About one in 13 people in Christian County, Missouri, lives below the poverty line
In Christian County, 8.0% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 83% of U.S. counties.
What drives Christian County's score
In Christian County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 38.9. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 20.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Christian 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.
Christian 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.
- 38.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.0% · August 202534th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people114.4 · 202543rd percentile
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- 38.0 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 rent21.0% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.3% · fiscal year 20278th percentile
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- 25.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.3% · August 202519th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.8% · second quarter of 202618th percentile
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- 24.2 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 working16.6% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
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- 20.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.0% · 20248th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.0% · 20249th percentile
- People with a disability12.6% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
- People without health insurance7.6% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$81,892 · 202417th 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 Christian 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 Christian County, 16.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Christian County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Christian County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 20.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Christian County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Christian County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.8% in 2014 to 11.3% in 2015.
The share of households in Christian County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 6.4%
Low on the chart: 6.3% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Christian County, Missouri.
How Christian County has changed
Christian County's population had its largest rise, from 63,171 in 2004 to 76,309 in 2009.
Christian County's population grew to about six times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 96,045, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 24,526. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Christian County, Missouri.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Christian County tripled to 20,884, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 20,884. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Christian County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.7% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.6% | 2024 8.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,781 | 2024 $81,892 |
The table uses 3.5% 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 Christian County's history
1859
Organized March 8, 1859. Wikipedia
1991
A tornado in November 1991 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A tornado in May 2003 did $5.1 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A tornado in March 2006 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 88,842, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2026
Hail in April 2026 did $29.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Christian County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Christian County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Christian County score higher than it does. Of the group, Christian County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Douglas County gets the largest, at 38.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taney County, MO | 76 | 13.6% | 29.2% |
| Douglas County, MO | 74 | 17.8% | 38.6% |
| Stone County, MO | 52 | 14.1% | 30.7% |
| Webster County, MO | 48 | 15.0% | 27.3% |
| Greene County, MO | 46 | 10.5% | 22.1% |
| Lawrence County, MO | 45 | 12.6% | 30.8% |
| Christian County, MO | 16 | 8.0% | 20.5% |
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 Christian County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Christian County's poverty rate was 8.0% in 2024, 108th 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, Christian County ranks 107th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Christian 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 Christian 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 Christian County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.