In Clay County, Missouri, benefit checks make up only 17 cents of every dollar of income
In Clay County, 17.3% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024). That is lower than in 87% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 66% of U.S. counties.
What drives Clay County's score
In Clay County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 55.8. Jobs are the lowest part, at 21.7. About one in seven adults aged 25 to 54 (15.2%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 83% 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.
Clay 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 Clay 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.
- 55.8 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorHUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.1% · fiscal year 202754th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent19.4% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
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- 55.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.0% · August 202542nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people172.8 · 202567th percentile
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- 46.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.7% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a credit card behind5.4% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score22.4% · Q4 202546th percentile
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- 22.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line9.6% · 202411th percentile
- People with a disability13.3% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$88,044 · 202412th percentile
- People below the poverty line8.9% · 202414th percentile
- People without health insurance7.6% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
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- 21.7 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.2% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.4% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202626th 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 Clay 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
Clay County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Clay County in 2024, pay from work was 68 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 14 cents. Benefit checks were 17 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 4 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Clay County, benefit checks rose from 4 to 17 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Clay County, Missouri: 17.3% and 68.4% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
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 Clay County, 15.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Clay County has changed
The number of people living in Clay County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 112,664 to 263,370. The number of jobs located there grew by about 74% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 4.3% in 1990 to 3.8% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 112,664 | 2024 263,370 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 64,124 | 2024 111,855 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.3% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 5.2% | 2024 8.9% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $35,092 | 2024 $88,044 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 4.2% | 2024 17.3% |
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 Clay County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 253,335, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1822
Organized January 2, 1822. Wikipedia
1836
Mormon settlers driven from Clay County by mobs and militia in 1836. Wikipedia
2000
Tornado: $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Tornado: $60 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Tornado: $31 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Tornado: $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Clay County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Clay County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Clay County, in Missouri and Kansas, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Clay County ranks 5th of the six; Ray County is highest, at 26.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wyandotte County, KS | 89 | 15.0% | 25.8% |
| Jackson County, MO | 73 | 14.3% | 21.1% |
| Ray County, MO | 45 | 9.0% | 26.4% |
| Clinton County, MO | 34 | 9.5% | 26.0% |
| Clay County, MO | 33 | 8.9% | 17.3% |
| Platte County, MO | 17 | 5.5% | 13.6% |
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 Clay County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Clay County's poverty rate was 8.9% in 2024, 106th 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, Clay County ranks 80th of 115 in the state.
Clay County in photographs
Places in Clay County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Historic Clay County Court House in the Historic Square Liberty, Missouri.
Brushy Creek on Missouri Route A bridge in Liberty Township, Clay County, Missouri.
Clay County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Clay County, Missouri?
8.9% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 11 people. Among children it was 9.6%.
Is Clay County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Clay County's poverty rate was 8.9% in 2024, 106th 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, Clay County ranks 80th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Clay County, Missouri?
About 263,370 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 253,335, the most of any census.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of household finances and the economy, 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 Clay 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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Legal Aid of Western Missouri
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,298 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 Clay County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.