Unemployment in Linn County, Missouri, is lower than in 71% of U.S. counties
In Linn County, 3.5% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 71% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 63% 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 27.0. Bankruptcy filings ran at 50.9 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Linn 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, Linn County is worse off than most counties on median household income ($57,520, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 54.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.1% · 202440th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.0% · 202454th percentile
- People with a disability14.9% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- People without health insurance9.3% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,520 · 202476th percentile
-
- 53.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.9% · August 202540th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.8% · August 202559th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.2% · second quarter of 202660th percentile
-
- 44.1 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 rent17.3% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.1% · fiscal year 202742nd percentile
-
- 30.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202631st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.5% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
-
- 27.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.5% · August 202543rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people50.9 · 20259th percentile
-
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 Linn 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 Linn County, 21.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Linn County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Linn County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 33.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Linn County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Linn County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.0% in 2010 to 10.6% in 2011.
The share of households in Linn County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 8.7% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Linn County, Missouri.
How Linn County has changed
Linn County's population had its largest drop, from 15,219 in 1984 to 14,053 in 1989.
Linn County's population fell by about a quarter to 11,910, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 15,876 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Linn County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Linn County had its largest drop, from 4,507 in 2005 to 3,885 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Linn County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 5,064 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Linn County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.0% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.6% | 2024 12.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,954 | 2024 $57,520 |
The table uses 4.0% for 2025; the score uses 3.5% 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 Linn County's history
1837
Organized January 1, 1837. Wikipedia
1900
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
1971
A tornado in May 1971 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
Hail in May 2004 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1976
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Linn County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
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 | 55 | 16.8% | 37.6% |
| Sullivan County, MO | 48 | 12.7% | 31.7% |
| Linn County, MO | 36 | 12.1% | 33.5% |
| Macon County, MO | 31 | 12.0% | 30.0% |
| Livingston County, MO | 25 | 14.3% | 29.9% |
| Chariton County, MO | 12 | 11.7% | 28.8% |
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 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 76th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Linn 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.
-
Legal Aid of Western Missouri
Legal aid
-
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 Linn County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.