About three in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in McDonald County, Missouri, are not working
In McDonald County, 31.2% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 69% of U.S. counties.
What drives McDonald County's score
In McDonald County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 76.5. Income and the safety net comes next, at 75.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in McDonald 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.
McDonald County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (11.2%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (62.8, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 76.5 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202661st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working31.2% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
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- 75.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.0% · 202480th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.4% · 202477th percentile
- People with a disability15.3% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- People without health insurance18.4% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$54,502 · 202483rd percentile
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- 70.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202544th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.6% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score49.8% · second quarter of 202679th percentile
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- 47.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector31.9% · August 202578th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people62.8 · 202516th percentile
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- 35.5 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 rent11.2% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.2% · fiscal year 202755th 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 McDonald 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 McDonald County, 15.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
McDonald County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in McDonald County had its largest rise, from 21.6% in 2004 to 29.2% in 2009.
In McDonald County, benefit checks' share of income has risen by more than half since 1969, reaching 26.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In McDonald County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income rose by more than half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in McDonald County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 13.6% in 2019 to 11.2% in 2020.
The share of households in McDonald County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 9.2% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, McDonald County, Missouri.
How McDonald County has changed
McDonald County's population doubled to 24,054, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 21,561. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, McDonald County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in McDonald County had its largest drop in the last span, from 6,843 in 2020 to 5,739 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in McDonald County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 18% since
High on the chart: 6,994 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, McDonald County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.7% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.9% | 2024 18.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,714 | 2024 $54,502 |
The table uses 4.9% for 2025; the score uses 4.3% 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 McDonald County's history
2005
A flash flood in January 2005 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flash flood in August 2013 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flash flood in June 2019 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 23,303, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2026
Hail in April 2026 did $22.4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered McDonald County, 18 of them for flooding. FEMA
McDonald County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border McDonald County, in Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, McDonald County ranks 4th of the six; Delaware County is highest, at 35.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa County, OK | 86 | 19.2% | 35.2% |
| Delaware County, OK | 84 | 18.3% | 35.9% |
| McDonald County, MO | 69 | 18.0% | 26.9% |
| Barry County, MO | 55 | 15.7% | 29.7% |
| Newton County, MO | 50 | 12.4% | 23.5% |
| Benton County, AR | 14 | 8.4% | 7.6% |
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 McDonald County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, McDonald County's poverty rate was 18.0% in 2024, 19th 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, McDonald County ranks 30th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in McDonald 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 Aid of Western 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 McDonald 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 McDonald County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.