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 (Urban Institute, Debt in America, August 2025). That is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 90% 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. About two in five people with a credit file (40.0%, August 2025) have unpaid debt sent to a collector, a higher share than in 94% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 86.4.
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.
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).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where New Madrid 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.
- 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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- 86.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.6% · August 202579th percentile
- People with a credit card behind12.2% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.7% · Q4 202584th percentile
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- 82.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line27.4% · 202487th percentile
- People with a disability20.3% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$53,120 · 202486th percentile
- People below the poverty line19.1% · 202484th percentile
- People without health insurance11.4% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
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- 74.5 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.9% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.6% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202671st percentile
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- 45.3 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 income21.7% · fiscal year 202760th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent14.8% · 2020 to 202430th 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 New Madrid 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
New Madrid County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In New Madrid County in 2024, pay from work was 58 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 9 cents. Benefit checks were 33 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 20 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In New Madrid County, benefit checks rose from 20 to 33 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, New Madrid County, Missouri: 32.5% and 58.2% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 32.5% of all personal income in New Madrid 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 New Madrid County, 19.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How New Madrid County has changed
The number of people living in New Madrid County fell by about four in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 24,324 to 15,212. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 10.2% in 1990 to 5.1% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 24,324 | 2024 15,212 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 7,433 | 2024 7,504 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.2% | 2025 5.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 26.2% | 2024 19.1% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $18,414 | 2024 $53,120 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 19.5% | 2024 32.5% |
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 New Madrid County's history
Largest decennial census count
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
1812
New Madrid County was organized on October 1, 1812, as an act of the First General Assembly of the Missouri Territory. Wikipedia
1986
Tornado: $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Flash flood: $70 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
Thunderstorm wind: one death. 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
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
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% |
| Fulton County, KY | 96 | 23.9% | 47.0% |
| Dunklin County, MO | 96 | 25.4% | 41.3% |
| New Madrid County, MO | 90 | 19.1% | 32.5% |
| Stoddard County, MO | 70 | 14.8% | 34.9% |
| Scott County, MO | 66 | 13.5% | 32.5% |
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 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.
New Madrid County in photographs
Places in New Madrid County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Front of the New Madrid County Courthouse, located at 450 Main Street in New Madrid, Missouri, United States.
A walking trail leads to an overlook with scenic views of the Mississippi River at the New Madrid Water Route in New Madrid, Missouri Keywords: trte; trail of tears national historic trail;.
Photo: English: National Trails Office ( US National Park Service ) via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
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New Madrid County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in New Madrid County, Missouri?
19.1% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 27.4%.
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.
What is the population of New Madrid County, Missouri?
About 15,212 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 16,434, 41% of the county's peak of 39,787 in 1940.
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 New Madrid 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 New Madrid 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 New Madrid County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.