About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 in Clark County, Missouri, is not working
In Clark County, 24.5% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 70% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 57% of U.S. counties.
What drives Clark County's score
In Clark County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 61.0. About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 (24.5%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a higher share than in 71% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 57.8.
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.
Clark County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (13.4%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.4%, fiscal year 2027).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Clark 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.
- 61.0 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.5% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.0% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202650th percentile
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- 57.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line20.1% · 202465th percentile
- People with a disability13.4% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,565 · 202471st percentile
- People below the poverty line13.7% · 202454th percentile
- People without health insurance10.9% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
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- 55.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.7% · August 202556th percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.4% · August 202565th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score21.8% · Q4 202542nd percentile
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- 54.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.0% · August 202549th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people150.6 · 202560th percentile
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- 43.6 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 income19.4% · fiscal year 202735th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent18.4% · 2020 to 202451st 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 Clark 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
Clark County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Clark County in 2024, pay from work was 55 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 15 cents. Benefit checks were 30 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 Clark County, benefit checks rose from 13 to 30 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Clark County, Missouri: 29.8% and 55.3% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 29.8% of all personal income in Clark 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 Clark County, 21.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Clark County has changed
The number of people living in Clark County fell by about two in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 8,348 to 6,623. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment rose from 3.5% in 1990 to 4.8% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 8,348 | 2024 6,623 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 1,332 | 2024 1,423 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.5% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.7% | 2024 13.7% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $20,145 | 2024 $59,565 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 12.6% | 2024 29.8% |
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 Clark County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 15,383. The 2020 Census counted 6,634, 43% of the peak. Census Bureau
1836
Organized December 16, 1836. Wikipedia
1973
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage, two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Hail: $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Hail: $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
Flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Clark County, 18 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Clark County beside its neighbors
Clark County scores higher than all six counties that border it, in Missouri, Iowa and Illinois. For the share of income from benefit checks, Clark County ranks 5th of the seven; Knox County is highest, at 32.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clark County, MO | 57 | 13.7% | 29.8% |
| Van Buren County, IA | 39 | 16.8% | 30.5% |
| Lee County, IA | 37 | 13.7% | 30.2% |
| Knox County, MO | 31 | 14.7% | 32.9% |
| Lewis County, MO | 30 | 13.4% | 30.7% |
| Scotland County, MO | 19 | 13.6% | 23.4% |
| Hancock County, IL | 17 | 10.9% | 26.3% |
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 Clark County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Clark County's poverty rate was 13.7% in 2024, 61st 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, Clark County ranks 41st of 115 in the state.
Clark County in photographs
Places in Clark County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
En:Clark County, Missouri, courthouse in Kahoka.
1920 newspaper item about the formation of the Clark County Historical Society, Missouri, United States.
Photo: The Daily Gate City and Constitution-Democrat (Keokuk, Iowa) via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Clark County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Clark County, Missouri?
13.7% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 20.1%.
Is Clark County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Clark County's poverty rate was 13.7% in 2024, 61st 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, Clark County ranks 41st of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Clark County, Missouri?
About 6,623 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 6,634, 43% of the county's peak of 15,383 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 Clark 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 Clark County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.