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 (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 82% of U.S. counties.
What drives Christian County's score
In Christian County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 39.0. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 20.4. About one in 13 people (8.0%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a lower share than in 91% 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.
Christian 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 Christian 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.
- 39.0 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
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.3% · fiscal year 20278th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent21.0% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
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- 32.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.3% · August 202519th percentile
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score21.5% · Q4 202541st percentile
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- 24.2 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.6% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.3% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202623rd percentile
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- 20.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line9.0% · 20249th percentile
- People with a disability12.6% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$81,892 · 202417th percentile
- People below the poverty line8.0% · 20248th percentile
- People without health insurance7.6% · 2020 to 202447th 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 Christian 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
Christian County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Christian County in 2024, pay from work was 64 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 16 cents. Benefit checks were 21 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 11 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Christian County, benefit checks rose from 11 to 21 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Christian County, Missouri: 20.5% and 63.8% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 20.5% of all personal income in Christian 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 Christian County, 16.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Christian County has changed
The number of people living in Christian County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 15,081 to 96,045. The number of jobs located there more than doubled from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 5.7% in 1990 to 3.5% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 15,081 | 2024 96,045 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 6,691 | 2024 20,678 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.7% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.6% | 2024 8.0% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $25,781 | 2024 $81,892 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 10.7% | 2024 20.5% |
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 Christian County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 88,842, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1859
Organized March 8, 1859. Wikipedia
1991
Tornado: $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Tornado: $5.1 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
Tornado: $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2026
Hail: $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
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
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 | 77 | 13.6% | 29.2% |
| Douglas County, MO | 73 | 17.8% | 38.6% |
| Stone County, MO | 52 | 14.1% | 30.7% |
| Webster County, MO | 49 | 15.0% | 27.3% |
| Greene County, MO | 47 | 10.5% | 22.1% |
| Lawrence County, MO | 43 | 12.6% | 30.8% |
| Christian County, MO | 17 | 8.0% | 20.5% |
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 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.
Christian County in photographs
Places in Christian County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Christian County, Missouri, historic courthouse in Ozark.
Christian County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Christian County, Missouri?
8.0% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 13 people. Among children it was 9.0%.
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.
What is the population of Christian County, Missouri?
About 96,045 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 88,842, the most of any census.
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 Christian 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 Christian 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 Christian County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.