Carter County, Missouri
Above the national median for disability rate — and 9.3× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (San Juan County, CO — 3%).
Main Findings
Carter County, Missouri ranks 630th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 27% of residents report a disability — above the national median of 16%.
- 630th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Second-most distressed fifth, 13th in Missouri.
- 27% of residents report a disability (U.S. median 16%). Disability rate at the 95th percentile nationally.
- Auto loan delinquency at 11% — national median 5%, ranked at the 95th percentile.
- Unemployment at 4% — national median 4%, ranked at the 62nd percentile.
- Debt in collections at 25% — national median 23%, ranked at the 58th percentile.
Unemployment is 4%, near the national median of 4%, while auto loan delinquency runs at the 95th percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.
Neighbors span two CDI distress fifths. The 21-point drop to Shannon County marks where the Missouri distress corridor ends.
"Carter County ranks in the second-most distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The score is above the national county midpoint, with the domain table showing the local pressure mix."
"The CDI places this county in the second-most distressed fifth nationally. The county sits above the median distress position, with the five-domain profile showing which local pressures carry the score."
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
30% of children under 18 in Carter County live below the federal poverty line, versus 18% nationally. When a county's adult poverty rate is accompanied by a materially higher child poverty rate, the gap typically reflects single-parent household concentration or limited access to workforce-participation supports (childcare, transportation). Worth a call to the local school district's free-and-reduced-lunch coordinator or a regional United Way affiliate.
The Indicators Behind Carter County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Carter County's value shown alongside MO's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Carter | MO median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 81 · Rank 497 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 11% | 6% | 5% | 95th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 8% | 5% | 5% | 85th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 27% | 24% | 23% | 64th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 55 · Rank 1,311 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 25% | 24% | 23% | 58th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 132 | 118 | 126 | 53rd | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 48 · Rank 1,654 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 24% | 20% | 21% | 76th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 12% | 16% | 18% | 19th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 62 · Rank 1,190 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 4% | 3% | 4% | 62nd | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 90 · Rank 71 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 30% | 19% | 18% | 91st | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 27% | 17% | 16% | 95th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 19% | 14% | 14% | 84th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 41% | 30% | 27% | 94th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 14% | 11% | 8% | 86th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Business Formation Statistics), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2023 to 2025 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Carter County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 153-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
VAN BUREN, Mo. — Carter County ranks 630th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 67 out of 100 places Carter in the second-most distressed fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 629 counties rank more distressed. Within Missouri, Carter ranks 13th of 115 counties.
The index, which draws on 16 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies safety net & buffer as the primary driver in Carter. 27% of residents report a disability — above the national median of 16%.
"Carter County ranks in the second-most distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The score is above the national county midpoint, with the domain table showing the local pressure mix," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Carter County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Carter County's distress score?
How does Carter County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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