About one in five people in Dallas County, Missouri, has a disability
In Dallas County, 22.0% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 73% 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 looks at five parts of household money trouble in Dallas 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.
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).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 82.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.0% · 202475th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.8% · 202471st percentile
- People with a disability22.0% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- People without health insurance15.9% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$53,767 · 202485th percentile
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- 76.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202663rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.4% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
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- 65.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.5% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.1% · August 202588th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.4% · second quarter of 202657th 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
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent12.0% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.5% · fiscal year 202758th 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 Dallas 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 Dallas County, 21.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Dallas County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Dallas County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 33.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Dallas County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Dallas County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 19.0% in 2016 to 14.9% in 2017.
The share of households in Dallas County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 10.4% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Dallas County, Missouri.
How Dallas County has changed
Dallas County's population nearly doubled to 17,877, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1989 to 1994, reaching 14,205. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Dallas County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Dallas County had its largest drop, from 3,154 in 2005 to 2,289 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Dallas County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 3,154 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Dallas County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.1% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.9% | 2024 17.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,627 | 2024 $53,767 |
The table uses 4.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.4% 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 Dallas County's history
2003
A tornado in May 2003 did $3.8 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flash flood in November 2009 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A tornado in February 2012 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flash flood in September 2018 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 17,071, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Dallas County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
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 | 89 | 16.0% | 46.9% |
| Dallas County, MO | 73 | 17.0% | 33.3% |
| Laclede County, MO | 68 | 14.9% | 30.9% |
| Webster County, MO | 48 | 15.0% | 27.3% |
| Polk County, MO | 48 | 15.2% | 29.9% |
| Greene County, MO | 46 | 10.5% | 22.1% |
| Camden County, MO | 36 | 11.6% | 30.6% |
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 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 20th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Dallas 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 Dallas 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 Dallas County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.