Benefit checks make up 38 cents of every dollar of income in Grundy County, Missouri
In Grundy County, 37.6% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Grundy County's score
In Grundy County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 73.0. About one in six people (16.2%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a higher share than in 91% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 59.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Grundy 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.
Grundy County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (71.3, 2025) and people with a disability (13.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 73.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.8% · 202474th percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.0% · 202484th percentile
- People with a disability13.6% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- People without health insurance16.2% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,924 · 202486th percentile
-
- 59.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.9% · August 202572nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.6% · August 202555th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.1% · second quarter of 202649th percentile
-
- 51.7 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 rent16.8% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.8% · fiscal year 202761st percentile
-
- 43.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202649th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.7% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
-
- 38.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.3% · August 202557th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people71.3 · 202519th percentile
-
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 Grundy 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 Grundy County, 22.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Grundy County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Grundy County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 37.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a quarter more than benefit checks
In Grundy County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 37.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Grundy County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.1% in 2011 to 13.2% in 2012.
The share of households in Grundy County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 9.6% 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, Grundy County, Missouri.
How Grundy County has changed
Grundy County's population had its largest drop, from 11,476 in 1984 to 10,704 in 1989.
Grundy County's population fell 18% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 12,219 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Grundy County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Grundy County had its largest drop, from 3,483 in 2015 to 2,898 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Grundy County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 3,911 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Grundy County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.4% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.3% | 2024 16.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,225 | 2024 $52,924 |
The table uses 4.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.9% 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 Grundy County's history
1841
Organized January 2, 1841. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 17,832. The 2020 Census counted 9,808, 55% of the peak. Census Bureau
-
Since 1976
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Grundy County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Grundy County beside its neighbors
Grundy County scores higher than all six counties that border it. Of the group, Grundy County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (37.6%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grundy County, MO | 55 | 16.8% | 37.6% |
| Harrison County, MO | 51 | 15.9% | 36.0% |
| Sullivan County, MO | 48 | 12.7% | 31.7% |
| Linn County, MO | 36 | 12.1% | 33.5% |
| Mercer County, MO | 32 | 13.7% | 35.0% |
| Livingston County, MO | 25 | 14.3% | 29.9% |
| Daviess County, MO | 22 | 13.7% | 29.1% |
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 Grundy County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Grundy County's poverty rate was 16.8% in 2024, 25th 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, Grundy County ranks 48th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Grundy 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.
-
Legal Aid of Western Missouri
Legal aid
-
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 Grundy 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 Grundy County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.