About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 in Newton County, Missouri, is not working
In Newton County, 24.7% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 72% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 51% of U.S. counties.
What drives Newton County's score
In Newton County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 61.5. About one in three people (29.4%, Q4 2025) has a subprime credit score, a higher share than in 73% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 54.5.
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.
Newton County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (72.5, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (15.3%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Newton 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.
- 61.5 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.0% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a credit card behind5.4% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score29.4% · Q4 202573rd percentile
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- 54.5 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.7% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202636th percentile
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- 52.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line16.3% · 202445th percentile
- People with a disability15.0% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,231 · 202451st percentile
- People below the poverty line12.4% · 202443rd percentile
- People without health insurance12.7% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
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- 42.9 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 income20.9% · fiscal year 202752nd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent15.3% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
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- 42.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.2% · August 202564th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people72.5 · 202520th 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 Newton 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
Newton County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Newton County in 2024, pay from work was 62 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 15 cents. Benefit checks were 24 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 10 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Newton County, benefit checks rose from 10 to 24 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Newton County, Missouri: 23.5% and 61.6% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 23.5% of all personal income in Newton 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 Newton County, 18.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Newton County has changed
The number of people living in Newton County grew by about 86% between 1969 and 2024, from 33,152 to 61,519. The number of jobs located there grew by about 56% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.7% in 1990 to 3.9% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 33,152 | 2024 61,519 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 13,635 | 2024 21,297 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.7% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.7% | 2024 12.4% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $22,744 | 2024 $66,231 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 10.4% | 2024 23.5% |
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 Newton County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 58,648, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1840
Lead discovered in 1840s and developed for mining. Wikipedia
1975
Tornado: $25 million in property damage, three deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
Tornado: $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Tornado: $35 million in property damage, 14 deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
Thunderstorm wind: $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
29 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Newton County, 19 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Newton County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Newton County, in Missouri, Oklahoma and Kansas, five score higher. Of the group, Newton County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Ottawa County gets the largest, at 35.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa County, OK | 85 | 19.2% | 35.2% |
| Jasper County, MO | 70 | 13.5% | 27.1% |
| McDonald County, MO | 69 | 18.0% | 26.9% |
| Cherokee County, KS | 58 | 16.3% | 26.7% |
| Barry County, MO | 54 | 15.7% | 29.7% |
| Newton County, MO | 51 | 12.4% | 23.5% |
| Lawrence County, MO | 43 | 12.6% | 30.8% |
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 Newton County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Newton County's poverty rate was 12.4% in 2024, 77th 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, Newton County ranks 56th of 115 in the state.
Newton County in photographs
Places in Newton County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Newton County, Missouri, courthouse in Neosho.
Newton County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Newton County, Missouri?
12.4% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in eight people. Among children it was 16.3%.
Is Newton County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Newton County's poverty rate was 12.4% in 2024, 77th 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, Newton County ranks 56th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Newton County, Missouri?
About 61,519 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 58,648, 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 Newton 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 Newton 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 Newton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.