In Carroll County, Missouri, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Carroll County, 18.0% of the median household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom at HUD's fair market rent (HUD and Census Bureau, HUD rent fiscal year 2027; household income 2024). That is lower than in 79% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 65% of U.S. counties.
What drives Carroll County's score
In Carroll County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 55.5. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 14.4. About one in 13 renters (7.9%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 92% 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, Carroll County is worse off than most counties on people with a car or retail loan behind (9.0%, August 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Carroll 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.
- 55.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.6% · August 202558th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people131.1 · 202552nd percentile
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- 53.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line18.2% · 202456th percentile
- People with a disability15.0% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,304 · 202456th percentile
- People below the poverty line14.3% · 202459th percentile
- People without health insurance8.1% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
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- 43.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.0% · August 202588th percentile
- People with a credit card behind2.6% · August 20256th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score19.8% · Q4 202533rd percentile
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- 39.6 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.9% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.9% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202646th percentile
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- 14.4 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 income18.0% · fiscal year 202720th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent7.9% · 2020 to 20247th 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 Carroll 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
Carroll County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Carroll County in 2024, pay from work was 58 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 15 cents. Benefit checks were 27 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 11 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Carroll County, benefit checks rose from 11 to 27 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Carroll County, Missouri: 26.6% and 58.2% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 26.6% of all personal income in Carroll 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 Carroll County, 22.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Carroll County has changed
The number of people living in Carroll County fell by about three in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 12,880 to 8,414. The number of jobs located there grew by about 14% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 7.3% in 1990 to 4.3% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 12,880 | 2024 8,414 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,335 | 2024 2,658 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.3% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.7% | 2024 14.3% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $20,628 | 2024 $64,304 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 10.9% | 2024 26.6% |
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 Carroll County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 26,455. The 2020 Census counted 8,495, 32% of the peak. Census Bureau
1833
Organized January 2, 1833 from part of Ray County. Wikipedia
1977
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
29 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Carroll County, 20 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Carroll County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Carroll County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Carroll County ranks 6th of the seven; Livingston County is highest, at 29.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saline County, MO | 61 | 15.5% | 29.0% |
| Lafayette County, MO | 54 | 9.7% | 29.4% |
| Ray County, MO | 45 | 9.0% | 26.4% |
| Caldwell County, MO | 41 | 10.9% | 28.9% |
| Carroll County, MO | 34 | 14.3% | 26.6% |
| Livingston County, MO | 25 | 14.3% | 29.9% |
| Chariton County, MO | 10 | 11.7% | 28.8% |
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 Carroll County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Carroll County's poverty rate was 14.3% in 2024, 53rd 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, Carroll County ranks 75th of 115 in the state.
Carroll County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Carroll County, Missouri?
14.3% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 18.2%.
Is Carroll County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Carroll County's poverty rate was 14.3% in 2024, 53rd 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, Carroll County ranks 75th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Carroll County, Missouri?
About 8,414 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 8,495, 32% of the county's peak of 26,455 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 Carroll 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 Carroll 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 Carroll County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.