In Ozark County, Missouri, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2019
In 2024, 44 cents of every dollar of income here came from a benefit check: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits and the like (43.5%, Bureau of Economic Analysis). Across the country it was 18 cents.
More distressed than 56% of U.S. counties.
What drives Ozark County's score
In Ozark County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 90.0. About one in four people (24.3%, 2020 to 2024) has a disability, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 84.9.
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.
Ozark County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (33.4, 2025) and people with a credit card behind (2.4%, August 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Ozark 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.
- 90.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line30.7% · 202492nd percentile
- People with a disability24.3% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$48,903 · 202493rd percentile
- People below the poverty line19.4% · 202485th percentile
- People without health insurance13.2% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
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- 84.9 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.5% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average6.1% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202693rd percentile
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- 48.4 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 income23.6% · fiscal year 202775th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent12.7% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
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- 23.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.7% · August 202527th percentile
- People with a credit card behind2.4% · August 20256th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score20.6% · Q4 202537th percentile
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- 22.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.3% · August 202539th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people33.4 · 20255th 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 Ozark 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
Ozark County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Ozark County in 2024, pay from work was 40 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 17 cents. Benefit checks were 44 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
In 1969, pay was 63 cents of every dollar here and benefit checks were 22 cents.
In Ozark County, benefit checks have brought in more than pay since 2019
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Ozark County, Missouri: 43.5% and 39.5% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 43.5% of all personal income in Ozark 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 Ozark County, 29.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Ozark County has changed
The number of people living in Ozark County grew by about 44% between 1969 and 2024, from 6,332 to 9,090. The number of jobs located there grew by about 20% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.8% in 1990 to 6.3% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 6,332 | 2024 9,090 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 1,262 | 2024 1,512 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.8% | 2025 6.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 25.3% | 2024 19.4% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $14,379 | 2024 $48,903 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 21.5% | 2024 43.5% |
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 Ozark County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 12,145. The 2020 Census counted 8,553, 70% of the peak. Census Bureau
1982
Tornado: $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
Thunderstorm wind: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
Tornado: $2 million in property damage, three deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Ozark County, 18 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Ozark County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Ozark County, in Missouri and Arkansas, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Ozark County ranks 2nd of the seven; Fulton County is highest, at 47.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taney County, MO | 77 | 13.6% | 29.2% |
| Howell County, MO | 74 | 18.6% | 35.9% |
| Douglas County, MO | 73 | 17.8% | 38.6% |
| Fulton County, AR | 72 | 16.3% | 47.3% |
| Baxter County, AR | 63 | 14.0% | 39.4% |
| Marion County, AR | 63 | 16.4% | 41.9% |
| Ozark County, MO | 56 | 19.4% | 43.5% |
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 Ozark County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Ozark County's poverty rate was 19.4% in 2024, 11th 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, Ozark County ranks 45th of 115 in the state.
Ozark County in photographs
Places in Ozark County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Ozark County, Missouri, courthouse in Gainesville.
Ozark, MO 6/19/15- 6/21/15.
Photo: Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
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Ozark County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Ozark County, Missouri?
19.4% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 30.7%.
Is Ozark County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Ozark County's poverty rate was 19.4% in 2024, 11th 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, Ozark County ranks 45th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Ozark County, Missouri?
About 9,090 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 8,553, 70% of the county's peak of 12,145 in 1900.
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 Ozark 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.
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 Ozark County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.