Unemployment in Gentry County, Missouri, is lower than in 83% of U.S. counties
In Gentry County, 3.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). That is lower than in 83% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 73% 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. Unemployment averaged 3.1%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, lower than in 83% 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.
Even so, Gentry County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (13.9%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Gentry 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.
- 66.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line19.5% · 202462nd percentile
- People with a disability16.6% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,821 · 202471st percentile
- People below the poverty line13.8% · 202455th percentile
- People without health insurance13.9% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
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- 39.2 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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- 30.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.7% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a credit card behind1.6% · August 20255th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score21.8% · Q4 202543rd percentile
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- 23.8 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 income19.3% · fiscal year 202734th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent10.3% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
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- 23.5 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.5% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.1% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202616th 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 Gentry 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
Gentry County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Gentry County in 2024, pay from work was 53 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 14 cents. Benefit checks were 33 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 15 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Gentry County, benefit checks rose from 15 to 33 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Gentry County, Missouri: 32.8% and 52.9% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 32.8% of all personal income in Gentry 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 Gentry County, 18.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Gentry County has changed
The number of people living in Gentry County fell by about two in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 8,226 to 6,298. The number of jobs located there grew by about 39% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment rose from 2.8% in 1990 to 3.6% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 8,226 | 2024 6,298 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 1,569 | 2024 2,177 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.8% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.6% | 2024 13.8% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $17,400 | 2024 $59,821 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 15.4% | 2024 32.8% |
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 Gentry County's history
Largest decennial census count
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
1841
Organized February 14, 1841. Wikipedia
2004
Tornado: $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
Hail: $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
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
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 | 50 | 15.9% | 36.0% |
| DeKalb County, MO | 30 | 11.5% | 27.6% |
| Gentry County, MO | 26 | 13.8% | 32.8% |
| Daviess County, MO | 21 | 13.7% | 29.1% |
| Nodaway County, MO | 19 | 15.0% | 27.6% |
| Worth County, MO | 19 | 14.8% | 32.8% |
| Andrew County, MO | 10 | 7.8% | 18.8% |
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 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 95th of 115 in the state.
Gentry County in photographs
Places in Gentry County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
W:Gentry County, Missouri Courthouse in w:Albany, Missouri.
Gentry County Library in Stanberry, Missouri.
Gentry County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Gentry County, Missouri?
13.8% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 19.5%.
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 95th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Gentry County, Missouri?
About 6,298 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 6,162, 30% of the county's peak of 20,554 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 Gentry 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 Gentry 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 Gentry County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.