About one in four people in Carter County, Missouri, has a disability
In Carter County, 28.6% of people reported a disability (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 81% of U.S. counties.
What drives Carter County's score
In Carter County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 87.0. About one in four people (28.6%, 2020 to 2024) has a disability, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 81.2.
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.
Carter County does better than most counties on one measure: renters paying half their income or more in rent (13.1%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Carter 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.
- 87.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line26.1% · 202484th percentile
- People with a disability28.6% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$50,268 · 202491st percentile
- People below the poverty line17.1% · 202476th percentile
- People without health insurance14.6% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
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- 81.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.9% · August 202594th percentile
- People with a credit card behind8.1% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.8% · Q4 202563rd percentile
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- 70.8 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.5% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.5% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202665th percentile
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- 55.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.3% · August 202557th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people132 · 202552nd percentile
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- 46.9 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 income23.0% · fiscal year 202771st percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent13.1% · 2020 to 202422nd 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 Carter 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
Carter County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Carter County in 2024, pay from work was 47 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 12 cents. Benefit checks were 41 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 28 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Carter County, benefit checks rose from 28 to 41 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Carter County, Missouri: 40.8% and 47.4% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 40.8% of all personal income in Carter 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 Carter County, 20.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Carter County has changed
The number of people living in Carter County grew by about 33% between 1969 and 2024, from 4,039 to 5,359. The number of jobs located there grew by about 29% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 10.4% in 1990 to 4.7% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 4,039 | 2024 5,359 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 1,144 | 2024 1,472 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.4% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 27.1% | 2024 17.1% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $13,759 | 2024 $50,268 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 27.7% | 2024 40.8% |
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 Carter County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 7,482. The 2020 Census counted 5,202, 70% of the peak. Census Bureau
1859
Created March 10, 1859 from portions of Ripley, Shannon and Wayne counties. Wikipedia
1887
Missouri Lumber and Mining Company founded town of Grandin in 1887. Wikipedia
1910
Grandin lumber mill closed in 1910, ending Carter County lumber boom. Wikipedia
1957
Tornado: seven deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1982
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
Tornado: $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Carter County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Carter County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Carter County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Carter County ranks 5th of the seven; Wayne County is highest, at 47.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County, MO | 96 | 19.6% | 47.6% |
| Ripley County, MO | 95 | 21.9% | 44.8% |
| Butler County, MO | 93 | 20.3% | 38.2% |
| Carter County, MO | 81 | 17.1% | 40.8% |
| Oregon County, MO | 80 | 20.1% | 45.0% |
| Reynolds County, MO | 71 | 18.6% | 45.2% |
| Shannon County, MO | 70 | 21.3% | 39.1% |
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 Carter County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Carter County's poverty rate was 17.1% in 2024, 22nd 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, Carter County ranks 12th of 115 in the state.
Carter County in photographs
Places in Carter County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Courthouse for en:Carter County, Missouri in en:Van Burren, Missouri.
Carter County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Carter County, Missouri?
17.1% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 26.1%.
Is Carter County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Carter County's poverty rate was 17.1% in 2024, 22nd 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, Carter County ranks 12th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Carter County, Missouri?
About 5,359 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 5,202, 70% of the county's peak of 7,482 in 1920.
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 Carter 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 Carter 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 Carter County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.