About one in five people in Laclede County, Missouri, has a disability
In Laclede County, 19.5% of people reported a disability (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). 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%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, higher than in 76% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 70.4.
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.
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).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Laclede 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.
- 70.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.1% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.8% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202676th percentile
-
- 70.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line19.6% · 202462nd percentile
- People with a disability19.5% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,327 · 202475th percentile
- People below the poverty line14.9% · 202464th percentile
- People without health insurance10.9% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
-
- 66.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.8% · August 202570th percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.0% · August 202559th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score28.6% · Q4 202570th percentile
-
- 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
-
- 39.0 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 income20.5% · fiscal year 202748th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent14.7% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
-
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 Laclede 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
Laclede County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Laclede County in 2024, pay from work was 54 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 15 cents. Benefit checks were 31 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 12 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Laclede County, benefit checks rose from 12 to 31 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Laclede County, Missouri: 30.9% and 54.2% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 30.9% of all personal income in Laclede 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 Laclede County, 18.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Laclede County has changed
The number of people living in Laclede County grew by about 84% between 1969 and 2024, from 20,019 to 36,738. The number of jobs located there grew by about 37% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 11.4% in 1990 to 5.0% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 20,019 | 2024 36,738 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 9,893 | 2024 13,577 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 11.4% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.9% | 2024 14.9% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $19,553 | 2024 $58,327 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 12.2% | 2024 30.9% |
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 Laclede County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 36,039, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1849
Organized February 24, 1849. Wikipedia
2006
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
Flash flood: $5.5 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2026
Hail: $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2026
Hail: $76.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1973
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Laclede County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Laclede County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Laclede County, two 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 | 75 | 19.3% | 36.5% |
| Dallas County, MO | 74 | 17.0% | 33.3% |
| Laclede County, MO | 68 | 14.9% | 30.9% |
| Wright County, MO | 68 | 19.0% | 37.4% |
| Pulaski County, MO | 52 | 14.7% | 24.5% |
| Webster County, MO | 49 | 15.0% | 27.3% |
| 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 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.
Laclede County in photographs
Places in Laclede County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Laclede County, Missouri, courthouse in Lebanon, Missouri.
The old Laclede County, Missouri, jail is now a museum for the county historical society.
Laclede County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Laclede County, Missouri?
14.9% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 19.6%.
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.
What is the population of Laclede County, Missouri?
About 36,738 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 36,039, the most of any census.
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 Laclede 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.
-
The Legal Aid and Defender Association (LAD)
Legal aid
-
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 Laclede 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 Laclede County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.