About three in four 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 (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is lower than in 78% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Caldwell County's score
In Caldwell County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 55.6. Jobs are the lowest part, at 29.0. About one in six adults aged 25 to 54 (16.0%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 78% 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.
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).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Caldwell 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.
- 55.6 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.2% · August 202584th percentile
- People with a credit card behind4.3% · August 202529th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score24.0% · Q4 202552nd percentile
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- 49.8 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 income28.4% · fiscal year 202794th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent5.5% · 2020 to 20245th 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
- Children below the poverty line14.1% · 202434th percentile
- People with a disability14.8% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,282 · 202454th percentile
- People below the poverty line10.9% · 202429th percentile
- People without health insurance9.6% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
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- 29.0 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.0% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202636th 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 Caldwell 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
Caldwell County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Caldwell County in 2024, pay from work was 59 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 12 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 17 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Caldwell County, benefit checks rose from 17 to 29 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Caldwell County, Missouri: 28.9% and 59.0% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 28.9% of all personal income in Caldwell 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 Caldwell County, 20.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Caldwell County has changed
The number of people living in Caldwell County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 8,489 to 9,000. The number of jobs located there grew by about 20% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.2% in 1990 to 4.2% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 8,489 | 2024 9,000 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 1,572 | 2024 1,886 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.2% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.6% | 2024 10.9% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $19,111 | 2024 $65,282 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 16.5% | 2024 28.9% |
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 Caldwell County's history
Largest decennial census count
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
1836
Mormon settlers moved to Caldwell County fall 1836 after expulsion from Jackson County. Wikipedia
1975
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage, one death. 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
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
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 | 41 | 10.9% | 28.9% |
| Carroll County, MO | 34 | 14.3% | 26.6% |
| Clinton County, MO | 34 | 9.5% | 26.0% |
| DeKalb County, MO | 30 | 11.5% | 27.6% |
| Livingston County, MO | 25 | 14.3% | 29.9% |
| Daviess County, MO | 21 | 13.7% | 29.1% |
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 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.
Caldwell County in photographs
Places in Caldwell County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
A sunset observed in Caldwell County, Missouri, USA.
Caldwell County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Caldwell County, Missouri?
10.9% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in nine people. Among children it was 14.1%.
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.
What is the population of Caldwell County, Missouri?
About 9,000 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 8,815, half the county's peak of 16,656 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 Caldwell 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 Caldwell 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 Caldwell County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.