Benefit checks make up 36 cents of every dollar of income in Howell County, Missouri
In Howell County, 35.9% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024). That is higher than in 84% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 74% of U.S. counties.
What drives Howell County's score
In Howell County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 81.5. The typical household earns $50,137 a year (2024), less than in 91% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 71.2.
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.
Howell County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (58.9, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (18.1%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Howell 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.
- 81.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line23.9% · 202479th percentile
- People with a disability19.6% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$50,137 · 202491st percentile
- People below the poverty line18.6% · 202482nd percentile
- People without health insurance11.7% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
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- 71.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.4% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.9% · August 202572nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score24.9% · Q4 202556th percentile
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- 69.4 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.6% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.4% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202662nd percentile
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- 60.6 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 income23.0% · fiscal year 202771st percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent18.1% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
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- 38.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.7% · August 202562nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people58.9 · 202514th 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 Howell 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
Howell County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Howell County in 2024, pay from work was 49 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 15 cents. Benefit checks were 36 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 16 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Howell County, benefit checks rose from 16 to 36 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Howell County, Missouri: 35.9% and 49.4% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 35.9% of all personal income in Howell 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 Howell County, 19.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Howell County has changed
The number of people living in Howell County grew by about 72% between 1969 and 2024, from 23,690 to 40,762. The number of jobs located there grew by about 36% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.2% in 1990 to 4.6% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 23,690 | 2024 40,762 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 11,295 | 2024 15,361 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.2% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 22.1% | 2024 18.6% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $16,572 | 2024 $50,137 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 15.9% | 2024 35.9% |
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 Howell County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 40,400. The 2020 Census counted 39,750, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
1857
Organized March 2, 1857, from Oregon County. Wikipedia
1982
Tornado: $25 million in property damage, two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Flash flood: $3 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
Flash flood: $60 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
Flash flood: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Howell County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Howell County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Howell County, in Missouri and Arkansas, two score higher. Of the group, Howell County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Fulton County gets the largest, at 47.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon County, MO | 80 | 20.1% | 45.0% |
| Texas County, MO | 75 | 19.3% | 36.5% |
| Howell County, MO | 74 | 18.6% | 35.9% |
| Douglas County, MO | 73 | 17.8% | 38.6% |
| Fulton County, AR | 72 | 16.3% | 47.3% |
| Shannon County, MO | 70 | 21.3% | 39.1% |
| Ozark County, MO | 56 | 19.4% | 43.5% |
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 Howell County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Howell County's poverty rate was 18.6% in 2024, 16th 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, Howell County ranks 19th of 115 in the state.
Howell County in photographs
Places in Howell County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Howell County, Missouri, courthouse in West Plains.
Students and teacher of Lincoln School in West Plains Missouri in 1901.
Photo: Unknown author Unknown author via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Howell County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Howell County, Missouri?
18.6% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 23.9%.
Is Howell County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Howell County's poverty rate was 18.6% in 2024, 16th 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, Howell County ranks 19th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Howell County, Missouri?
About 40,762 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 39,750, 98% of the county's peak of 40,400 in 2010.
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 Howell 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 Howell 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 Howell County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.