Benefit checks make up 39 cents of every dollar of income in Dent County, Missouri
In Dent County, 38.8% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024). That is higher than in 90% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 61% of U.S. counties.
What drives Dent County's score
In Dent County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 75.8. About one in six people (15.6%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a higher share than in 90% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 67.1.
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.
Dent County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (12.1%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (109.2, 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Dent 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.
- 75.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line19.6% · 202462nd percentile
- People with a disability20.5% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$54,798 · 202482nd percentile
- People below the poverty line14.4% · 202460th percentile
- People without health insurance15.6% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
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- 67.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.0% · August 202572nd percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.3% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.9% · Q4 202564th percentile
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- 52.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.0% · August 202564th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people109.2 · 202540th percentile
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- 50.8 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.3% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.8% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202641st percentile
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- 40.5 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 income21.9% · fiscal year 202761st percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent12.1% · 2020 to 202419th 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 Dent 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
Dent County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Dent County in 2024, pay from work was 49 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 12 cents. Benefit checks were 39 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 16 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Dent County, benefit checks rose from 16 to 39 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Dent County, Missouri: 38.8% and 48.8% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 38.8% of all personal income in Dent 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 Dent County, 22.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Dent County has changed
The number of people living in Dent County grew by about 27% between 1969 and 2024, from 11,623 to 14,721. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 7.3% in 1990 to 4.0% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 11,623 | 2024 14,721 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 3,629 | 2024 3,795 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.3% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.8% | 2024 14.4% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $17,784 | 2024 $54,798 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 16.0% | 2024 38.8% |
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 Dent County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 15,657. The 2020 Census counted 14,421, 92% of the peak. Census Bureau
1851
Organized February 10, 1851. Wikipedia
1930
Civilian Conservation Corps camps at Boss and Indian Trail during Great Depression. Wikipedia
1945
Foreign competition wiped out needlework industries after World War II. Wikipedia
2010
Tornado: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
Flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
Flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
Flash flood: $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Dent County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Dent County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Dent County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Dent County ranks 4th of the seven; Iron County is highest, at 47.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron County, MO | 80 | 18.2% | 47.1% |
| Texas County, MO | 75 | 19.3% | 36.5% |
| Reynolds County, MO | 71 | 18.6% | 45.2% |
| Shannon County, MO | 70 | 21.3% | 39.1% |
| Dent County, MO | 61 | 14.4% | 38.8% |
| Crawford County, MO | 59 | 15.1% | 31.9% |
| Phelps County, MO | 51 | 17.1% | 29.2% |
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 Dent County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Dent County's poverty rate was 14.4% in 2024, 51st 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, Dent County ranks 37th of 115 in the state.
Dent County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Dent County, Missouri?
14.4% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 19.6%.
Is Dent County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Dent County's poverty rate was 14.4% in 2024, 51st 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, Dent County ranks 37th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Dent County, Missouri?
About 14,721 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 14,421, 92% of the county's peak of 15,657 in 2010.
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 Dent 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 Dent County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.