Benefit checks make up 36 cents of every dollar of income in Harrison County, Missouri
In Harrison County, 36.0% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 85% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 51% of U.S. counties.
What drives Harrison County's score
In Harrison County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 79.4. Housing costs come next, at 66.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Harrison 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.
Harrison County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a credit card behind (1.5%, August 2025) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (60.8, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.9% · 202470th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.7% · 202478th percentile
- People with a disability20.4% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- People without health insurance13.6% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,569 · 202481st percentile
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- 66.5 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 rent23.8% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.8% · fiscal year 202751st percentile
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- 56.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202635th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.0% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
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- 34.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind1.5% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.0% · August 202547th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.3% · second quarter of 202650th percentile
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- 17.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.1% · August 202519th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people60.8 · 202515th 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 Harrison 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 Harrison County, 22.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Harrison County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Harrison County rose most in two steps: 17.1% in 1979 to 21.5% in 1984; 23.9% in 2004 to 28.3% in 2009.
In Harrison County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 36.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a third more than benefit checks
In Harrison County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Harrison County getting SNAP food aid moved most in two steps: 12.4% in 2019 to 13.6% in 2020; 13.6% in 2020 to 12.4% in 2021.
The share of households in Harrison County getting SNAP food aid rose from 2009 to 2024, reaching 13.7%, with most of the change between 2019 and 2020
High on the chart: 14.4% in 2013. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Harrison County, Missouri.
How Harrison County has changed
Harrison County's population had its largest drop, from 9,620 in 1984 to 8,587 in 1989.
Harrison County's population fell by about a fifth from 1969 to 2024, reaching 8,186
High on the chart: 10,448 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Harrison County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Harrison County had its largest rise, from 2,463 in 1990 to 2,760 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Harrison County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 2,852 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Harrison County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.2% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.3% | 2024 15.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,086 | 2024 $55,569 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.6% 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 Harrison County's history
1845
Organized February 14, 1845. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 24,398. The 2020 Census counted 8,157, 33% of the peak. Census Bureau
1984
A tornado in June 1984 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1989
A tornado in May 1989 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Harrison County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Harrison County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Harrison County, in Missouri and Iowa, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Harrison County ranks 2nd of the eight; Grundy County is highest, at 37.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grundy County, MO | 55 | 16.8% | 37.6% |
| Harrison County, MO | 51 | 15.9% | 36.0% |
| Mercer County, MO | 32 | 13.7% | 35.0% |
| Gentry County, MO | 28 | 13.8% | 32.8% |
| Decatur County, IA | 26 | 18.1% | 33.0% |
| Daviess County, MO | 22 | 13.7% | 29.1% |
| Worth County, MO | 21 | 14.8% | 32.8% |
| Ringgold County, IA | 10 | 13.3% | 30.6% |
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 Harrison County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Harrison County's poverty rate was 15.9% in 2024, 30th 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, Harrison County ranks 55th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Harrison 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 Harrison 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 Harrison County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.