About one in five people in Audrain County, Missouri, has a disability
In Audrain County, 19.5% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 77% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 64% of U.S. counties.
What drives Audrain County's score
In Audrain County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 72.8. About one in seven people (13.7%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a higher share than in 85% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 59.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Audrain 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.
Audrain County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.4%, fiscal year 2027) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.7%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 72.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.4% · 202467th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.4% · 202462nd percentile
- People with a disability19.5% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- People without health insurance13.7% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,562 · 202471st percentile
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- 59.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.0% · August 202541st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.1% · August 202563rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.8% · second quarter of 202674th percentile
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- 57.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.2% · August 202564th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people127.1 · 202550th percentile
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- 55.7 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 rent22.6% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.4% · fiscal year 202735th percentile
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- 48.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202637th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.1% · 2020 to 202458th 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 Audrain 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 Audrain County, 19.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Audrain County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Audrain County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 27.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Audrain County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Audrain County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply after its 2019 low, from 9.4% in 2019 to 11.4% in 2020.
The share of households in Audrain County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 12.3%
Low on the chart: 9.4% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Audrain County, Missouri.
How Audrain County has changed
Audrain County's population fell 5% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1984 and 1989
High on the chart: 25,867 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Audrain County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Audrain County had its largest drop, from 9,486 in 2015 to 8,206 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Audrain County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 10,841 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Audrain County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.0% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.8% | 2024 15.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,036 | 2024 $59,562 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Audrain County's history
1836
County organized December 13, 1836. Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 26,458. The 2020 Census counted 24,962, 94% of the peak. Census Bureau
1993
A tornado in September 1993 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A thunderstorm in June 2024 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Audrain County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Audrain County beside its neighbors
Audrain County scores higher than all seven counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Audrain County ranks 5th of the eight; Pike County is highest, at 31.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audrain County, MO | 64 | 15.4% | 27.2% |
| Pike County, MO | 58 | 15.9% | 31.8% |
| Randolph County, MO | 51 | 12.8% | 27.9% |
| Callaway County, MO | 39 | 11.8% | 24.6% |
| Montgomery County, MO | 38 | 12.2% | 27.6% |
| Monroe County, MO | 36 | 12.4% | 30.0% |
| Ralls County, MO | 22 | 8.5% | 26.2% |
| Boone County, MO | 22 | 14.3% | 16.7% |
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 Audrain County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Audrain County's poverty rate was 15.4% in 2024, 36th 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, Audrain County ranks 34th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Audrain 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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Mid-Missouri Legal Services
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.
Download the CSV for Audrain County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
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 Audrain County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.