#2,414 Missouri · 2026

Maries County, Missouri

34.6 · low-moderate county distress 2,414th of 3,144 counties nationally · 8,430 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
23% Maries residents
vs.
16% U.S. median

Above the national median for disability rate — and 8.0× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (San Juan County, CO — 3%).

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 34 words · paste-ready

Maries County, Missouri ranks 2,414th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Maries sits near the national median across major distress indicators. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.

Key Findings
  • 2,414th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 34.6 · low-moderate county distress, 96th in Missouri.
  • 23% of residents report a disability (U.S. median 16%). Disability rate at the 93rd percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
  • Credit card delinquency at 6% — national median 5%, ranked at the 61st percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Default & Legal domain score 34 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
  • Debt Burden (housing basis) domain score 23 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span four CDI score labels. The 36-point drop to Osage County marks where the Missouri distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. Maries County, Missouri and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Maries and its 5 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Maries County ranks 2,414th of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 20 words

Maries County has a low-moderate county distress score. The CDI reading is a county comparison, separate from national ADI bands.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 35 words

The CDI gives this county a low-moderate county distress label. The label comes from the score, while the rank compares the county with the current national cross-section. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.

— American Default Research

Indicator History

Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.

Updated Jul 1, 2026
BLS 1990 to 2025

Unemployment rate

3.8% -3.4 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

11.5% -3.1 pp since 1989
BEA 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

31.4% +18.9 pp since 1969
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

17.1% -11.3 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Maries County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Maries County's value shown alongside MO's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.

How to read the table. A domain score is a 0–100 composite of the indicators in that domain; higher values represent a higher mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles. A county's domain rank is computed separately against all counties. Percentile is Maries County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Maries MO median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 37 · Rank 2,018 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 4% 6% 5% 27th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 6% 5% 5% 61st Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 17% 24% 23% 22nd Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 34 · Rank 2,252 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 23% 24% 23% 48th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 71 118 126 20th Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 23 · Rank 2,683 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 18% 20% 21% 20th HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 14% 16% 18% 25th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Labor — domain score 22 · Rank 2,383 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 3% 4% 4% 22nd U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 57 · Rank 1,307 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 16% 19% 18% 40th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 23% 17% 16% 93rd U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 12% 14% 14% 36th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 8% 11% 8% 54th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Data compiled May 2026 from Urban Institute Debt in America (2025 panel), U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-yr 2023, SAIPE 2023, Business Formation Statistics 2024), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS May 2026, QCEW 2024), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings 2025), and HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2026).

Five-Domain Breakdown

The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.

Safety Net & Buffer Primary driver 57
Weight 20% · Rank 1,307 of 3,144
Delinquency 37
Weight 20% · Rank 2,018 of 3,144
Default & Legal 34
Weight 20% · Rank 2,252 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 23
Weight 20% · Rank 2,683 of 3,144
Labor 22
Weight 20% · Rank 2,383 of 3,144

Methodology

The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.

Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.

For Press & Research

Everything you need to cite Maries County data — in under 60 seconds.

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Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · same-day response, 9am–6pm ET
Draft wire copy 124-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
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VIENNA, Mo. — Maries County ranks 2,414th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.

The composite score of 34.6 out of 100 gives Maries a low-moderate county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 2,413 counties rank more distressed. Within Missouri, Maries ranks 96th of 115 counties.

The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, finds Maries sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.

American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.

Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.

— 30 —

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Maries County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Maries County scores 34.6 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label low-moderate county distress. It ranks 2,414th of 3,144 U.S. counties and 96th of 115 Missouri counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Maries County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer, at a domain score of 57. Disability rate ranks at the 93rd percentile nationally.

How does Maries County compare to its neighbors?

Maries County's neighbors span 4 CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Phelps County (51.45, moderate county distress). Lowest: Osage County (15.22, very low county distress).

How is the County Distress Index calculated?

The CDI is a 0–100 composite of 13 source indicators across five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Data comes from Urban Institute, Census Bureau, BLS, U.S. Courts, HUD, and related public sources. Full methodology →
Ross Kilburn
Written by

Ross Kilburn, Founder

Founder · American Default Research · Seattle, Washington

Two decades working directly with financially distressed American households — from property preservation in 2003, to negotiating over 1,000 short sales during the Great Recession, to foreclosure defense marketing today. Author, The Ark Law Group Complete Guide to Short Sales (Auroch Press, 2013). Founded American Default Research in 2026.

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