About three in ten people in Carter County, Missouri, have a disability
In Carter County, 28.6% of people reported a disability. 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. Late payments on loans come next, at 84.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Carter County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Carter County does better than most counties on one measure: renters paying half their income or more in rent (13.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 87.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.1% · 202476th percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.1% · 202484th percentile
- People with a disability28.6% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance14.6% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$50,268 · 202491st percentile
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- 84.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.1% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.9% · August 202594th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score46.8% · second quarter of 202671st percentile
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- 70.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202665th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.5% · 2020 to 202476th 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
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent13.1% · 2020 to 202422nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.0% · fiscal year 202771st percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; 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 Sep 2026.
Where the money in Carter County comes from
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 that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Carter County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Carter County, benefit checks' share of income has risen by about half since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 16% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Carter County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 40.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Carter County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.2% in 2022 to 19.1% in 2023.
The share of households in Carter County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 19.8%
Low on the chart: 13.2% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Carter County, Missouri.
How Carter County has changed
Carter County's population had its largest rise, from 4,653 in 1974 to 5,592 in 1979.
Carter County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2009 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 6,138 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Carter County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Carter County rose most sharply from its first year (1,144 in 1990) to 1,462 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Carter County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 1,581 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Carter County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.4% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 27.1% | 2024 17.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $13,759 | 2024 $50,268 |
The table uses 4.7% for 2025; the score uses 4.5% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Carter County's history
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
1920
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
1957
A tornado in May 1957 killed seven people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1982
A tornado in December 1982 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A tornado in April 2002 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flash flood in March 2006 killed one person. 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
Carter County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Carter County, four 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 | 97 | 19.6% | 47.6% |
| Ripley County, MO | 96 | 21.9% | 44.8% |
| Butler County, MO | 93 | 20.3% | 38.2% |
| Oregon County, MO | 82 | 20.1% | 45.0% |
| Carter County, MO | 81 | 17.1% | 40.8% |
| Reynolds County, MO | 73 | 18.6% | 45.2% |
| Shannon County, MO | 71 | 21.3% | 39.1% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 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 14th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Carter County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Legal Services of Southern Missouri
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, 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 Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- 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.