About one in nine people in Lewis County, Missouri, has a disability
In Lewis County, 11.3% of people reported a disability (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). 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 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.
Lewis County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Lewis 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.
- 55.5 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.7% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.5% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202666th percentile
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- 45.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line15.6% · 202442nd percentile
- People with a disability11.3% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,006 · 202452nd percentile
- People below the poverty line13.4% · 202451st percentile
- People without health insurance10.7% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
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- 42.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.1% · August 202549th percentile
- People with a credit card behind4.1% · August 202527th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score23.4% · Q4 202549th 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
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.5% · fiscal year 202717th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent11.4% · 2020 to 202416th 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 Lewis 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
Lewis County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lewis 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 31 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 13 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Lewis County, benefit checks rose from 13 to 31 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Lewis County, Missouri: 30.7% and 55.7% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 30.7% of all personal income in Lewis 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 Lewis County, 19.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Lewis County has changed
The number of people living in Lewis County fell by about one in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 11,102 to 9,852. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 5.5% in 1990 to 4.6% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 11,102 | 2024 9,852 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,222 | 2024 2,401 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.5% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.3% | 2024 13.4% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $20,245 | 2024 $66,006 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 12.8% | 2024 30.7% |
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 Lewis County's history
Largest decennial census count
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
1833
Established in 1833 from Marion County. Wikipedia
2003
Tornado: $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
Flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
Thunderstorm wind: one death. 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
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
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 | 57 | 13.7% | 29.8% |
| Marion County, MO | 55 | 14.1% | 32.0% |
| Adams County, IL | 32 | 13.3% | 23.6% |
| Knox County, MO | 31 | 14.7% | 32.9% |
| Lewis County, MO | 30 | 13.4% | 30.7% |
| Shelby County, MO | 25 | 15.6% | 30.4% |
| Hancock County, IL | 17 | 10.9% | 26.3% |
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 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 88th of 115 in the state.
Lewis County in photographs
Places in Lewis County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Lewis County Missouri Courthouse.
Lewis County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Lewis County, Missouri?
13.4% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 15.6%.
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 88th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Lewis County, Missouri?
About 9,852 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 10,032, 60% of the county's peak of 16,724 in 1900.
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 Lewis 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.
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 Lewis County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.