In Camden County, Missouri, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Camden County, 18.2% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 76% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 63% of U.S. counties.
What drives Camden County's score
In Camden County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 64.5. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 29.4. People with a car or retail loan behind: 3.6%, August 2025, lower than in 74% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Camden 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.
Camden County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 64.5 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202662nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.4% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
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- 52.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.6% · 202436th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.4% · 202440th percentile
- People with a disability18.1% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- People without health insurance10.4% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,312 · 202445th percentile
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- 32.0 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 rent16.6% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.2% · fiscal year 202723rd percentile
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- 31.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.3% · August 202538th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people77.2 · 202523rd percentile
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- 29.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.1% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.6% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.5% · second quarter of 202635th 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 Camden 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 Camden County, 29.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Camden County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Camden County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 30.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Camden County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Camden County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.3% in 2012 to 13.7% in 2013.
The share of households in Camden County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 8.2%
Low on the chart: 7.6% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Camden County, Missouri.
How Camden County has changed
Camden County's population more than tripled to 44,135, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 36,316. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Camden County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Camden County had its largest rise, from 10,928 in 1990 to 13,851 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Camden County nearly doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 17,781
High on the chart: 18,174 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Camden County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.5% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.6% | 2024 11.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,748 | 2024 $68,312 |
The table uses 4.6% for 2025; the score uses 4.4% 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 Camden County's history
1841
Organized January 29, 1841 as Kinderhook County. Wikipedia
1980
A tornado in April 1980 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A flash flood in May 1999 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A tornado in May 2003 did $5 million in property damage and killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 44,002. The 2020 Census counted 42,745, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
2026
Hail in April 2026 did $59.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Camden County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA
Camden County beside its neighbors
All seven counties that border Camden County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Camden County ranks 6th of the eight; 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% |
| Dallas County, MO | 73 | 17.0% | 33.3% |
| Laclede County, MO | 68 | 14.9% | 30.9% |
| Pulaski County, MO | 50 | 14.7% | 24.5% |
| Miller County, MO | 47 | 13.1% | 27.5% |
| 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 Camden County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Camden County's poverty rate was 11.6% in 2024, 88th 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, Camden County ranks 77th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Camden 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 Camden 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 Camden County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.