About three in four 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 (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 89% 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 median household's income (fiscal year 2027), lower than in 87% of U.S. counties.
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.
Chariton County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Chariton 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.
- 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
- Children below the poverty line14.0% · 202433rd percentile
- People with a disability14.7% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,312 · 202445th percentile
- People below the poverty line11.7% · 202437th percentile
- People without health insurance4.8% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
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- 20.0 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.3% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.5% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202630th percentile
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- 17.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.1% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a credit card behind0.0% · August 20255th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score15.1% · Q4 202512th percentile
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- 14.4 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 income16.9% · fiscal year 202712th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent11.3% · 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 Chariton 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
Chariton County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Chariton County in 2024, pay from work was 53 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 18 cents. Benefit checks were 29 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 13 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Chariton County, benefit checks rose from 13 to 29 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Chariton County, Missouri: 28.8% and 53.1% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 28.8% of all personal income in Chariton 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 Chariton County, 24.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Chariton County has changed
The number of people living in Chariton County fell by about three in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 11,290 to 7,397. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 4.8% in 1990 to 3.9% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 11,290 | 2024 7,397 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,018 | 2024 1,837 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.3% | 2024 11.7% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $20,593 | 2024 $68,312 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 12.6% | 2024 28.8% |
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 Chariton County's history
Largest decennial census count
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
1820
Organized November 16, 1820 from part of Howard County. Wikipedia
1971
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1971
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1971
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1971
Tornado: $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
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
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% |
| Howard County, MO | 35 | 11.2% | 29.0% |
| Carroll County, MO | 34 | 14.3% | 26.6% |
| Linn County, MO | 33 | 12.1% | 33.5% |
| Macon County, MO | 31 | 12.0% | 30.0% |
| Livingston County, MO | 25 | 14.3% | 29.9% |
| Chariton County, MO | 10 | 11.7% | 28.8% |
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 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 111th of 115 in the state.
Chariton County in photographs
Places in Chariton County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Chariton County, Missouri courthouse in Keytesville.
Chariton County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Chariton County, Missouri?
11.7% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in nine people. Among children it was 14.0%.
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 111th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Chariton County, Missouri?
About 7,397 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 7,408, 28% of the county's peak of 26,826 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 Chariton 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 Chariton 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 Chariton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.