About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in McDonald County, Missouri, is not working
In McDonald County, 31.2% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). 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. About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 (31.2%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a higher share than in 91% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 75.9.
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.
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).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where McDonald 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.
- 76.5 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working31.2% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.3% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202661st percentile
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- 75.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line23.4% · 202477th percentile
- People with a disability15.3% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$54,502 · 202483rd percentile
- People below the poverty line18.0% · 202480th percentile
- People without health insurance18.4% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
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- 70.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.6% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202544th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.4% · Q4 202581st 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
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.2% · fiscal year 202755th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent11.2% · 2020 to 202415th 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 McDonald 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
McDonald County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In McDonald County in 2024, pay from work was 62 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 11 cents. Benefit checks were 27 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 17 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In McDonald County, benefit checks rose from 17 to 27 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, McDonald County, Missouri: 26.9% and 62.1% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 26.9% of all personal income in McDonald 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 McDonald County, 15.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How McDonald County has changed
The number of people living in McDonald County grew by about 93% between 1969 and 2024, from 12,433 to 24,054. The number of jobs located there grew by about 19% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 5.7% in 1990 to 4.9% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 12,433 | 2024 24,054 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 4,797 | 2024 5,686 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.7% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.9% | 2024 18.0% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $17,714 | 2024 $54,502 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 17.0% | 2024 26.9% |
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 McDonald County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 23,303, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2005
Flash flood: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2026
Hail: $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
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
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 | 85 | 19.2% | 35.2% |
| Delaware County, OK | 84 | 18.3% | 35.9% |
| McDonald County, MO | 69 | 18.0% | 26.9% |
| Barry County, MO | 54 | 15.7% | 29.7% |
| Newton County, MO | 51 | 12.4% | 23.5% |
| Benton County, AR | 16 | 8.4% | 7.6% |
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 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 29th of 115 in the state.
McDonald County in photographs
Places in McDonald County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
McDonald County, Missouri, courthouse in Pineville.
McDonald County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in McDonald County, Missouri?
18.0% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 23.4%.
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 29th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of McDonald County, Missouri?
About 24,054 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 23,303, 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 McDonald 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 McDonald 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 McDonald County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.