About one in six people in Barry County, Missouri, lives below the poverty line
In Barry County, 15.7% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 68% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Barry County's score
In Barry County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 67.2. About one in eight people (12.1%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a higher share than in 79% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 60.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Barry 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.
Barry County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (73.7, 2025) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.9%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 67.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.7% · 202468th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.4% · 202470th percentile
- People with a disability16.0% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- People without health insurance12.1% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,057 · 202467th percentile
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- 60.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.9% · August 202572nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.4% · August 202552nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.8% · second quarter of 202655th percentile
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- 57.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202657th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.1% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
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- 41.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.0% · August 202560th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people73.7 · 202521st percentile
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- 40.9 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 rent18.3% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.9% · fiscal year 202730th 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 Barry 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 Barry County, 22.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Barry County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Barry County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 29.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Barry County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Barry County getting SNAP food aid moved most in three steps: 15.6% in 2017 to 13.6% in 2018; 14.1% in 2019 to 12.1% in 2020; 10.9% in 2022 to 12.9% in 2023.
The share of households in Barry County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 10.9% 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, Barry County, Missouri.
How Barry County has changed
Barry County's population had its largest rise, from 27,273 in 1989 to 30,533 in 1994.
Barry County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 35,618
High on the chart: 35,640 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Barry County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Barry County rose most sharply from its first year (11,613 in 1990) to 13,670 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Barry County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 15,292 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Barry County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.5% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.1% | 2024 15.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,969 | 2024 $61,057 |
The table uses 4.4% for 2025; the score uses 4.2% 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 Barry County's history
1835
County organized January 5, 1835. Wikipedia
1988
A tornado in November 1988 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in May 2008 did $10 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 35,597. The 2020 Census counted 34,534, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
2012
A tornado in February 2012 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2026
Hail in April 2026 did $94.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
29 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Barry County, 21 of them for flooding. FEMA
Barry County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Barry County, in Missouri and Arkansas, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Barry County ranks 4th of the seven; Lawrence County is highest, at 30.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| McDonald County, MO | 69 | 18.0% | 26.9% |
| Carroll County, AR | 69 | 16.4% | 30.4% |
| Barry County, MO | 55 | 15.7% | 29.7% |
| Stone County, MO | 52 | 14.1% | 30.7% |
| Newton County, MO | 50 | 12.4% | 23.5% |
| Lawrence County, MO | 45 | 12.6% | 30.8% |
| Benton County, AR | 14 | 8.4% | 7.6% |
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 Barry County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Barry County's poverty rate was 15.7% in 2024, 32nd 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, Barry County ranks 47th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Barry 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 Southern 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 Barry County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.