Unemployment in Dade County, Missouri, is lower than in 63% of U.S. counties
In Dade County, 3.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 63% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 56% of U.S. counties.
What drives Dade County's score
In Dade County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 65.3. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 25.7. About one in 17 renters (5.8%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Dade 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.
Even so, Dade County is worse off than most counties on people with a credit card behind (7.8%, August 2025) and median household income ($56,747, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 65.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.5% · 202452nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.2% · 202456th percentile
- People with a disability18.6% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- People without health insurance10.2% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,747 · 202478th percentile
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- 54.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202636th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.6% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
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- 52.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.8% · August 202582nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.8% · August 202529th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.1% · second quarter of 202645th percentile
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- 33.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.2% · August 202561st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people38.9 · 20255th percentile
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- 25.7 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 rent5.8% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.3% · fiscal year 202746th 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 Dade 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 Dade County, 24.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Dade County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Dade County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 32.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Dade County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 32.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Dade County getting SNAP food aid rose from 2009 to 2024, reaching 14.8%, with most of the change between 2010 and 2011
High on the chart: 15.2% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Dade County, Missouri.
How Dade County has changed
Dade County's population rose 9% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1989 and 1994
High on the chart: 7,908 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Dade County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Dade County rose most sharply from its first year (1,489 in 1990) to 1,721 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Dade County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 1,910 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Dade County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.3% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.9% | 2024 13.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,863 | 2024 $56,747 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Dade County's history
1841
Organized January 29, 1841. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 18,125. The 2020 Census counted 7,569, 42% of the peak. Census Bureau
1973
A tornado in April 1973 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1973
A tornado in April 1973 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flash flood in August 2007 did $2.3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2022
A flash flood in May 2022 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Dade County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Dade County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Dade County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Dade County ranks 2nd of the seven; Cedar County is highest, at 41.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jasper County, MO | 70 | 13.5% | 27.1% |
| Cedar County, MO | 62 | 16.5% | 41.3% |
| Barton County, MO | 58 | 13.7% | 30.4% |
| Polk County, MO | 48 | 15.2% | 29.9% |
| Greene County, MO | 46 | 10.5% | 22.1% |
| Lawrence County, MO | 45 | 12.6% | 30.8% |
| Dade County, MO | 43 | 13.5% | 32.1% |
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 Dade County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Dade County's poverty rate was 13.5% in 2024, 67th 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, Dade County ranks 66th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Dade 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.
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 Dade County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.