In Lafayette County, Missouri, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Lafayette County, 24.9% of the median household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom at HUD's fair market rent (HUD and Census Bureau, HUD rent fiscal year 2027; household income 2024). That is higher than in 83% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lafayette County's score
In Lafayette County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 76.8. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 24.9% of the median household's income (fiscal year 2027), higher than in 83% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 59.3.
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.
Lafayette County does better than most counties on two measures: people below the poverty line (9.7%, 2024) and children below the poverty line (12.1%, 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Lafayette 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.
- 76.8 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorHUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.9% · fiscal year 202783rd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent21.6% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
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- 59.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.2% · August 202550th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people174.7 · 202568th percentile
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- 57.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.9% · August 202560th percentile
- People with a credit card behind5.9% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score24.5% · Q4 202554th percentile
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- 37.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line12.1% · 202423rd percentile
- People with a disability17.3% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$74,488 · 202430th percentile
- People below the poverty line9.7% · 202419th percentile
- People without health insurance8.2% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
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- 32.2 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.5% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.6% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202634th 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 Lafayette 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
Lafayette County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lafayette County in 2024, pay from work was 56 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 14 cents. Benefit checks were 29 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 9 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Lafayette County, benefit checks rose from 9 to 29 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Lafayette County, Missouri: 29.4% and 56.2% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 29.4% of all personal income in Lafayette 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 Lafayette County, 19.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Lafayette County has changed
The number of people living in Lafayette County grew by about 25% between 1969 and 2024, from 26,877 to 33,511. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.2% in 1990 to 3.9% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 26,877 | 2024 33,511 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 8,064 | 2024 8,809 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.2% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.6% | 2024 9.7% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $25,053 | 2024 $74,488 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 9.3% | 2024 29.4% |
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 Lafayette County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 33,381. The 2020 Census counted 32,984, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
1820
Organized November 16, 1820, from Cooper County. Wikipedia
1977
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lafayette County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Lafayette County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Lafayette County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lafayette County ranks 2nd of the seven; Pettis County is highest, at 29.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, MO | 73 | 14.3% | 21.1% |
| Pettis County, MO | 64 | 15.7% | 29.6% |
| Saline County, MO | 61 | 15.5% | 29.0% |
| Lafayette County, MO | 54 | 9.7% | 29.4% |
| Ray County, MO | 45 | 9.0% | 26.4% |
| Carroll County, MO | 34 | 14.3% | 26.6% |
| Johnson County, MO | 28 | 11.8% | 24.0% |
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 Lafayette County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Lafayette County's poverty rate was 9.7% in 2024, 100th 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, Lafayette County ranks 49th of 115 in the state.
Lafayette County in photographs
Places in Lafayette County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Lexington, Missouri August 22nd, 1987 Pentax ME Super.
Oak Grove is a city in Jackson and Lafayette counties in the U.S.
Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Lafayette County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Lafayette County, Missouri?
9.7% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 10 people. Among children it was 12.1%.
Is Lafayette County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Lafayette County's poverty rate was 9.7% in 2024, 100th 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, Lafayette County ranks 49th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Lafayette County, Missouri?
About 33,511 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 32,984, 99% of the county's peak of 33,381 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 Lafayette 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 Lafayette 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 Lafayette County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.