In Oregon County, Missouri, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2020
In 2024, 45 cents of every dollar of income here came from a benefit check: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits and the like (45.0%, Bureau of Economic Analysis). Across the country it was 18 cents.
More distressed than 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives Oregon County's score
In Oregon County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 90.7. The typical household earns $44,812 a year (2024), less than in 95% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 69.0.
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.
Oregon County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (16.3%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (114.7, 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Oregon 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.
- 90.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line26.2% · 202484th percentile
- People with a disability23.6% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$44,812 · 202495th percentile
- People below the poverty line20.1% · 202487th percentile
- People without health insurance16.3% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
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- 69.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.7% · August 202580th percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.1% · August 202560th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score27.2% · Q4 202565th percentile
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- 65.1 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.5% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.0% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202650th percentile
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- 62.7 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 income25.8% · fiscal year 202786th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent16.3% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
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- 52.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.4% · August 202561st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people114.7 · 202543rd 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 Oregon 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
Oregon County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Oregon County in 2024, pay from work was 43 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 12 cents. Benefit checks were 45 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
In 1969, pay was 64 cents of every dollar here and benefit checks were 23 cents.
In Oregon County, benefit checks have brought in more than pay since 2020
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Oregon County, Missouri: 45.0% and 43.1% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 45.0% of all personal income in Oregon 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 Oregon County, 23.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Oregon County has changed
The number of people living in Oregon County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 9,380 to 8,699. The number of jobs located there grew by about 46% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 5.6% in 1990 to 4.6% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 9,380 | 2024 8,699 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 1,734 | 2024 2,535 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.6% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 30.3% | 2024 20.1% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $13,008 | 2024 $44,812 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 23.1% | 2024 45.0% |
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 Oregon County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 14,681. The 2020 Census counted 8,635, 59% of the peak. Census Bureau
1982
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1982
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
Flash flood: $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Oregon County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Oregon County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Oregon County, in Missouri and Arkansas, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Oregon County ranks 2nd of the eight; Fulton County is highest, at 47.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ripley County, MO | 95 | 21.9% | 44.8% |
| Sharp County, AR | 82 | 18.9% | 41.7% |
| Carter County, MO | 81 | 17.1% | 40.8% |
| Oregon County, MO | 80 | 20.1% | 45.0% |
| Randolph County, AR | 74 | 18.1% | 36.7% |
| Howell County, MO | 74 | 18.6% | 35.9% |
| Fulton County, AR | 72 | 16.3% | 47.3% |
| Shannon County, MO | 70 | 21.3% | 39.1% |
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 Oregon County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Oregon County's poverty rate was 20.1% in 2024, 9th 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, Oregon County ranks 13th of 115 in the state.
Oregon County in photographs
Places in Oregon County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Oregon County, Missouri, courthouse in Alton.
Oregon County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Oregon County, Missouri?
20.1% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 26.2%.
Is Oregon County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Oregon County's poverty rate was 20.1% in 2024, 9th 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, Oregon County ranks 13th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Oregon County, Missouri?
About 8,699 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 8,635, 59% of the county's peak of 14,681 in 1910.
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 Oregon 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 Oregon 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 Oregon County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.