About one in nine people in Bates County, Missouri, lives below the poverty line
In Bates County, 11.1% of people lived below the poverty line (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is lower than in 68% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Bates County's score
In Bates County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 56.9. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 40.4. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 19.8% of the median household's income (fiscal year 2027), lower than in 59% of U.S. counties.
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.
Bates County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Bates 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.
- 56.9 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.7% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.1% · August 202560th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score27.7% · Q4 202566th percentile
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- 53.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line15.5% · 202441st percentile
- People with a disability18.0% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,501 · 202450th percentile
- People below the poverty line11.1% · 202431st percentile
- People without health insurance11.3% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
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- 46.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.3% · August 202574th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people67.7 · 202518th percentile
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- 45.2 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.4% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202636th percentile
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- 40.4 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 income19.8% · fiscal year 202740th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent16.6% · 2020 to 202440th 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 Bates 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
Bates County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Bates County in 2024, pay from work was 56 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 15 cents. Benefit checks were 29 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 14 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Bates County, benefit checks rose from 14 to 29 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Bates County, Missouri: 28.7% and 56.1% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 28.7% of all personal income in Bates 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 Bates County, 19.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Bates County has changed
The number of people living in Bates County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 15,773 to 16,394. The number of jobs located there grew by about 19% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 7.0% in 1990 to 4.0% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 15,773 | 2024 16,394 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 3,089 | 2024 3,673 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.0% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.2% | 2024 11.1% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $20,693 | 2024 $66,501 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 14.2% | 2024 28.7% |
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 Bates County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 30,141. The 2020 Census counted 16,042, 53% of the peak. Census Bureau
1841
County organized January 29, 1841. Wikipedia
2003
Hail: $6.75 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
Heavy rain: $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
Thunderstorm wind: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bates County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Bates County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Bates County, in Missouri and Kansas, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Bates County ranks 4th of the seven; St. Clair County is highest, at 40.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henry County, MO | 61 | 14.4% | 33.8% |
| Vernon County, MO | 57 | 14.9% | 35.2% |
| Linn County, KS | 55 | 10.7% | 27.8% |
| St. Clair County, MO | 53 | 16.0% | 40.0% |
| Bates County, MO | 47 | 11.1% | 28.7% |
| Cass County, MO | 34 | 7.0% | 19.8% |
| Miami County, KS | 16 | 7.2% | 17.8% |
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 Bates County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Bates County's poverty rate was 11.1% in 2024, 95th 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, Bates County ranks 63rd of 115 in the state.
Bates County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Bates County, Missouri?
11.1% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in nine people. Among children it was 15.5%.
Is Bates County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Bates County's poverty rate was 11.1% in 2024, 95th 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, Bates County ranks 63rd of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Bates County, Missouri?
About 16,394 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 16,042, half the county's peak of 30,141 in 1900.
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 Bates 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 Bates County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.