About one in 14 people in Cass County, Missouri, lives below the poverty line
In Cass County, 7.0% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 67% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cass County's score
In Cass County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 63.4. Jobs are the lowest part, at 20.0. About one in seven adults aged 25 to 54 (15.1%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 83% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cass 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.
Cass County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 63.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.9% · August 202556th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people180.8 · 202570th percentile
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- 57.6 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 rent18.2% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.3% · fiscal year 202764th percentile
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- 36.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.8% · August 202538th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.4% · August 202539th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.2% · second quarter of 202630th percentile
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- 21.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.0% · 20244th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.3% · 20247th percentile
- People with a disability14.0% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- People without health insurance7.7% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$83,378 · 202415th percentile
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- 20.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202623rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.1% · 2020 to 202416th 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 Cass 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 Cass County, 18.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cass County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Cass County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 19.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Cass County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Cass County getting SNAP food aid moved most in two steps: 7.3% in 2010 to 8.5% in 2011; 10.7% in 2016 to 9.5% in 2017.
The share of households in Cass County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about half
Biggest drop: 2016 to 2017, reaching 9.5%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Cass County, Missouri.
How Cass County has changed
Cass County's population had its largest rise, from 37,172 in 1969 to 47,366 in 1974.
Cass County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 113,873, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 49,652. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cass County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Cass County had its largest rise in the last span, from 26,135 in 2020 to 31,431 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Cass County tripled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 31,431, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 22,486. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cass County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.5% | 2024 7.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $31,679 | 2024 $83,378 |
The table uses 3.6% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 Cass County's history
1835
Organized in 1835 as Van Buren County. Wikipedia
1863
Harrisonville depopulated in 1863 by Union forces to suppress guerrilla support. Wikipedia
1964
A tornado in April 1964 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1977
A tornado in May 1977 did $25 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1995
Hail in April 1995 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A thunderstorm in August 2003 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 107,824, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cass County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cass County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Cass County, in Missouri and Kansas, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Cass County ranks 5th of the seven; Henry County is highest, at 33.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, MO | 72 | 14.3% | 21.1% |
| Henry County, MO | 62 | 14.4% | 33.8% |
| Bates County, MO | 46 | 11.1% | 28.7% |
| Cass County, MO | 32 | 7.0% | 19.8% |
| Johnson County, MO | 26 | 11.8% | 24.0% |
| Miami County, KS | 14 | 7.2% | 17.8% |
| Johnson County, KS | 5 | 6.0% | 10.4% |
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 Cass County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Cass County's poverty rate was 7.0% in 2024, 113th 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, Cass County ranks 82nd of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cass 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 Aid of Western 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.
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 Cass County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.