In Lawrence County, Missouri, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in five dollars of the typical household's income
In Lawrence County, 18.8% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 70% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lawrence County's score
In Lawrence County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 55.8. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 27.5. About one in seven renters (13.8%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 74% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lawrence 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.
Even so, Lawrence County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (14.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 55.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.6% · 202445th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.1% · 202439th percentile
- People with a disability15.5% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- People without health insurance14.0% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,434 · 202462nd percentile
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- 55.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.9% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.8% · August 202544th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.9% · second quarter of 202663rd percentile
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- 52.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202645th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.2% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
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- 44.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.3% · August 202554th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people95.2 · 202533rd percentile
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- 27.5 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 rent13.8% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.8% · fiscal year 202729th 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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence County, 18.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lawrence County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lawrence County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 30.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Lawrence County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lawrence County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (11.3% in 2009) to 14.1% in 2010.
The share of households in Lawrence County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 12.2%
Low on the chart: 11.3% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lawrence County, Missouri.
How Lawrence County has changed
Lawrence County's population rose by more than half to 39,151, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 34,723. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lawrence County, Missouri.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Lawrence County rose by about a fifth from 1990 to 2025, reaching 8,974, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 8,998 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lawrence County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.2% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.3% | 2024 12.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,785 | 2024 $62,434 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 3.9% 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 Lawrence County's history
1845
Organized in 1845. Wikipedia
2002
A tornado in December 2002 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A tornado in May 2003 did $27.5 million in property damage and killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A tornado in March 2006 did $5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 38,634. The 2020 Census counted 38,001, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
2026
Hail in April 2026 did $118 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lawrence County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lawrence County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Lawrence County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lawrence County ranks 2nd of the eight; Dade County is highest, at 32.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jasper County, MO | 70 | 13.5% | 27.1% |
| Barry County, MO | 55 | 15.7% | 29.7% |
| Stone County, MO | 52 | 14.1% | 30.7% |
| Newton County, MO | 50 | 12.4% | 23.5% |
| Greene County, MO | 46 | 10.5% | 22.1% |
| Lawrence County, MO | 45 | 12.6% | 30.8% |
| Dade County, MO | 43 | 13.5% | 32.1% |
| Christian County, MO | 16 | 8.0% | 20.5% |
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 Lawrence County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Lawrence County's poverty rate was 12.6% in 2024, 76th 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, Lawrence County ranks 65th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lawrence 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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.