Benefit checks make up 41 cents of every dollar of income in Cedar County, Missouri
In Cedar County, 41.3% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024). That is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 63% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cedar County's score
In Cedar County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 79.8. About one in seven people (14.8%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a higher share than in 88% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 66.0.
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.
Cedar County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (47.7, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (11.4%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Cedar 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.
- 79.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line23.2% · 202476th percentile
- People with a disability19.0% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$53,079 · 202486th percentile
- People below the poverty line16.5% · 202473rd percentile
- People without health insurance14.8% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
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- 66.0 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 average4.2% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202655th percentile
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- 64.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.1% · August 202583rd percentile
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score27.3% · Q4 202565th percentile
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- 42.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.6% · August 202575th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people47.7 · 20258th percentile
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- 38.6 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 income21.8% · fiscal year 202760th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent11.4% · 2020 to 202416th 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 Cedar 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
Cedar County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Cedar County in 2024, pay from work was 45 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 13 cents. Benefit checks were 41 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks brought in more than pay in one of the years since 1969, but pay is ahead now.
In Cedar County, benefit checks rose from 17 to 41 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Cedar County, Missouri: 41.3% and 45.3% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 41.3% of all personal income in Cedar 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 Cedar County, 23.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Cedar County has changed
The number of people living in Cedar County grew by about 58% between 1969 and 2024, from 9,506 to 15,023. The number of jobs located there grew by about 22% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 5.7% in 1990 to 4.6% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 9,506 | 2024 15,023 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,855 | 2024 3,486 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.7% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.5% | 2024 16.5% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $16,145 | 2024 $53,079 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 16.7% | 2024 41.3% |
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 Cedar County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 16,923. The 2020 Census counted 14,188, 84% of the peak. Census Bureau
1845
Founded February 14, 1845. Wikipedia
1982
Tornado: $25 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Tornado: $40 million in property damage, three deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2026
Hail: $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cedar County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Cedar County beside its neighbors
Cedar County scores higher than all five counties that border it. Of the group, Cedar County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (41.3%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar County, MO | 63 | 16.5% | 41.3% |
| Barton County, MO | 57 | 13.7% | 30.4% |
| Vernon County, MO | 57 | 14.9% | 35.2% |
| St. Clair County, MO | 53 | 16.0% | 40.0% |
| Polk County, MO | 47 | 15.2% | 29.9% |
| Dade County, MO | 43 | 13.5% | 32.1% |
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 Cedar County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Cedar County's poverty rate was 16.5% in 2024, 26th 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, Cedar County ranks 35th of 115 in the state.
Cedar County in photographs
Places in Cedar County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
The Cedar County courthouse in Stockton, Missouri.
Cedar County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Cedar County, Missouri?
16.5% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 23.2%.
Is Cedar County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Cedar County's poverty rate was 16.5% in 2024, 26th 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, Cedar County ranks 35th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Cedar County, Missouri?
About 15,023 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 14,188, 84% of the county's peak of 16,923 in 1900.
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 Cedar 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.
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 Cedar County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.