About three in four adults aged 25 to 54 in DeKalb County, Missouri, have a job
In DeKalb County, 13.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is lower than in 88% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 69% of U.S. counties.
What drives DeKalb County's score
In DeKalb County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 53.1. Jobs are the lowest part, at 29.3. About one in seven adults aged 25 to 54 (13.8%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 88% 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, DeKalb County is worse off than most counties on people with a car or retail loan behind (8.6%, August 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where DeKalb 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.
- 53.1 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.6% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a credit card behind4.3% · August 202530th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score21.7% · Q4 202542nd percentile
-
- 41.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line13.0% · 202427th percentile
- People with a disability15.9% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,148 · 202457th percentile
- People below the poverty line11.5% · 202435th percentile
- People without health insurance6.7% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
-
- 40.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.5% · August 202540th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people111.1 · 202541st percentile
-
- 29.8 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 income20.6% · fiscal year 202749th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent9.2% · 2020 to 202410th percentile
-
- 29.3 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.8% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.9% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202647th percentile
-
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 DeKalb 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
DeKalb County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In DeKalb County in 2024, pay from work was 59 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 14 cents. Benefit checks were 28 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 13 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In DeKalb County, benefit checks rose from 13 to 28 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, DeKalb County, Missouri: 27.6% and 58.6% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
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 DeKalb County, 19.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How DeKalb County has changed
The number of people living in DeKalb County grew by about 33% between 1969 and 2024, from 7,412 to 9,884. The number of jobs located there grew by about 19% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 5.2% in 1990 to 4.3% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 7,412 | 2024 9,884 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,168 | 2024 2,586 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.2% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.2% | 2024 11.5% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $21,680 | 2024 $64,148 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 12.6% | 2024 27.6% |
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 DeKalb County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 14,418. The 2020 Census counted 11,029, 76% of the peak. Census Bureau
1845
Organized February 25, 1845. Wikipedia
2004
Tornado: three deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1965
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered DeKalb County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
DeKalb County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border DeKalb County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, DeKalb County ranks 5th of the seven; Gentry County is highest, at 32.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buchanan County, MO | 71 | 13.5% | 28.7% |
| Caldwell County, MO | 41 | 10.9% | 28.9% |
| Clinton County, MO | 34 | 9.5% | 26.0% |
| DeKalb County, MO | 30 | 11.5% | 27.6% |
| Gentry County, MO | 26 | 13.8% | 32.8% |
| Daviess County, MO | 21 | 13.7% | 29.1% |
| Andrew County, MO | 10 | 7.8% | 18.8% |
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 DeKalb County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, DeKalb County's poverty rate was 11.5% in 2024, 90th 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, DeKalb County ranks 87th of 115 in the state.
DeKalb County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in DeKalb County, Missouri?
11.5% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in nine people. Among children it was 13.0%.
Is DeKalb County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, DeKalb County's poverty rate was 11.5% in 2024, 90th 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, DeKalb County ranks 87th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of DeKalb County, Missouri?
About 9,884 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 11,029, 76% of the county's peak of 14,418 in 1900.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of household finances and the economy, 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 DeKalb 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.
-
Legal Aid of Western Missouri
Legal aid
-
HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,298 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 DeKalb 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 DeKalb County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.