
| Sullivan County, MO | 48 | 12.7% | 31.7% |
| Schuyler County, MO | 37 | 14.7% | 29.2% |
| Linn County, MO | 36 | 12.1% | 33.5% |
| Knox County, MO | 35 | 14.7% | 32.9% |
| Macon County, MO | 31 | 12.0% | 30.0% |
| Putnam County, MO | 23 | 13.8% | 31.8% |
| Scotland County, MO | 21 | 13.6% | 23.4% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 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 Adair County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Adair County's poverty rate was 21.9% in 2024, 3rd highest of 115 in Missouri (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Dunklin County, at 25.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Adair County ranks 43rd of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Adair County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Legal Services of Eastern Missouri
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, 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 Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Adair County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.