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. That is higher than in 90% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 74% 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 looks at five parts of household money trouble in Douglas 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.
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).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.8% · 202479th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.1% · 202476th percentile
- People with a disability19.1% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- People without health insurance11.4% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$47,781 · 202494th percentile
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- 78.8 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 202668th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.6% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
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- 69.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.4% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.6% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.8% · second quarter of 202655th 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
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent8.6% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.2% · fiscal year 202779th 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 Douglas 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 Douglas County, 24.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Douglas County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Douglas County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 28% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Douglas County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 38.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Douglas County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 19.1% in 2019 to 14.4% in 2020.
The share of households in Douglas County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen to 14.4%
Low on the chart: 12.2% in 2011. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Douglas County, Missouri.
How Douglas County has changed
Douglas County's population had its largest drop, from 12,783 in 2014 to 11,615 in 2019.
Douglas County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2009 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 13,793 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Douglas County, Missouri.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Douglas County rose 11% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 2,473 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Douglas County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.2% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 24.8% | 2024 17.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $15,225 | 2024 $47,781 |
The table uses 4.7% 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 Douglas County's history
1857
Organized October 19, 1857. Wikipedia
1862
Battle of Clark's Mill near Vera Cruz on November 7, 1862 resulted in Confederate victory. Wikipedia
1900
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
1998
A flash flood in May 1998 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flood in December 2015 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flash flood in April 2019 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A flash flood in November 2024 did $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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas County, MO | 77 | 19.3% | 36.5% |
| Taney County, MO | 76 | 13.6% | 29.2% |
| Howell County, MO | 75 | 18.6% | 35.9% |
| Douglas County, MO | 74 | 17.8% | 38.6% |
| Wright County, MO | 70 | 19.0% | 37.4% |
| Ozark County, MO | 57 | 19.4% | 43.5% |
| Webster County, MO | 48 | 15.0% | 27.3% |
| Christian County, MO | 16 | 8.0% | 20.5% |
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 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 19th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Douglas 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 Douglas 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 Douglas County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.