Clinton County, Missouri

County Distress Index: Normal · 42.6 | 21,548 people · 82nd most distressed in Missouri
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Clinton County, MO falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 42.6 — 2167th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where unemployment is elevated, wages are low relative to housing costs, and business formation lags. Within Missouri, it ranks 82nd of 115 counties. Its score is in the middle of its 6 neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Clinton County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 75.6 — worse than roughly 76% of U.S. counties.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 75.6
Unemployment Rate 64
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 90
Business Formation Rate 73
Community Vulnerability 49.1
Uninsured Rate 60
Disability Rate 38
Debt & Delinquency 37.6
Debt in Collections 48
Medical Debt 41
Student Loan Delinquency 17
Auto Loan Delinquency 65
Credit Card Delinquency 13
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 42
Housing Cost Burden 37.5
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 12
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 15
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 69
Homeownership Rate 41
Rent-to-Income Ratio 51
Income & Poverty 13.2
Poverty Rate 18
Income vs. State Median 8
Child Poverty Rate 14

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Clinton County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Clinton County
Clinton County, MO 42.6 Normal —
Buchanan County, MO 59.6 Elevated +17.0
Ray County, MO 45.6 Normal +3.0
Caldwell County, MO 42.8 Normal +0.2
DeKalb County, MO 41.9 Normal -0.7
Clay County, MO 38.1 Normal -4.5
Platte County, MO 29.8 Healthy -12.8

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Clinton County
Wabash County, IN 42.6 Normal 0.0
Iroquois County, IL 42.6 Normal -0.0
Bureau County, IL 42.6 Normal +0.0
Benton County, MN 42.7 Normal +0.1
Noble County, IN 42.5 Normal -0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Clinton County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Clinton County

Find an Attorney

Missouri Bar — Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Missouri Bar — Lawyer Referral Service 573-635-4128

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Clinton County residents at no cost.

Legal Services of Eastern Missouri 314-534-4200 (St. Louis); 1-800-444-0514 (statewide hotline)
Legal Aid of Western Missouri 816-474-6750 (Kansas City); 1-800-748-2057 (statewide hotline)
Central Missouri Legal Services 573-442-0116
The Legal Aid and Defender Association (LAD) 816-474-6750
Legal Services of Southern Missouri (417) 881-1397
Mid-Missouri Legal Services Corporation (573) 442-0116

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Clinton County, Missouri?

    Clinton County has a County Distress Index score of 42.6 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,167th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 82nd in Missouri out of 115 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Clinton County?

    The primary driver of distress in Clinton County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 75.6 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Clinton County compare to neighboring counties?

    Clinton County (42.6) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Buchanan County, MO (59.6); Ray County, MO (45.6); Caldwell County, MO (42.8).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Clinton County?

    Clinton County, Missouri has a population of approximately 21,548 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.