About one in 11 people in Franklin County, Missouri, lives below the poverty line
In Franklin County, 9.0% of people lived below the poverty line (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is lower than in 85% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 67% of U.S. counties.
What drives Franklin County's score
In Franklin County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 50.9. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 26.5. About one in 10 children (10.0%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a lower share than in 86% 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.
Franklin County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Franklin 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.
- 50.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.5% · August 202547th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people135.3 · 202554th percentile
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- 49.6 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 income21.4% · fiscal year 202757th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent16.7% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
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- 40.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.8% · August 202545th percentile
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score21.1% · Q4 202539th percentile
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- 32.4 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.7% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.6% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202633rd percentile
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- 26.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line10.0% · 202413th percentile
- People with a disability14.4% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$75,569 · 202428th percentile
- People below the poverty line9.0% · 202415th percentile
- People without health insurance6.9% · 2020 to 202441st 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 Franklin 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
Franklin County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Franklin County in 2024, pay from work was 59 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 17 cents. Benefit checks were 24 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 9 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Franklin County, benefit checks rose from 9 to 24 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Franklin County, Missouri: 24.0% and 59.4% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 24.0% of all personal income in Franklin 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 Franklin County, 19.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Franklin County has changed
The number of people living in Franklin County grew by about 92% between 1969 and 2024, from 55,941 to 107,256. The number of jobs located there grew by about 43% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 9.1% in 1990 to 3.7% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 55,941 | 2024 107,256 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 27,467 | 2024 39,312 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.1% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.2% | 2024 9.0% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $29,114 | 2024 $75,569 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 8.5% | 2024 24.0% |
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 Franklin County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 104,682, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1818
Organized December 11, 1818. Wikipedia
1996
Thunderstorm wind: three deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
Thunderstorm wind: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
Flash flood: $100 million in property damage, two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
Franklin County experienced severe problems with methamphetamine production explored in 2005 A&E documentary. Wikipedia
2015
Flood: $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Franklin County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Franklin County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Franklin County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Franklin County ranks 4th of the eight; Washington County is highest, at 38.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, MO | 82 | 18.0% | 38.7% |
| Crawford County, MO | 59 | 15.1% | 31.9% |
| St. Louis County, MO | 40 | 9.8% | 13.1% |
| Franklin County, MO | 32 | 9.0% | 24.0% |
| Gasconade County, MO | 30 | 12.1% | 32.0% |
| Jefferson County, MO | 28 | 9.3% | 21.9% |
| Warren County, MO | 28 | 8.0% | 22.9% |
| St. Charles County, MO | 8 | 6.3% | 15.6% |
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 Franklin County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Franklin County's poverty rate was 9.0% in 2024, 104th 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, Franklin County ranks 84th of 115 in the state.
Franklin County in photographs
Places in Franklin County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
The county courthouse for Franklin County in Union, Missouri.
Franklin County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Franklin County, Missouri?
9.0% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 11 people. Among children it was 10.0%.
Is Franklin County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Franklin County's poverty rate was 9.0% in 2024, 104th 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, Franklin County ranks 84th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Franklin County, Missouri?
About 107,256 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 104,682, the most of any census.
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 Franklin 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 Franklin 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 Franklin County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.