Benefit checks make up 39 cents of every dollar of income in Douglas County, Missouri
In Douglas County, 38.6% 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 73% of U.S. counties.
What drives Douglas County's score
In Douglas County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 80.1. The typical household earns $47,781 a year (2024), less than in 94% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 78.8.
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.
Douglas County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (8.6%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (98.1, 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Douglas 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.
- 80.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line23.1% · 202476th percentile
- People with a disability19.1% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$47,781 · 202494th percentile
- People below the poverty line17.8% · 202479th percentile
- People without health insurance11.4% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
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- 78.8 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.6% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.6% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202668th percentile
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- 66.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.6% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.4% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score22.7% · Q4 202547th percentile
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- 48.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.5% · August 202562nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people98.1 · 202535th percentile
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- 44.3 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 income24.2% · fiscal year 202779th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent8.6% · 2020 to 20249th 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 Douglas 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
Douglas County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Douglas County in 2024, pay from work was 50 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 19 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Douglas County, benefit checks rose from 19 to 39 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Douglas County, Missouri: 38.6% and 49.6% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 38.6% of all personal income in Douglas 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 Douglas County, 24.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Douglas County has changed
The number of people living in Douglas County grew by about 29% between 1969 and 2024, from 9,535 to 12,290. The number of jobs located there grew by about 16% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 7.2% in 1990 to 4.7% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 9,535 | 2024 12,290 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,208 | 2024 2,558 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.2% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 24.8% | 2024 17.8% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $15,225 | 2024 $47,781 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 18.7% | 2024 38.6% |
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 Douglas County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 16,802. The 2020 Census counted 11,578, 69% of the peak. Census Bureau
1857
Organized October 19, 1857. Wikipedia
1862
Battle of Clark's Mill near Vera Cruz on November 7, 1862 resulted in Confederate victory. Wikipedia
1998
Flash flood: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
Flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
Flash flood: $11.7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Douglas County, 18 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Douglas County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Douglas County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Douglas County ranks 2nd of the eight; Ozark County is highest, at 43.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taney County, MO | 77 | 13.6% | 29.2% |
| Texas County, MO | 75 | 19.3% | 36.5% |
| Howell County, MO | 74 | 18.6% | 35.9% |
| Douglas County, MO | 73 | 17.8% | 38.6% |
| Wright County, MO | 68 | 19.0% | 37.4% |
| Ozark County, MO | 56 | 19.4% | 43.5% |
| Webster County, MO | 49 | 15.0% | 27.3% |
| Christian County, MO | 17 | 8.0% | 20.5% |
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 Douglas County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Douglas County's poverty rate was 17.8% in 2024, 21st 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, Douglas County ranks 22nd of 115 in the state.
Douglas County in photographs
Places in Douglas County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Douglas County court house on the southeast corner of the Ava square.
The junction of Beaver and Cowskin Creeks in Douglas County, Missouri.
Douglas County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Douglas County, Missouri?
17.8% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 23.1%.
Is Douglas County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Douglas County's poverty rate was 17.8% in 2024, 21st 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, Douglas County ranks 22nd of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Douglas County, Missouri?
About 12,290 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 11,578, 69% of the county's peak of 16,802 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 Douglas 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 Douglas 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 Douglas County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.