Unemployment in Maries County, Missouri, is lower than in 73% of U.S. counties
In Maries County, 3.4% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 73% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 65% of U.S. counties.
What drives Maries County's score
In Maries County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 54.8. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 22.6. About one in nine renters (11.6%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 82% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Maries 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, Maries County is worse off than most counties on people with a disability (22.4%, 2020 to 2024) and adults 25 to 54 not working (27.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 54.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202627th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.3% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
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- 51.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.5% · 202435th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.6% · 202442nd percentile
- People with a disability22.4% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- People without health insurance5.5% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,970 · 202464th percentile
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- 43.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.2% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.6% · August 202527th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.0% · second quarter of 202641st percentile
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- 33.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.6% · August 202547th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people71.2 · 202519th percentile
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- 22.6 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 rent11.6% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.6% · fiscal year 202727th 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 Maries 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 Maries County, 22.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Maries County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Maries County had its largest rise, from 22.5% in 2004 to 27.7% in 2009.
In Maries County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 31.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Maries County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Maries County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.7% in 2021 to 12.4% in 2022.
The share of households in Maries County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 11.2%
Low on the chart: 9.3% in 2012. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Maries County, Missouri.
How Maries County has changed
Maries County's population had its largest rise, from 6,906 in 1969 to 7,349 in 1974.
Maries County's population rose by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 8,506
High on the chart: 9,122 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Maries County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Maries County had its largest drop, from 1,414 in 2010 to 1,230 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Maries County rose 10% from 1990 to 2025
High on the chart: 1,421 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Maries County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.2% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.6% | 2024 11.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,867 | 2024 $61,970 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 3.4% 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 Maries County's history
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 10,088. The 2020 Census counted 8,432, 84% of the peak. Census Bureau
2008
A tornado in January 2008 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A tornado in April 2023 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Maries County, 20 of them for flooding. FEMA
Maries County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Maries County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Maries County ranks 2nd of the six; Gasconade County is highest, at 32.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phelps County, MO | 52 | 17.1% | 29.2% |
| Pulaski County, MO | 50 | 14.7% | 24.5% |
| Miller County, MO | 47 | 13.1% | 27.5% |
| Maries County, MO | 34 | 11.5% | 31.4% |
| Gasconade County, MO | 31 | 12.1% | 32.0% |
| Osage County, MO | 3 | 7.7% | 19.5% |
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 Maries County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Maries County's poverty rate was 11.5% in 2024, 90th 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, Maries County ranks 79th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Maries 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 Southern 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.
Download the CSV for Maries County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
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 Maries County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.