About four in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Caldwell County, Missouri, have a job
In Caldwell County, 16.0% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 78% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 56% of U.S. counties.
What drives Caldwell County's score
In Caldwell County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 57.9. Jobs are the lowest part, at 29.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Caldwell 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.
Even so, Caldwell County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (28.4%, fiscal year 2027) and people with a car or retail loan behind (8.2%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 57.9 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.3% · August 202529th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.2% · August 202584th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.9% · second quarter of 202659th percentile
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- 49.8 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 rent5.5% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income28.4% · fiscal year 202794th percentile
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- 49.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.3% · August 202561st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people100.5 · 202536th percentile
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- 44.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.9% · 202429th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.1% · 202434th percentile
- People with a disability14.8% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- People without health insurance9.6% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,282 · 202454th percentile
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- 29.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202636th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.0% · 2020 to 202421st 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 Caldwell 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 Caldwell County, 20.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Caldwell County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Caldwell County had its largest rise, from 19.6% in 2004 to 24.4% in 2009.
In Caldwell County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 28.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Caldwell County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Caldwell County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 11.5% in 2016 to 9.9% in 2017.
The share of households in Caldwell County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 8.4%
Low on the chart: 8.0% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Caldwell County, Missouri.
How Caldwell County has changed
Caldwell County's population fell most sharply on the way to its 1984 low, from 8,816 in 1979 to 8,241 in 1984.
Caldwell County's population rose 6% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 9,365 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Caldwell County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Caldwell County had its largest drop, from 1,647 in 1995 to 1,437 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Caldwell County fell to its lowest on the chart in 2000, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 1,437 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Caldwell County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.2% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.6% | 2024 10.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,111 | 2024 $65,282 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 3.6% 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 Caldwell County's history
1836
Mormon settlers moved to Caldwell County fall 1836 after expulsion from Jackson County. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 16,656. The 2020 Census counted 8,815, 53% of the peak. Census Bureau
1975
A tornado in April 1975 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Caldwell County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Caldwell County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Caldwell County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Caldwell County ranks 3rd of the seven; Livingston County is highest, at 29.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ray County, MO | 45 | 9.0% | 26.4% |
| Caldwell County, MO | 43 | 10.9% | 28.9% |
| Carroll County, MO | 37 | 14.3% | 26.6% |
| Clinton County, MO | 33 | 9.5% | 26.0% |
| DeKalb County, MO | 31 | 11.5% | 27.6% |
| Livingston County, MO | 25 | 14.3% | 29.9% |
| Daviess County, MO | 22 | 13.7% | 29.1% |
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 Caldwell County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Caldwell County's poverty rate was 10.9% in 2024, 96th 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, Caldwell County ranks 67th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Caldwell 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 Caldwell 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 Caldwell County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.