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 (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024). That is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 52% 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. Housing costs come next, at 51.7.
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.
Grundy County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (71.3, 2025) and people with a subprime credit score (17.2%, Q4 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Grundy 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.
- 73.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line26.0% · 202484th percentile
- People with a disability13.6% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,924 · 202486th percentile
- People below the poverty line16.8% · 202474th percentile
- People without health insurance16.2% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
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- 51.7 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 income21.8% · fiscal year 202761st percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent16.8% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
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- 50.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.6% · August 202555th percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.9% · August 202572nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score17.2% · Q4 202522nd percentile
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- 43.5 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.7% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.0% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202649th percentile
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- 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
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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 Grundy 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
Grundy County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Grundy County in 2024, pay from work was 46 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 16 cents. Benefit checks were 38 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 Grundy County, benefit checks rose from 15 to 38 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Grundy County, Missouri: 37.6% and 46.2% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 37.6% of all personal income in Grundy 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 Grundy County, 22.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Grundy County has changed
The number of people living in Grundy County fell by about two in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 11,893 to 9,766. The number of jobs located there fell by about one in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 5.4% in 1990 to 4.3% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 11,893 | 2024 9,766 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 3,286 | 2024 2,890 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.4% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.3% | 2024 16.8% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $19,225 | 2024 $52,924 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 14.9% | 2024 37.6% |
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 Grundy County's history
Largest decennial census count
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
1841
Organized January 2, 1841. Wikipedia
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Since 1976
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Grundy County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
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 | 52 | 16.8% | 37.6% |
| Harrison County, MO | 50 | 15.9% | 36.0% |
| Sullivan County, MO | 47 | 12.7% | 31.7% |
| Linn County, MO | 33 | 12.1% | 33.5% |
| Mercer County, MO | 32 | 13.7% | 35.0% |
| Livingston County, MO | 25 | 14.3% | 29.9% |
| Daviess County, MO | 21 | 13.7% | 29.1% |
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 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 53rd of 115 in the state.
Grundy County in photographs
Places in Grundy County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Grundy County, Missouri courthouse in Trenton.
Grundy County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Grundy County, Missouri?
16.8% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 26.0%.
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 53rd of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Grundy County, Missouri?
About 9,766 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 9,808, 55% of the county's peak of 17,832 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 Grundy 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 Grundy 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 Grundy County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.