About one in four people in Benton County, Missouri, has a disability
In Benton County, 24.8% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 88% of U.S. counties.
What drives Benton County's score
In Benton County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 87.0. About three in ten renters (28.2%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 94% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 85.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Benton 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.
Benton County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (102.2, 2025) and people with a subprime credit score (38.4%, Q2 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 87.0 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent28.2% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.3% · fiscal year 202779th percentile
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- 85.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202676th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working33.0% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
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- 80.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.8% · 202483rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.0% · 202468th percentile
- People with a disability24.8% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- People without health insurance9.2% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$49,634 · 202491st percentile
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- 67.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.7% · August 202594th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.2% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.4% · second quarter of 202643rd percentile
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- 48.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.7% · August 202559th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people102.2 · 202537th 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 Benton 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 Benton County, 31.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Benton County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Benton County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 32.9% in 2004 to 39.2% in 2009.
In Benton County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 39.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a fifth more than benefit checks
In Benton County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 39.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Benton County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 14.5% in 2017 to 12.0% in 2018.
The share of households in Benton County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 11.8% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Benton County, Missouri.
How Benton County has changed
Benton County's population doubled to 20,614, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 16,949. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Benton County, Missouri.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Benton County rose 44% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2000 to 2005, reaching 3,740. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Benton County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.3% | 2025 5.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.4% | 2024 18.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,291 | 2024 $49,634 |
The table uses 5.4% for 2025; the score uses 4.8% 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 Benton County's history
1835
County organized January 3, 1835. Wikipedia
1931
Lake of the Ozarks reservoir created 1931, Truman Reservoir dam 1964-1979. Wikipedia
1996
A flash flood in July 1996 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A thunderstorm in June 2004 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A thunderstorm in July 2004 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flash flood in April 2009 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 19,394, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Benton County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Benton County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Benton County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Benton County ranks 3rd of the seven; Hickory County is highest, at 46.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hickory County, MO | 89 | 16.0% | 46.9% |
| Benton County, MO | 88 | 18.8% | 39.1% |
| Morgan County, MO | 80 | 16.4% | 32.8% |
| Pettis County, MO | 64 | 15.7% | 29.6% |
| Henry County, MO | 62 | 14.4% | 33.8% |
| St. Clair County, MO | 54 | 16.0% | 40.0% |
| Camden County, MO | 36 | 11.6% | 30.6% |
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 Benton County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Benton County's poverty rate was 18.8% in 2024, 15th 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, Benton County ranks 10th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Benton 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 Benton 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 Benton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.