Carter County, Missouri

County Distress Index: Serious · 71.9 | 5,303 people · 7th most distressed in Missouri
American Default Research

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Carter County, MO shows significant household financial distress with a score of 71.9 — 134th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Community Vulnerability, where uninsured and disability rates are well above the national average. Within Missouri, it ranks 7th of 115 counties. Its score is in the middle of its 6 neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Carter County's primary driver is Community Vulnerability at 90.4 — worse than roughly 90% of U.S. counties.

Community Vulnerability Primary driver 90.4
Uninsured Rate 86
Disability Rate 95
Income & Poverty 89.2
Poverty Rate 84
Income vs. State Median 93
Child Poverty Rate 91
Debt & Delinquency 63.4
Debt in Collections 58
Medical Debt 31
Student Loan Delinquency 59
Auto Loan Delinquency 95
Credit Card Delinquency 85
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 53
Housing Cost Burden 60.1
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 89
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 19
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 30
Homeownership Rate 86
Rent-to-Income Ratio 76
Employment & Wages 56.3
Unemployment Rate 55
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 78
Business Formation Rate 36

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Carter County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Carter County
Carter County, MO 71.9 Serious —
Wayne County, MO 80.2 Crisis +8.4
Ripley County, MO 77.0 Serious +5.1
Oregon County, MO 72.5 Serious +0.6
Butler County, MO 67.7 Serious -4.2
Shannon County, MO 62.3 Elevated -9.5
Reynolds County, MO 60.9 Elevated -11.0

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Carter County
Refugio County, TX 71.8 Serious -0.0
Quitman County, MS 72.1 Serious +0.2
Marion County, TX 71.7 Serious -0.2
McCulloch County, TX 71.5 Serious -0.4
Stewart County, GA 72.3 Serious +0.4

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Carter County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Carter County

Find an Attorney

Missouri Bar — Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Missouri Bar — Lawyer Referral Service 573-635-4128

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Carter County residents at no cost.

Legal Services of Eastern Missouri 314-534-4200 (St. Louis); 1-800-444-0514 (statewide hotline)
Legal Aid of Western Missouri 816-474-6750 (Kansas City); 1-800-748-2057 (statewide hotline)
Central Missouri Legal Services 573-442-0116
The Legal Aid and Defender Association (LAD) 816-474-6750
Legal Services of Southern Missouri (417) 881-1397
Mid-Missouri Legal Services Corporation (573) 442-0116

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Carter County, Missouri?

    Carter County has a County Distress Index score of 71.9 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 134th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 7th in Missouri out of 115 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Carter County?

    The primary driver of distress in Carter County is Community Vulnerability, where the county scores 90.4 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Uninsured Rate, Disability Rate.

  • How does Carter County compare to neighboring counties?

    Carter County (71.9) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Wayne County, MO (80.2); Ripley County, MO (77.0); Oregon County, MO (72.5).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Carter County?

    Carter County, Missouri has a population of approximately 5,303 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.