About one in 13 people in Lincoln County, Missouri, lives below the poverty line
In Lincoln County, 7.9% of people lived below the poverty line (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 67% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lincoln County's score
In Lincoln County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 62.4. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 23.0. About one in 13 people (7.9%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a lower share than in 92% 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.
Even so, Lincoln County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (205.6, 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Lincoln 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.
- 62.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.7% · August 202548th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people205.6 · 202576th percentile
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- 45.3 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 behind4.4% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score24.7% · Q4 202555th percentile
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- 38.1 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.1% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.8% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202642nd percentile
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- 30.8 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 income17.3% · fiscal year 202715th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent17.4% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
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- 23.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line9.6% · 202411th percentile
- People with a disability14.3% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$93,517 · 20248th percentile
- People below the poverty line7.9% · 20247th percentile
- People without health insurance8.3% · 2020 to 202454th 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 Lincoln 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
Lincoln County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lincoln County in 2024, pay from work was 68 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 11 cents. Benefit checks were 21 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 10 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Lincoln County, benefit checks rose from 10 to 21 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Lincoln County, Missouri: 21.2% and 68.2% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 21.2% of all personal income in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County, 14.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Lincoln County has changed
The number of people living in Lincoln County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 18,013 to 65,888. The number of jobs located there more than doubled from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.9% in 1990 to 3.9% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 18,013 | 2024 65,888 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 5,895 | 2024 12,799 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.9% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.9% | 2024 7.9% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $27,680 | 2024 $93,517 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 9.7% | 2024 21.2% |
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 Lincoln County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 59,574, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1814
Fort Cap au Gris War of 1812 fortification built 1814. Wikipedia
1818
Founded December 14, 1818, and named for Major General Benjamin Lincoln of the American Revolutionary War. Wikipedia
2006
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
Flood: $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
Flash flood: $5.4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
Flash flood: $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
29 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lincoln County, 21 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Lincoln County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Lincoln County, in Missouri and Illinois, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lincoln County ranks 5th of the six; Pike County is highest, at 31.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pike County, MO | 56 | 15.9% | 31.8% |
| Montgomery County, MO | 39 | 12.2% | 27.6% |
| Lincoln County, MO | 32 | 7.9% | 21.2% |
| Warren County, MO | 28 | 8.0% | 22.9% |
| Calhoun County, IL | 14 | 10.0% | 27.3% |
| St. Charles County, MO | 8 | 6.3% | 15.6% |
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 Lincoln County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Lincoln County's poverty rate was 7.9% in 2024, 110th 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, Lincoln County ranks 83rd of 115 in the state.
Lincoln County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Lincoln County, Missouri?
7.9% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 13 people. Among children it was 9.6%.
Is Lincoln County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Lincoln County's poverty rate was 7.9% in 2024, 110th 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, Lincoln County ranks 83rd of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Lincoln County, Missouri?
About 65,888 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 59,574, 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.