Benefit checks make up 34 cents of every dollar of income in Henry County, Missouri
In Henry County, 33.8% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024). That is higher than in 79% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 61% of U.S. counties.
What drives Henry County's score
In Henry County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 67.0. The typical household earns $57,409 a year (2024), less than in 76% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 66.6.
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.
Henry County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, 12-month average (3.7%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.1%, fiscal year 2027).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Henry 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.
- 67.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line19.8% · 202463rd percentile
- People with a disability18.5% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,409 · 202476th percentile
- People below the poverty line14.4% · 202460th percentile
- People without health insurance9.5% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
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- 66.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.0% · August 202563rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people177.9 · 202569th percentile
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- 57.5 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 behind5.7% · August 202554th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.5% · Q4 202562nd percentile
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- 53.2 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 income20.1% · fiscal year 202743rd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent20.2% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
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- 43.6 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.7% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202637th 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 Henry 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
Henry County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Henry County in 2024, pay from work was 51 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 15 cents. Benefit checks were 34 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 14 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Henry County, benefit checks rose from 14 to 34 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Henry County, Missouri: 33.8% and 51.1% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 33.8% of all personal income in Henry 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 Henry County, 22.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Henry County has changed
The number of people living in Henry County grew by about 20% between 1969 and 2024, from 18,743 to 22,575. The number of jobs located there grew by about 26% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 7.8% in 1990 to 3.9% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 18,743 | 2024 22,575 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 6,452 | 2024 8,123 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.8% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.4% | 2024 14.4% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $19,421 | 2024 $57,409 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 14.4% | 2024 33.8% |
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 Henry County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 28,054. The 2020 Census counted 21,946, 78% of the peak. Census Bureau
2006
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Henry County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Henry County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Henry County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Henry County ranks 3rd of the seven; St. Clair County is highest, at 40.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benton County, MO | 87 | 18.8% | 39.1% |
| Pettis County, MO | 64 | 15.7% | 29.6% |
| Henry County, MO | 61 | 14.4% | 33.8% |
| St. Clair County, MO | 53 | 16.0% | 40.0% |
| Bates County, MO | 47 | 11.1% | 28.7% |
| Cass County, MO | 34 | 7.0% | 19.8% |
| Johnson County, MO | 28 | 11.8% | 24.0% |
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 Henry County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Henry County's poverty rate was 14.4% in 2024, 51st 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, Henry County ranks 36th of 115 in the state.
Henry County in photographs
Places in Henry County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Henry County, courthouse in Clinton, Missouri.
Henry County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Henry County, Missouri?
14.4% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 19.8%.
Is Henry County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Henry County's poverty rate was 14.4% in 2024, 51st 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, Henry County ranks 36th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Henry County, Missouri?
About 22,575 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 21,946, 78% of the county's peak of 28,054 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 Henry 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.
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 Henry County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.