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 (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is higher than in 68% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 54% 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. Jobs come next, at 57.9.
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.
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).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Barry 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.
- 67.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line21.4% · 202470th percentile
- People with a disability16.0% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,057 · 202467th percentile
- People below the poverty line15.7% · 202468th percentile
- People without health insurance12.1% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
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- 57.9 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 average4.2% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202657th percentile
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- 56.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.4% · August 202552nd percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.9% · August 202572nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score22.2% · Q4 202544th 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
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.9% · fiscal year 202730th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent18.3% · 2020 to 202451st 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 Barry 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
Barry County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Barry County in 2024, pay from work was 52 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 19 cents. Benefit checks were 30 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 15 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Barry County, benefit checks rose from 15 to 30 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Barry County, Missouri: 29.7% and 51.8% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 29.7% of all personal income in Barry 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 Barry County, 22.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Barry County has changed
The number of people living in Barry County grew by about 79% between 1969 and 2024, from 19,844 to 35,618. The number of jobs located there grew by about 14% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 4.5% in 1990 to 4.4% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 19,844 | 2024 35,618 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 11,613 | 2024 13,187 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.5% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.1% | 2024 15.7% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $18,969 | 2024 $61,057 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 14.7% | 2024 29.7% |
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 Barry County's history
Largest decennial census count
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
1835
County organized January 5, 1835. Wikipedia
1988
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Tornado: $10 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2026
Hail: $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
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
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 | 67 | 16.4% | 30.4% |
| Barry County, MO | 54 | 15.7% | 29.7% |
| Stone County, MO | 52 | 14.1% | 30.7% |
| Newton County, MO | 51 | 12.4% | 23.5% |
| Lawrence County, MO | 43 | 12.6% | 30.8% |
| Benton County, AR | 16 | 8.4% | 7.6% |
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 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 48th of 115 in the state.
Barry County in photographs
Places in Barry County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Barry County, Missouri, courthouse in Cassville.
Route 39 bridge over Table Rock Lake in Mark Twain National Forest, Barry County, Missouri.
Barry County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Barry County, Missouri?
15.7% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 21.4%.
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 48th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Barry County, Missouri?
About 35,618 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 34,534, 97% of the county's peak of 35,597 in 2010.
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 Barry 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.
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 Barry County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.