In Iron County, Missouri, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2019
In 2024, 47 cents of every dollar of income here came from a benefit check: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits and the like (47.1%, Bureau of Economic Analysis). Across the country it was 18 cents.
More distressed than 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives Iron County's score
In Iron County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 83.8. The typical household earns $48,448 a year (2024), less than in 93% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 79.3.
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.
Iron County does better than most counties on one measure: people with a credit card behind (3.3%, August 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Iron 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.
- 83.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line24.5% · 202481st percentile
- People with a disability22.8% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$48,448 · 202493rd percentile
- People below the poverty line18.2% · 202481st percentile
- People without health insurance10.8% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
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- 79.3 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.8% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202671st percentile
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- 67.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.7% · August 202572nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people158.9 · 202562nd percentile
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- 64.1 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 income23.8% · fiscal year 202777th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent18.3% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
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- 45.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.0% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a credit card behind3.3% · August 202514th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score25.8% · Q4 202559th 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 Iron 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
Iron County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Iron County in 2024, pay from work was 43 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 10 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 74 cents of every dollar here and benefit checks were 16 cents.
In Iron County, benefit checks have brought in more than pay since 2019
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Iron County, Missouri: 47.1% and 42.7% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 47.1% of all personal income in Iron 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 Iron County, 22.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Iron County has changed
The number of people living in Iron County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 9,526 to 9,420. The number of jobs located there grew by about 11% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 10.3% in 1990 to 5.2% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 9,526 | 2024 9,420 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 3,122 | 2024 3,472 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.3% | 2025 5.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.6% | 2024 18.2% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $17,639 | 2024 $48,448 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 15.8% | 2024 47.1% |
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 Iron County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 11,084. The 2020 Census counted 9,537, 86% of the peak. Census Bureau
1857
Organized February 17, 1857. Wikipedia
1967
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
Flash flood: $5.5 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
Thunderstorm wind: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Iron County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Iron County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Iron County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Iron County ranks 2nd of the eight; Wayne County is highest, at 47.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County, MO | 96 | 19.6% | 47.6% |
| Washington County, MO | 82 | 18.0% | 38.7% |
| Iron County, MO | 80 | 18.2% | 47.1% |
| St. Francois County, MO | 73 | 14.6% | 34.0% |
| Madison County, MO | 71 | 15.1% | 41.7% |
| Reynolds County, MO | 71 | 18.6% | 45.2% |
| Dent County, MO | 61 | 14.4% | 38.8% |
| Crawford County, MO | 59 | 15.1% | 31.9% |
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 Iron County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Iron County's poverty rate was 18.2% in 2024, 18th 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, Iron County ranks 14th of 115 in the state.
Iron County in photographs
Places in Iron County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
The county courthouse for Iron County, Missouri in Ironton.
The Stout Creek Bridge Segment trail trace in Arcadia, Missouri Keywords: trte; trail of tears national historic trail; nht; national historic trail; mo; iron county; arcadia; stouts creek.
Photo: English: National Trails Office ( US National Park Service ) via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
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Iron County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Iron County, Missouri?
18.2% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 24.5%.
Is Iron County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Iron County's poverty rate was 18.2% in 2024, 18th 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, Iron County ranks 14th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Iron County, Missouri?
About 9,420 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 9,537, 86% of the county's peak of 11,084 in 1980.
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 Iron 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 Iron County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.