About three in four 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 (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). 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 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, Macon County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (11.5%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Macon 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.
- 56.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line16.6% · 202447th percentile
- People with a disability16.0% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,822 · 202468th percentile
- People below the poverty line12.0% · 202440th percentile
- People without health insurance11.5% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
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- 45.2 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.8% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.2% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202658th percentile
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- 37.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.9% · August 202545th percentile
- People with a credit card behind4.0% · August 202524th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score21.6% · Q4 202541st percentile
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- 32.2 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
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 202743rd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent9.1% · 2020 to 202410th 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 Macon 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
Macon County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Macon 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 30 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 14 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Macon County, benefit checks rose from 14 to 30 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Macon County, Missouri: 30.0% and 56.2% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 30.0% of all personal income in Macon 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 Macon County, 22.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Macon County has changed
The number of people living in Macon County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 15,783 to 15,177. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 8.3% in 1990 to 4.5% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 15,783 | 2024 15,177 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 4,691 | 2024 4,831 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.3% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.6% | 2024 12.0% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $21,643 | 2024 $60,822 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 13.6% | 2024 30.0% |
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 Macon County's history
Largest decennial census count
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
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1973
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
1975
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
Tornado: $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
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Macon County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Macon County, four 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 | 33 | 12.1% | 33.5% |
| Macon County, MO | 31 | 12.0% | 30.0% |
| Knox County, MO | 31 | 14.7% | 32.9% |
| Shelby County, MO | 25 | 15.6% | 30.4% |
| 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 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 86th of 115 in the state.
Macon County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Macon County, Missouri?
12.0% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in eight people. Among children it was 16.6%.
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 86th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Macon County, Missouri?
About 15,177 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 15,209, half the county's peak of 33,018 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 Macon 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 Macon County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.