About one in five people in Laclede County, Missouri, has a disability
In Laclede County, 19.5% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 77% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Laclede County's score
In Laclede County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 70.6. Unemployment averaged 4.8%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 76% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 70.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Laclede 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.
Laclede County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (14.7%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (120, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 70.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202676th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.1% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
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- 70.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.9% · 202464th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.6% · 202462nd percentile
- People with a disability19.5% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- People without health insurance10.9% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,327 · 202475th percentile
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- 65.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.0% · August 202559th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.8% · August 202570th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.0% · second quarter of 202666th percentile
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- 57.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.1% · August 202568th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people120 · 202546th percentile
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- 39.0 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 rent14.7% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.5% · fiscal year 202748th 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 Laclede 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 Laclede County, 18.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Laclede County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Laclede County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 30.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Laclede County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Laclede County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 16.6% in 2012 to 19.0% in 2013.
The share of households in Laclede County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 13.4% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Laclede County, Missouri.
How Laclede County has changed
Laclede County's population had its largest rise, from 28,964 in 1994 to 32,142 in 1999.
Laclede County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36,738, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 35,616. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Laclede County, Missouri.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Laclede County rose by about a third from 1990 to 2025, reaching 12,999, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
High on the chart: 13,938 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Laclede County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 11.4% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.9% | 2024 14.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,553 | 2024 $58,327 |
The table uses 5.0% for 2025; the score uses 4.8% 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 Laclede County's history
1849
Organized February 24, 1849. Wikipedia
2006
A flash flood in May 2006 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flash flood in August 2007 did $5.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 36,039, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2026
Hail in April 2026 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2026
Hail in April 2026 did $76.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Laclede County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Laclede County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Laclede County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Laclede County ranks 4th of the seven; Wright County is highest, at 37.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas County, MO | 77 | 19.3% | 36.5% |
| Dallas County, MO | 73 | 17.0% | 33.3% |
| Wright County, MO | 70 | 19.0% | 37.4% |
| Laclede County, MO | 68 | 14.9% | 30.9% |
| Pulaski County, MO | 50 | 14.7% | 24.5% |
| Webster County, MO | 48 | 15.0% | 27.3% |
| Camden County, MO | 36 | 11.6% | 30.6% |
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 Laclede County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Laclede County's poverty rate was 14.9% in 2024, 42nd 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, Laclede County ranks 31st of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Laclede 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 Services of Southern 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 Laclede 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 Laclede County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.