About one in four people in Dunklin County, Missouri, lives below the poverty line
In Dunklin County, 25.4% of people lived below the poverty line (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 96% of U.S. counties.
What drives Dunklin County's score
In Dunklin County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 93.3. About one in three children (34.9%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a higher share than in 96% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 92.1.
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.
Dunklin County does better than most counties on one measure: renters paying half their income or more in rent (12.2%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Dunklin 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.
- 93.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line34.9% · 202496th percentile
- People with a disability22.1% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$47,022 · 202495th percentile
- People below the poverty line25.4% · 202496th percentile
- People without health insurance15.1% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
-
- 92.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.4% · August 202589th percentile
- People with a credit card behind10.2% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.7% · Q4 202590th percentile
-
- 90.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector40.7% · August 202595th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people255.3 · 202586th percentile
-
- 83.8 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.8% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average5.4% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202686th percentile
-
- 50.5 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 income24.6% · fiscal year 202781st percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent12.2% · 2020 to 202419th 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 Dunklin 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
Dunklin County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Dunklin County in 2024, pay from work was 49 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 10 cents. Benefit checks were 41 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 Dunklin County, benefit checks rose from 19 to 41 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Dunklin County, Missouri: 41.3% and 48.9% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 41.3% of all personal income in Dunklin 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 Dunklin County, 18.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Dunklin County has changed
The number of people living in Dunklin County fell by about two in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 34,232 to 27,002. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 9.3% in 1990 to 5.5% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 34,232 | 2024 27,002 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 9,027 | 2024 9,137 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.3% | 2025 5.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 27.7% | 2024 25.4% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $16,989 | 2024 $47,022 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 18.5% | 2024 41.3% |
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 Dunklin County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 45,329. The 2020 Census counted 28,283, 62% of the peak. Census Bureau
1845
Dunklin County was officially created from Stoddard County on February 14, 1845. Wikipedia
1973
Tornado: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1981
Tornado: $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
Flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
Tornado: $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1973
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Dunklin County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Dunklin County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Dunklin County, in Missouri and Arkansas, two score higher. Of the group, Dunklin County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (41.3%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pemiscot County, MO | 99 | 23.7% | 37.6% |
| Mississippi County, AR | 97 | 20.0% | 28.6% |
| Dunklin County, MO | 96 | 25.4% | 41.3% |
| Butler County, MO | 93 | 20.3% | 38.2% |
| New Madrid County, MO | 90 | 19.1% | 32.5% |
| Craighead County, AR | 89 | 18.4% | 24.3% |
| Greene County, AR | 85 | 14.1% | 30.3% |
| Clay County, AR | 76 | 15.9% | 36.8% |
| Stoddard County, MO | 70 | 14.8% | 34.9% |
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 Dunklin County the poorest county in Missouri?
Yes, Dunklin County's poverty rate was 25.4% in 2024, the highest of 115 counties in Missouri (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Dunklin County ranks 3rd of 115 in the state.
Dunklin County in photographs
Places in Dunklin County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Dunklin County MO Courthouse in Kennett, Missouri.
Water tower in White Oak (Dunklin County), Missouri.
Dunklin County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Dunklin County, Missouri?
25.4% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in four people. Among children it was 34.9%.
Is Dunklin County the poorest county in Missouri?
Yes, Dunklin County's poverty rate was 25.4% in 2024, the highest of 115 counties in Missouri (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Dunklin County ranks 3rd of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Dunklin County, Missouri?
About 27,002 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 28,283, 62% of the county's peak of 45,329 in 1950.
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 Dunklin 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.
-
The Legal Aid and Defender Association (LAD)
Legal aid
-
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 Dunklin 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 Dunklin County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.