Unemployment in Gentry County, Missouri, is lower than in 85% of U.S. counties
In Gentry County, 3.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 85% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 71% of U.S. counties.
What drives Gentry County's score
In Gentry County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 66.1. Jobs are the lowest part, at 23.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Gentry 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.
Even so, Gentry County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (13.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 66.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.8% · 202455th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.5% · 202462nd percentile
- People with a disability16.6% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- People without health insurance13.9% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,821 · 202471st percentile
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- 39.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.5% · August 202536th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people111.3 · 202541st percentile
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- 36.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind1.6% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.7% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.0% · second quarter of 202660th percentile
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- 23.8 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 rent10.3% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.3% · fiscal year 202734th percentile
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- 23.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202616th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.5% · 2020 to 202430th 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 Gentry 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 Gentry County, 18.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Gentry County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Gentry County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 32.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Gentry County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 32.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Gentry County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 12.3% in 2015 to 9.6% in 2016.
The share of households in Gentry County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 8.8%
Low on the chart: 6.2% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Gentry County, Missouri.
How Gentry County has changed
Gentry County's population had its largest drop, from 7,825 in 1984 to 6,942 in 1989.
Gentry County's population fell by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 6,298
High on the chart: 8,226 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Gentry County, Missouri.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Gentry County rose by about a third from 1990 to 2025, reaching 2,121, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 2,247 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Gentry County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.8% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.6% | 2024 13.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,400 | 2024 $59,821 |
The table uses 3.6% for 2025; the score uses 3.1% 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 Gentry County's history
1841
Organized February 14, 1841. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 20,554. The 2020 Census counted 6,162, 30% of the peak. Census Bureau
2004
A tornado in May 2004 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
Hail in June 2004 did $5.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Gentry County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Gentry County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Gentry County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Gentry County ranks 2nd of the seven; Harrison County is highest, at 36.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison County, MO | 51 | 15.9% | 36.0% |
| DeKalb County, MO | 31 | 11.5% | 27.6% |
| Gentry County, MO | 28 | 13.8% | 32.8% |
| Daviess County, MO | 22 | 13.7% | 29.1% |
| Worth County, MO | 21 | 14.8% | 32.8% |
| Nodaway County, MO | 18 | 15.0% | 27.6% |
| Andrew County, MO | 8 | 7.8% | 18.8% |
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 Gentry County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Gentry County's poverty rate was 13.8% in 2024, 59th 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, Gentry County ranks 91st of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Gentry 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 Aid of Western 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 Gentry 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 Gentry County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.