About two in five people with a credit file in New Madrid County, Missouri, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In New Madrid County, 40.0% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives New Madrid County's score
In New Madrid County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 89.5. Late payments on loans come next, at 89.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in New Madrid 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.
New Madrid County does better than most counties on one measure: renters paying half their income or more in rent (14.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 89.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector40.0% · August 202594th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people246.4 · 202584th percentile
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- 89.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind12.2% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.6% · August 202579th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score57.8% · second quarter of 202693rd percentile
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- 82.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.1% · 202484th percentile
- Children below the poverty line27.4% · 202487th percentile
- People with a disability20.3% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- People without health insurance11.4% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$53,120 · 202486th percentile
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- 74.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202671st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.9% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
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- 45.3 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 rent14.8% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.7% · fiscal year 202760th 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 New Madrid 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 New Madrid County, 19.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
New Madrid County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in New Madrid County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 28.6% in 2004 to 34.2% in 2009.
In New Madrid County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 32.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In New Madrid County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 32.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in New Madrid County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop in the last span, from 25.7% in 2023 to 23.5% in 2024.
The share of households in New Madrid County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen to 23.5%
Low on the chart: 22.6% in 2011. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, New Madrid County, Missouri.
How New Madrid County has changed
New Madrid County's population had its largest drop in the last span, from 16,725 in 2019 to 15,212 in 2024.
New Madrid County's population fell 37% from 1969 to 2024, with no rise in any year shown
Smallest drop: 1989 to 1994, reaching 20,664. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, New Madrid County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in New Madrid County fell most sharply on the way to its 2005 low, from 8,358 in 2000 to 7,346 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in New Madrid County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 8,358 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, New Madrid County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.2% | 2025 5.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 26.2% | 2024 19.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,414 | 2024 $53,120 |
The table uses 5.1% for 2025; the score uses 4.6% 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 New Madrid County's history
1812
New Madrid County was organized on October 1, 1812, as an act of the First General Assembly of the Missouri Territory. Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 39,787. The 2020 Census counted 16,434, 41% of the peak. Census Bureau
1986
A tornado in May 1986 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
A flash flood in March 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flash flood in May 2011 did $70 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A thunderstorm in May 2024 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered New Madrid County, 20 of them for flooding. FEMA
New Madrid County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border New Madrid County, in Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, New Madrid County ranks 7th of the eight; Lake County is highest, at 51.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pemiscot County, MO | 99 | 23.7% | 37.6% |
| Mississippi County, MO | 98 | 21.0% | 40.7% |
| Lake County, TN | 97 | 31.2% | 51.4% |
| Dunklin County, MO | 96 | 25.4% | 41.3% |
| Fulton County, KY | 96 | 23.9% | 47.0% |
| New Madrid County, MO | 91 | 19.1% | 32.5% |
| Stoddard County, MO | 70 | 14.8% | 34.9% |
| Scott County, MO | 65 | 13.5% | 32.5% |
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 New Madrid County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, New Madrid County's poverty rate was 19.1% in 2024, 13th 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, New Madrid County ranks 8th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in New Madrid 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 New Madrid 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 New Madrid County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.