Benefit checks make up 42 cents of every dollar of income in Madison County, Missouri
In Madison County, 41.7% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024). That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 71% of U.S. counties.
What drives Madison County's score
In Madison County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 73.9. The typical household earns $52,177 a year (2024), less than in 88% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 66.7.
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.
Madison County does better than most counties on one measure: renters paying half their income or more in rent (10.7%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Madison 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.
- 73.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line19.5% · 202462nd percentile
- People with a disability20.6% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,177 · 202488th percentile
- People below the poverty line15.1% · 202465th percentile
- People without health insurance10.6% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
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- 66.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector32.3% · August 202580th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people133.9 · 202553rd percentile
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- 65.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.4% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a credit card behind8.9% · August 202590th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score24.0% · Q4 202552nd percentile
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- 58.7 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.2% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.4% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202664th percentile
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- 47.3 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 income24.5% · fiscal year 202780th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent10.7% · 2020 to 202414th 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 Madison 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
Madison County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Madison County in 2024, pay from work was 46 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 12 cents. Benefit checks were 42 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 21 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Madison County, benefit checks rose from 21 to 42 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Madison County, Missouri: 41.7% and 45.9% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 41.7% of all personal income in Madison 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 Madison County, 19.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Madison County has changed
The number of people living in Madison County grew by about 45% between 1969 and 2024, from 8,841 to 12,852. The number of jobs located there grew by about 18% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 9.5% in 1990 to 4.8% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 8,841 | 2024 12,852 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 3,051 | 2024 3,585 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.5% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.4% | 2024 15.1% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $16,801 | 2024 $52,177 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 20.7% | 2024 41.7% |
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 Madison County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 12,626, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1925
1925 tri-state tornado destroyed farm buildings and livestock. Wikipedia
1999
Flash flood: $6 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Madison County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Madison County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Madison County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Madison County ranks 3rd of the six; Wayne County is highest, at 47.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County, MO | 96 | 19.6% | 47.6% |
| Iron County, MO | 80 | 18.2% | 47.1% |
| St. Francois County, MO | 73 | 14.6% | 34.0% |
| Madison County, MO | 71 | 15.1% | 41.7% |
| Bollinger County, MO | 55 | 14.5% | 35.6% |
| Perry County, MO | 28 | 11.5% | 27.0% |
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 Madison County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Madison County's poverty rate was 15.1% in 2024, 38th 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, Madison County ranks 25th of 115 in the state.
Madison County in photographs
Places in Madison County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
A kayaker performs a bow stall at the finish of the Missouri Whitewater Championships 2010 (held on St.
Photo: Chris Amelung , cropped by User:Ibn Battuta via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
View towards the Saint Francois Mountains of the Missouri Ozarks from the top of Knob Lick Mountain.
Photo: Wikipedian Kbh3rd via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Madison County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Madison County, Missouri?
15.1% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 19.5%.
Is Madison County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Madison County's poverty rate was 15.1% in 2024, 38th 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, Madison County ranks 25th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Madison County, Missouri?
About 12,852 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 12,626, 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 Madison 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 Madison 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 Madison County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.