About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Chariton County, Missouri, have a job
In Chariton County, 13.3% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 87% of U.S. counties.
What drives Chariton County's score
In Chariton County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 40.2. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 14.4. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 16.9% of the typical household's income (fiscal year 2027), lower than in 87% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Chariton 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.
Chariton 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.
- 40.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.4% · August 202516th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people162.2 · 202564th percentile
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- 34.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.7% · 202437th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.0% · 202433rd percentile
- People with a disability14.7% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
- People without health insurance4.8% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,312 · 202445th percentile
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- 22.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind0.0% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.1% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.6% · second quarter of 202627th 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 year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202630th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.3% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
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- 14.4 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 rent11.3% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.9% · fiscal year 202712th 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 Chariton 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 Chariton County, 24.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Chariton County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Chariton County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 28.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Chariton County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Chariton County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 5.9% in 2011 to 7.7% in 2012.
The share of households in Chariton County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 5.9% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Chariton County, Missouri.
How Chariton County has changed
Chariton County's population had its largest drop, from 10,111 in 1984 to 9,268 in 1989.
Chariton County's population fell by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 7,397, with no rise in any year shown
Smallest drop: 1974 to 1979, reaching 10,807. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Chariton County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Chariton County made its largest gain on the way to its 2000 high, from 1,859 in 1995 to 2,156 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Chariton County fell 10% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 2,156 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Chariton County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.3% | 2024 11.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,593 | 2024 $68,312 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.5% 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 Chariton County's history
1820
Organized November 16, 1820 from part of Howard County. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 26,826. The 2020 Census counted 7,408, 28% of the peak. Census Bureau
1971
A tornado in May 1971 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1971
A tornado in May 1971 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1971
A tornado in May 1971 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1971
A tornado in May 1971 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Chariton County, 19 of them for flooding. FEMA
Chariton County beside its neighbors
All seven counties that border Chariton County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Chariton County ranks 6th of the eight; Linn County is highest, at 33.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saline County, MO | 61 | 15.5% | 29.0% |
| Randolph County, MO | 51 | 12.8% | 27.9% |
| Carroll County, MO | 37 | 14.3% | 26.6% |
| Howard County, MO | 36 | 11.2% | 29.0% |
| Linn County, MO | 36 | 12.1% | 33.5% |
| Macon County, MO | 31 | 12.0% | 30.0% |
| Livingston County, MO | 25 | 14.3% | 29.9% |
| Chariton County, MO | 12 | 11.7% | 28.8% |
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 Chariton County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Chariton County's poverty rate was 11.7% in 2024, 87th 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, Chariton County ranks 110th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Chariton 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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Mid-Missouri Legal Services
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 Chariton 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 Chariton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.