Unemployment in Maries County, Missouri, is lower than in 72% of U.S. counties
In Maries County, 3.4% of the labor force was out of work, on average (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). That is lower than in 72% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 67% 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 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, 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).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Maries 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.
- 54.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.3% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.4% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202627th percentile
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- 51.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line15.6% · 202442nd percentile
- People with a disability22.4% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,970 · 202464th percentile
- People below the poverty line11.5% · 202435th percentile
- People without health insurance5.5% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
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- 36.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.6% · August 202527th percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.2% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score17.1% · Q4 202521st percentile
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- 34.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.6% · August 202548th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people71.2 · 202519th percentile
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- 22.6 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 income18.6% · fiscal year 202727th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent11.6% · 2020 to 202417th 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 Maries 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
Maries County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Maries County in 2024, pay from work was 55 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 14 cents. Benefit checks were 31 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 13 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Maries County, benefit checks rose from 13 to 31 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Maries County, Missouri: 31.4% and 54.7% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 31.4% of all personal income in Maries 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 Maries County, 22.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Maries County has changed
The number of people living in Maries County grew by about 23% between 1969 and 2024, from 6,906 to 8,506. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 7.2% in 1990 to 3.8% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 6,906 | 2024 8,506 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 1,270 | 2024 1,381 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.2% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.6% | 2024 11.5% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $19,867 | 2024 $61,970 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 12.5% | 2024 31.4% |
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 Maries County's history
Largest decennial census count
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
Tornado: $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
Tornado: $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
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pulaski County, MO | 52 | 14.7% | 24.5% |
| Phelps County, MO | 51 | 17.1% | 29.2% |
| Miller County, MO | 47 | 13.1% | 27.5% |
| Maries County, MO | 32 | 11.5% | 31.4% |
| Gasconade County, MO | 30 | 12.1% | 32.0% |
| Osage County, MO | 3 | 7.7% | 19.5% |
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 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 81st of 115 in the state.
Maries County in photographs
Places in Maries County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Mariess County Courthouse in Vienna.
Photo: The original uploader was Americasroof at English Wikipedia . via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
First reassurance marker for Missouri Route 68 south of the junction with Supplemental Route H in Maries County, Missouri.
Maries County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Maries County, Missouri?
11.5% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in nine people. Among children it was 15.6%.
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 81st of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Maries County, Missouri?
About 8,506 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 8,432, 84% of the county's peak of 10,088 in 1910.
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 Maries 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 Maries 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 Maries County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.