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 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). 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 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.
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).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Dade 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.
- 65.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line18.2% · 202456th percentile
- People with a disability18.6% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,747 · 202478th percentile
- People below the poverty line13.5% · 202452nd percentile
- People without health insurance10.2% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
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- 54.4 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.6% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202636th percentile
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- 52.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.8% · August 202529th percentile
- People with a credit card behind7.8% · August 202582nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score22.4% · Q4 202545th 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
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.3% · fiscal year 202746th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent5.8% · 2020 to 20245th 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 Dade 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
Dade County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Dade County in 2024, pay from work was 54 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 14 cents. Benefit checks were 32 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 15 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Dade County, benefit checks rose from 15 to 32 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Dade County, Missouri: 32.1% and 53.8% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 32.1% of all personal income in Dade 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 Dade County, 24.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Dade County has changed
The number of people living in Dade County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 7,015 to 7,622. The number of jobs located there grew by about 12% 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 7,015 | 2024 7,622 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 1,489 | 2024 1,675 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.3% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.9% | 2024 13.5% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $18,863 | 2024 $56,747 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 15.4% | 2024 32.1% |
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 Dade County's history
Largest decennial census count
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
1841
Organized January 29, 1841. Wikipedia
1973
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1973
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
Flash flood: $2.3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2022
Flash flood: one death. 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
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Dade County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Dade County, five score higher. 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 | 63 | 16.5% | 41.3% |
| Barton County, MO | 57 | 13.7% | 30.4% |
| Greene County, MO | 47 | 10.5% | 22.1% |
| Polk County, MO | 47 | 15.2% | 29.9% |
| Dade County, MO | 43 | 13.5% | 32.1% |
| Lawrence County, MO | 43 | 12.6% | 30.8% |
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 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.
Dade County in photographs
Places in Dade County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Dade County, Missouri, Courthouse.
Dade County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Dade County, Missouri?
13.5% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 18.2%.
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.
What is the population of Dade County, Missouri?
About 7,622 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 7,569, 42% of the county's peak of 18,125 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 Dade 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 Dade County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.