About one in nine people in Lewis County, Missouri, has a disability
In Lewis County, 11.3% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 69% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lewis County's score
In Lewis County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 55.5. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 16.9. About one in nine renters (11.4%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 83% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lewis 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.
Lewis 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.
- 55.5 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202666th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.7% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
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- 45.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.4% · 202451st percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.6% · 202442nd percentile
- People with a disability11.3% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- People without health insurance10.7% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,006 · 202452nd percentile
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- 43.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.1% · August 202527th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.1% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.6% · second quarter of 202654th percentile
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- 34.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.0% · August 202553rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people61.1 · 202515th percentile
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- 16.9 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 rent11.4% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.5% · fiscal year 202717th 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 Lewis 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 Lewis County, 19.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lewis County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lewis County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 30.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Lewis County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lewis County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 11.8% in 2014 to 9.6% in 2015.
The share of households in Lewis County getting SNAP food aid fell by about half to 6.0%, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 13.2% in 2013. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lewis County, Missouri.
How Lewis County has changed
Lewis County's population fell 11% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 1984 and 1989
Biggest drop: 1984 to 1989, reaching 10,273. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lewis County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Lewis County had its largest rise, from 2,534 in 1995 to 2,898 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Lewis County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 2,898 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lewis County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.5% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.3% | 2024 13.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,245 | 2024 $66,006 |
The table uses 4.6% for 2025; the score uses 4.5% 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 Lewis County's history
1833
Established in 1833 from Marion County. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 16,724. The 2020 Census counted 10,032, 60% of the peak. Census Bureau
2003
A tornado in May 2003 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flood in May 2010 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flash flood in July 2015 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A thunderstorm in July 2015 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lewis County, 19 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lewis County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Lewis County, in Missouri and Illinois, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lewis County ranks 3rd of the seven; Knox County is highest, at 32.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clark County, MO | 56 | 13.7% | 29.8% |
| Marion County, MO | 55 | 14.1% | 32.0% |
| Knox County, MO | 35 | 14.7% | 32.9% |
| Adams County, IL | 33 | 13.3% | 23.6% |
| Lewis County, MO | 30 | 13.4% | 30.7% |
| Shelby County, MO | 27 | 15.6% | 30.4% |
| Hancock County, IL | 18 | 10.9% | 26.3% |
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 Lewis County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Lewis County's poverty rate was 13.4% in 2024, 71st 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, Lewis County ranks 87th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lewis 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 Eastern 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.
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 Lewis County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.