About one in five people in Dallas County, Missouri, has a disability
In Dallas County, 22.0% of people reported a disability (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 74% of U.S. counties.
What drives Dallas County's score
In Dallas County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 82.4. About one in six people (15.9%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a higher share than in 91% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 76.0.
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.
Dallas County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (12.0%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (123.8, 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Dallas 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.
- 82.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line21.8% · 202471st percentile
- People with a disability22.0% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$53,767 · 202485th percentile
- People below the poverty line17.0% · 202475th percentile
- People without health insurance15.9% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
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- 76.0 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.4% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.4% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202663rd percentile
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- 67.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.1% · August 202588th percentile
- People with a credit card behind5.5% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.6% · Q4 202562nd percentile
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- 57.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.7% · August 202566th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people123.8 · 202548th percentile
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- 38.5 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 income21.5% · fiscal year 202758th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent12.0% · 2020 to 202418th 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 Dallas 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
Dallas County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Dallas County in 2024, pay from work was 55 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 12 cents. Benefit checks were 33 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 19 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Dallas County, benefit checks rose from 19 to 33 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Dallas County, Missouri: 33.3% and 54.5% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 33.3% of all personal income in Dallas 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 Dallas County, 21.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Dallas County has changed
The number of people living in Dallas County grew by about 76% between 1969 and 2024, from 10,162 to 17,877. The number of jobs located there grew by about 36% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 8.1% in 1990 to 4.8% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 10,162 | 2024 17,877 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,045 | 2024 2,784 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.1% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.9% | 2024 17.0% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $16,627 | 2024 $53,767 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 19.2% | 2024 33.3% |
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 Dallas County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 17,071, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2003
Tornado: $3.8 million in property damage, two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Dallas County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Dallas County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Dallas County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Dallas County ranks 2nd of the seven; Hickory County is highest, at 46.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hickory County, MO | 87 | 16.0% | 46.9% |
| Dallas County, MO | 74 | 17.0% | 33.3% |
| Laclede County, MO | 68 | 14.9% | 30.9% |
| Webster County, MO | 49 | 15.0% | 27.3% |
| Greene County, MO | 47 | 10.5% | 22.1% |
| Polk County, MO | 47 | 15.2% | 29.9% |
| Camden County, MO | 35 | 11.6% | 30.6% |
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 Dallas County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Dallas County's poverty rate was 17.0% in 2024, 24th 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, Dallas County ranks 18th of 115 in the state.
Dallas County in photographs
Places in Dallas County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Dallas County, Missouri, courthouse in Buffalo.
Dallas County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Dallas County, Missouri?
17.0% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 21.8%.
Is Dallas County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Dallas County's poverty rate was 17.0% in 2024, 24th 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, Dallas County ranks 18th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Dallas County, Missouri?
About 17,877 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 17,071, the most of any census.
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 Dallas 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.
Download the CSV for Dallas County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
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 Dallas County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.