Benefit checks make up 36 cents of every dollar of income in Bollinger County, Missouri
In Bollinger County, 35.6% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024). That is higher than in 83% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Bollinger County's score
In Bollinger County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 77.0. People with a credit card behind: 9.5%, August 2025, higher than in 93% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 66.5.
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.
Bollinger County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (12.3%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.6%, fiscal year 2027).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Bollinger 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.
- 77.0 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.9% · August 202571st percentile
- People with a credit card behind9.5% · August 202593rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score27.3% · Q4 202565th percentile
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- 66.5 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 people189.7 · 202572nd percentile
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- 60.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line20.0% · 202464th percentile
- People with a disability19.4% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,175 · 202454th percentile
- People below the poverty line14.5% · 202460th percentile
- People without health insurance7.3% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
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- 40.1 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.6% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.5% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202630th percentile
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- 23.9 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 income18.6% · fiscal year 202727th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent12.3% · 2020 to 202419th 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 Bollinger 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
Bollinger County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Bollinger County in 2024, pay from work was 54 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 10 cents. Benefit checks were 36 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 20 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Bollinger County, benefit checks rose from 20 to 36 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Bollinger County, Missouri: 35.6% and 54.4% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 35.6% of all personal income in Bollinger 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 Bollinger County, 21.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Bollinger County has changed
The number of people living in Bollinger County grew by about 19% between 1969 and 2024, from 8,946 to 10,610. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 8.8% in 1990 to 3.9% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 8,946 | 2024 10,610 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 1,640 | 2024 1,794 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.8% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.7% | 2024 14.5% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $17,210 | 2024 $65,175 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 20.0% | 2024 35.6% |
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 Bollinger County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 14,650. The 2020 Census counted 10,567, 72% of the peak. Census Bureau
2008
Flood: $4.8 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
Flash flood: three deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
Tornado: $2 million in property damage, five deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
Flash flood: $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bollinger County, 18 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Bollinger County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Bollinger County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Bollinger County ranks 3rd of the six; Wayne County is highest, at 47.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County, MO | 96 | 19.6% | 47.6% |
| Madison County, MO | 71 | 15.1% | 41.7% |
| Stoddard County, MO | 70 | 14.8% | 34.9% |
| Bollinger County, MO | 55 | 14.5% | 35.6% |
| Cape Girardeau County, MO | 39 | 12.4% | 23.0% |
| Perry County, MO | 28 | 11.5% | 27.0% |
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 Bollinger County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Bollinger County's poverty rate was 14.5% in 2024, 50th 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, Bollinger County ranks 46th of 115 in the state.
Bollinger County in photographs
Places in Bollinger County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Bollinger County Courthouse located at Marble Hill, Missouri.
Photo: Skye Marthaler , retouched by Kbh3rd via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Duck Creek Conservation Area Bollinger County, MO.
Photo: Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
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Bollinger County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Bollinger County, Missouri?
14.5% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 20.0%.
Is Bollinger County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Bollinger County's poverty rate was 14.5% in 2024, 50th 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, Bollinger County ranks 46th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Bollinger County, Missouri?
About 10,610 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 10,567, 72% of the county's peak of 14,650 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 Bollinger 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.
Download the CSV for Bollinger County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
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 Bollinger County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.