In Hickory County, Missouri, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2005
In 2024, 47 cents of every dollar of income here came from a benefit check: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits and the like (46.9%, Bureau of Economic Analysis). Across the country it was 18 cents.
More distressed than 87% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hickory County's score
In Hickory County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 93.0. About two in five adults aged 25 to 54 (44.4%, 2020 to 2024) aren't working, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 84.1.
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.
Hickory County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (91.8, 2025) and people with a subprime credit score (20.1%, Q4 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Hickory 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.
- 93.0 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working44.4% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average5.8% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202690th percentile
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- 84.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line25.7% · 202483rd percentile
- People with a disability25.0% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,694 · 202487th percentile
- People below the poverty line16.0% · 202470th percentile
- People without health insurance13.2% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
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- 78.5 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 income21.9% · fiscal year 202762nd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent31.0% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
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- 59.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.4% · August 202577th percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.5% · August 202566th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score20.1% · Q4 202534th percentile
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- 49.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.0% · August 202567th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people91.8 · 202531st 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 Hickory 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
Hickory County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Hickory County in 2024, pay from work was 38 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 15 cents. Benefit checks were 47 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
In 1969, pay was 61 cents of every dollar here and benefit checks were 20 cents.
In Hickory County, benefit checks have brought in more than pay since 2005
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Hickory County, Missouri: 46.9% and 38.1% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 46.9% of all personal income in Hickory 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 Hickory County, 32.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Hickory County has changed
The number of people living in Hickory County grew by about 93% between 1969 and 2024, from 4,533 to 8,766. The number of jobs located there grew by about 55% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment rose from 6.6% in 1990 to 6.7% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 4,533 | 2024 8,766 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 978 | 2024 1,520 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.6% | 2025 6.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 22.2% | 2024 16.0% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $13,223 | 2024 $52,694 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 20.0% | 2024 46.9% |
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 Hickory County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 9,985. The 2020 Census counted 8,279, 83% of the peak. Census Bureau
2006
Tornado: $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
Thunderstorm wind: $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
Thunderstorm wind: $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hickory County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Hickory County beside its neighbors
Hickory County scores higher than all five counties that border it. Of the group, Hickory County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (46.9%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hickory County, MO | 87 | 16.0% | 46.9% |
| Benton County, MO | 87 | 18.8% | 39.1% |
| Dallas County, MO | 74 | 17.0% | 33.3% |
| St. Clair County, MO | 53 | 16.0% | 40.0% |
| Polk County, MO | 47 | 15.2% | 29.9% |
| Camden County, MO | 35 | 11.6% | 30.6% |
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 Hickory County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Hickory County's poverty rate was 16.0% in 2024, 28th 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, Hickory County ranks 9th of 115 in the state.
Hickory County in photographs
Places in Hickory County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Hickory County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Hickory County, Missouri?
16.0% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 25.7%.
Is Hickory County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Hickory County's poverty rate was 16.0% in 2024, 28th 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, Hickory County ranks 9th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Hickory County, Missouri?
About 8,766 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 8,279, 83% of the county's peak of 9,985 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 Hickory 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 Hickory 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 Hickory County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.