About three in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Barton County, Missouri, are not working
In Barton County, 29.6% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Barton County's score
In Barton County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 68.0. About one in five people (20.6%, 2020 to 2024) has a disability, a higher share than in 83% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 59.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Barton 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.
Barton County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a credit card behind (3.2%, August 2025) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.4%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 68.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.7% · 202454th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.7% · 202463rd percentile
- People with a disability20.6% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- People without health insurance9.3% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,158 · 202477th percentile
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- 59.5 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 rent22.3% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.2% · fiscal year 202744th percentile
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- 59.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202629th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.6% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
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- 53.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.2% · August 202568th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people102.3 · 202537th percentile
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- 39.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.2% · August 202513th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.1% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score46.3% · second quarter of 202670th 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 Barton 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 Barton County, 21.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Barton County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Barton County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 30.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Barton County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Barton County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 18.5%, with most of the change between 2015 and 2016
High on the chart: 19.9% 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, Barton County, Missouri.
How Barton County has changed
Barton County's population had its largest rise, from 11,836 in 1994 to 12,494 in 1999.
Barton County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2004 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 12,941 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Barton County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Barton County had its largest drop, from 5,136 in 2005 to 3,496 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Barton County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 36% since
High on the chart: 5,483 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Barton County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.9% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.3% | 2024 13.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,451 | 2024 $57,158 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.4% 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 Barton County's history
1855
County organized December 12, 1855. Wikipedia
1861
Lamar suffered multiple attacks by rebels during Civil War. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 18,253. The 2020 Census counted 11,637, 64% of the peak. Census Bureau
1982
A tornado in March 1982 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A tornado in December 2002 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A tornado in May 2003 did $13 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A tornado in May 2019 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Barton County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Barton County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Barton County, in Missouri and Kansas, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Barton County ranks 4th of the six; Cedar County is highest, at 41.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jasper County, MO | 70 | 13.5% | 27.1% |
| Cedar County, MO | 62 | 16.5% | 41.3% |
| Crawford County, KS | 58 | 17.1% | 27.5% |
| Barton County, MO | 58 | 13.7% | 30.4% |
| Vernon County, MO | 57 | 14.9% | 35.2% |
| Dade County, MO | 43 | 13.5% | 32.1% |
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 Barton County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Barton County's poverty rate was 13.7% in 2024, 61st 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, Barton County ranks 40th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Barton 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 Aid of Western 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.
Download the CSV for Barton 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 Barton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.