About four in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Macon County, Missouri, have a job
In Macon County, 17.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 68% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Macon County's score
In Macon County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 56.4. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 26.7. About one in 11 renters (9.1%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 89% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Macon 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, Macon County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (11.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 56.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.0% · 202440th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.6% · 202447th percentile
- People with a disability16.0% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- People without health insurance11.5% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,822 · 202468th percentile
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- 45.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202658th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.8% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
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- 37.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.0% · August 202524th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.9% · August 202545th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.4% · second quarter of 202643rd percentile
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- 32.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.2% · August 202546th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people66 · 202517th percentile
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- 26.7 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 rent9.1% · 2020 to 202410th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.1% · fiscal year 202743rd 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 Macon 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 Macon County, 22.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Macon County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Macon County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 30.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Macon County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Macon County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.6% in 2013 to 11.7% in 2014.
The share of households in Macon County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 8.2% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Macon County, Missouri.
How Macon County has changed
Macon County's population fell 4% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 1984 and 1989
High on the chart: 16,456 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Macon County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Macon County rose most sharply from its first year (4,691 in 1990) to 5,133 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Macon County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 7% since
High on the chart: 5,214 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Macon County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.3% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.6% | 2024 12.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,643 | 2024 $60,822 |
The table uses 4.5% for 2025; the score uses 4.2% 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 Macon County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 33,018. The 2020 Census counted 15,209, 46% of the peak. Census Bureau
1970
A tornado in June 1970 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1973
A tornado in April 1973 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1975
A tornado in April 1975 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A tornado in April 1999 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Macon County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Macon County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Macon County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Macon County ranks 5th of the eight; Linn County is highest, at 33.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adair County, MO | 57 | 21.9% | 28.6% |
| Randolph County, MO | 51 | 12.8% | 27.9% |
| Monroe County, MO | 36 | 12.4% | 30.0% |
| Linn County, MO | 36 | 12.1% | 33.5% |
| Knox County, MO | 35 | 14.7% | 32.9% |
| Macon County, MO | 31 | 12.0% | 30.0% |
| Shelby County, MO | 27 | 15.6% | 30.4% |
| 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 Macon County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Macon County's poverty rate was 12.0% in 2024, 84th 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, Macon County ranks 83rd of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Macon 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 Macon County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.