About one in five people in Audrain County, Missouri, has a disability
In Audrain County, 19.5% of people reported a disability (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). 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 59.1.
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.
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, 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 Audrain 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.
- 72.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line19.4% · 202462nd percentile
- People with a disability19.5% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,562 · 202471st percentile
- People below the poverty line15.4% · 202467th percentile
- People without health insurance13.7% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
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- 59.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.1% · August 202563rd percentile
- People with a credit card behind5.0% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score29.0% · Q4 202571st 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
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.4% · fiscal year 202735th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent22.6% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
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- 48.2 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.1% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202637th 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 Audrain 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
Audrain County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Audrain County in 2024, pay from work was 57 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 16 cents. Benefit checks were 27 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 9 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Audrain County, benefit checks rose from 9 to 27 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Audrain County, Missouri: 27.2% and 56.5% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 27.2% of all personal income in Audrain County, Missouri (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 Audrain County, 19.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Audrain County has changed
The number of people living in Audrain County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 25,670 to 24,304. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 5.0% in 1990 to 3.9% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 25,670 | 2024 24,304 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 8,533 | 2024 8,074 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.0% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.8% | 2024 15.4% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $24,036 | 2024 $59,562 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 9.2% | 2024 27.2% |
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 Audrain County's history
Largest decennial census count
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
1836
County organized December 13, 1836. Wikipedia
1993
Tornado: $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
Thunderstorm wind: one death. 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
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
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 | 56 | 15.9% | 31.8% |
| Randolph County, MO | 51 | 12.8% | 27.9% |
| Callaway County, MO | 41 | 11.8% | 24.6% |
| Montgomery County, MO | 39 | 12.2% | 27.6% |
| Monroe County, MO | 36 | 12.4% | 30.0% |
| Boone County, MO | 23 | 14.3% | 16.7% |
| Ralls County, MO | 23 | 8.5% | 26.2% |
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 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.
Audrain County in photographs
Places in Audrain County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Audrain County Missouri Courthouse.
Photo: Onegentlemanofverona via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Audrain County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Audrain County, Missouri?
15.4% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 19.4%.
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.
What is the population of Audrain County, Missouri?
About 24,304 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 24,962, 94% of the county's peak of 26,458 in 1980.
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 Audrain 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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The Legal Aid and Defender Association (LAD)
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 Audrain 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 Audrain County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.