About three in four adults aged 25 to 54 in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, have a job
In Cape Girardeau County, 15.1% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is lower than in 83% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 60% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cape Girardeau County's score
In Cape Girardeau County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 61.2. Jobs are the lowest part, at 22.0. About one in seven adults aged 25 to 54 (15.1%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 83% 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, Cape Girardeau County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (208.5, 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Cape Girardeau 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.
- 61.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.9% · August 202545th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people208.5 · 202576th percentile
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- 48.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.5% · August 202554th percentile
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202537th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score24.0% · Q4 202552nd percentile
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- 46.7 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 income18.2% · fiscal year 202723rd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent21.5% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
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- 40.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line12.5% · 202425th percentile
- People with a disability14.6% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,862 · 202449th percentile
- People below the poverty line12.4% · 202443rd percentile
- People without health insurance7.4% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
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- 22.0 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.1% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.4% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202627th 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 Cape Girardeau 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
Cape Girardeau County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Cape Girardeau County in 2024, pay from work was 58 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 19 cents. Benefit checks were 23 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 9 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Cape Girardeau County, benefit checks rose from 9 to 23 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Cape Girardeau County, Missouri: 23.0% and 57.8% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 23.0% of all personal income in Cape Girardeau 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 Cape Girardeau County, 17.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Cape Girardeau County has changed
The number of people living in Cape Girardeau County grew by about 69% between 1969 and 2024, from 49,517 to 83,658. The number of jobs located there grew by about 28% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 5.4% in 1990 to 3.6% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 49,517 | 2024 83,658 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 32,338 | 2024 41,463 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.4% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.2% | 2024 12.4% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $25,757 | 2024 $66,862 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 9.0% | 2024 23.0% |
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 Cape Girardeau County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 81,710, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1812
Organized October 1, 1812 as one of five original counties in the Missouri Territory after the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. Wikipedia
1963
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Tornado: $12 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
Thunderstorm wind: $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
Flood: $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
29 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cape Girardeau County, 22 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Cape Girardeau County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Cape Girardeau County, in Missouri and Illinois, five score higher. Of the group, Cape Girardeau County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Alexander County gets the largest, at 53.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander County, IL | 88 | 24.8% | 53.2% |
| Stoddard County, MO | 70 | 14.8% | 34.9% |
| Scott County, MO | 66 | 13.5% | 32.5% |
| Bollinger County, MO | 55 | 14.5% | 35.6% |
| Union County, IL | 53 | 17.2% | 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 Cape Girardeau County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Cape Girardeau County's poverty rate was 12.4% in 2024, 77th 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, Cape Girardeau County ranks 71st of 115 in the state.
Cape Girardeau County in photographs
Places in Cape Girardeau County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
A hazy view through the trees at the Trail of Tears State Park in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri Keywords: trte; trail of tears national historic trail; nht; national historic trail;.
Photo: English: National Trails Office ( US National Park Service ) via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
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Cape Girardeau County Missouri Courthouse.
Cape Girardeau County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri?
12.4% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in eight people. Among children it was 12.5%.
Is Cape Girardeau County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Cape Girardeau County's poverty rate was 12.4% in 2024, 77th 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, Cape Girardeau County ranks 71st of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Cape Girardeau County, Missouri?
About 83,658 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 81,710, the most of any census.
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 Cape Girardeau 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 Cape Girardeau 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 Cape Girardeau County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.