In Johnson County, Missouri, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Johnson County, 18.2% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 76% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 73% of U.S. counties.
What drives Johnson County's score
In Johnson County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 47.5. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 24.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Johnson 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.
Johnson County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 47.5 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202544th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.4% · August 202566th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.6% · second quarter of 202631st percentile
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- 39.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.8% · 202438th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.9% · 202427th percentile
- People with a disability13.9% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- People without health insurance8.5% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,188 · 202445th percentile
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- 36.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202642nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.4% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
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- 35.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.3% · August 202546th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people78.2 · 202524th percentile
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- 24.6 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 rent13.7% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.2% · fiscal year 202723rd 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 Johnson 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 Johnson County, 13.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Johnson County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Johnson County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 24.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Johnson County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Johnson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about half
Biggest drop: 2019 to 2020, reaching 7.8%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Johnson County, Missouri.
How Johnson County has changed
Johnson County's population nearly doubled to 55,880, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1989 to 1994, reaching 45,839. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Johnson County, Missouri.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Johnson County rose 37% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 14,345. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Johnson County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.0% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.7% | 2024 11.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,919 | 2024 $68,188 |
The table uses 4.0% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Johnson County's history
1964
A tornado in April 1964 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A tornado in April 2001 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A tornado in March 2006 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 54,013, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2024
Lightning in June 2024 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Johnson County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Johnson County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Johnson County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Johnson County ranks 4th of the six; Henry County is highest, at 33.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, MO | 72 | 14.3% | 21.1% |
| Pettis County, MO | 64 | 15.7% | 29.6% |
| Henry County, MO | 62 | 14.4% | 33.8% |
| Lafayette County, MO | 54 | 9.7% | 29.4% |
| Cass County, MO | 32 | 7.0% | 19.8% |
| Johnson County, MO | 26 | 11.8% | 24.0% |
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 Johnson County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Johnson County's poverty rate was 11.8% in 2024, 85th 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, Johnson County ranks 95th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Johnson 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 Johnson 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 Johnson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.