About one in five people in Crawford County, Missouri, has a disability
In Crawford County, 20.1% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 80% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 59% of U.S. counties.
What drives Crawford County's score
In Crawford County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 74.1. About one in eight people (12.9%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a higher share than in 82% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 63.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Crawford 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.
Crawford County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (11.9%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.5%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 74.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.1% · 202465th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.1% · 202468th percentile
- People with a disability20.1% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- People without health insurance12.9% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,081 · 202472nd percentile
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- 63.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202659th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.5% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
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- 58.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.9% · August 202570th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people118.8 · 202546th percentile
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- 58.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202547th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.8% · August 202559th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.2% · second quarter of 202667th percentile
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- 27.7 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 rent11.9% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.5% · fiscal year 202736th 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 Crawford 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 Crawford County, 21.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Crawford County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Crawford County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 25.9% in 2004 to 32.6% in 2009.
In Crawford County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 31.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Crawford County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Crawford County getting SNAP food aid fell most sharply on the way to its 2022 low, from 13.0% in 2021 to 10.1% in 2022.
The share of households in Crawford County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 12.1%
Low on the chart: 10.1% 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, Crawford County, Missouri.
How Crawford County has changed
Crawford County's population had its largest rise, from 19,029 in 1989 to 20,922 in 1994.
Crawford County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2009 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 24,802 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Crawford County, Missouri.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Crawford County rose 44% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 5,816. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Crawford County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.0% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.7% | 2024 15.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,590 | 2024 $59,081 |
The table uses 4.6% for 2025; the score uses 4.3% 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 Crawford County's history
1829
Organized January 23, 1829. Wikipedia
1830
Trail of Tears passed through Steelville in 1830s with Cherokee and Choctaw. Wikipedia
1878
Cherry Valley Iron Mines opened in 1878 east of Steelville and produced 736,800 tons of ore between 1878 and 1910. Wikipedia
1924
Iron production in the area was exhausted by 1924. Wikipedia
1925
Steelville Bank (later Crawford County Farmers Bank) experienced attempted robbery in 1925. Wikipedia
1988
A tornado in November 1988 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 24,696. The 2020 Census counted 23,056, 93% of the peak. Census Bureau
2012
A thunderstorm in July 2012 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flood in December 2015 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Crawford County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA
Crawford County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Crawford County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Crawford County ranks 5th of the seven; Iron County is highest, at 47.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron County, MO | 82 | 18.2% | 47.1% |
| Washington County, MO | 81 | 18.0% | 38.7% |
| Dent County, MO | 62 | 14.4% | 38.8% |
| Crawford County, MO | 59 | 15.1% | 31.9% |
| Phelps County, MO | 52 | 17.1% | 29.2% |
| Gasconade County, MO | 31 | 12.1% | 32.0% |
| Franklin County, MO | 31 | 9.0% | 24.0% |
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 Crawford County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Crawford County's poverty rate was 15.1% in 2024, 38th 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, Crawford County ranks 39th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Crawford 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 Crawford 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 Crawford County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.