About three in four adults aged 25 to 54 in Linn County, Missouri, have a job
In Linn County, 17.5% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is lower than in 70% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 66% of U.S. counties.
What drives Linn County's score
In Linn County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 54.6. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 27.1. Bankruptcy filings ran at 50.9 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 90% 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, Linn County is worse off than most counties on median household income ($57,520, 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Linn 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.
- 54.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line18.0% · 202454th percentile
- People with a disability14.9% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,520 · 202476th percentile
- People below the poverty line12.1% · 202440th percentile
- People without health insurance9.3% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
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- 46.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.8% · August 202559th percentile
- People with a credit card behind4.9% · August 202540th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score21.2% · Q4 202539th percentile
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- 44.1 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 income20.1% · fiscal year 202742nd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent17.3% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
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- 30.9 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 average3.5% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202631st percentile
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- 27.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.5% · August 202544th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people50.9 · 20259th 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 Linn 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
Linn County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Linn County in 2024, pay from work was 51 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 15 cents. Benefit checks were 34 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 17 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Linn County, benefit checks rose from 17 to 34 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Linn County, Missouri: 33.5% and 51.1% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 33.5% of all personal income in Linn 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 Linn County, 21.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Linn County has changed
The number of people living in Linn County fell by about two in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 15,540 to 11,910. The number of jobs located there fell by about one in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 8.0% in 1990 to 4.0% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 15,540 | 2024 11,910 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 4,651 | 2024 4,078 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.0% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.6% | 2024 12.1% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $18,954 | 2024 $57,520 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 17.3% | 2024 33.5% |
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 Linn County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 25,503. The 2020 Census counted 11,874, 47% of the peak. Census Bureau
1837
Organized January 1, 1837. Wikipedia
1971
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
Hail: $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Linn County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Linn County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Linn County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Linn County ranks 2nd of the seven; Grundy County is highest, at 37.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adair County, MO | 57 | 21.9% | 28.6% |
| Grundy County, MO | 52 | 16.8% | 37.6% |
| Sullivan County, MO | 47 | 12.7% | 31.7% |
| Linn County, MO | 33 | 12.1% | 33.5% |
| Macon County, MO | 31 | 12.0% | 30.0% |
| Livingston County, MO | 25 | 14.3% | 29.9% |
| Chariton County, MO | 10 | 11.7% | 28.8% |
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 Linn County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Linn County's poverty rate was 12.1% in 2024, 81st 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, Linn County ranks 79th of 115 in the state.
Linn County in photographs
Places in Linn County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Linn County, Missouri, courthouse in Linneus.
A home that was destroyed at high-end EF2 intensity north of Linneus, Missouri.
Photo: National Weather Service Kansas City/Pleasant Hill MO via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Linn County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Linn County, Missouri?
12.1% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in eight people. Among children it was 18.0%.
Is Linn County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Linn County's poverty rate was 12.1% in 2024, 81st 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, Linn County ranks 79th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Linn County, Missouri?
About 11,910 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 11,874, half the county's peak of 25,503 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 Linn 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 Linn County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.