About one in six people in Pettis County, Missouri, lives below the poverty line
In Pettis County, 15.7% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 68% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 64% of U.S. counties.
What drives Pettis County's score
In Pettis County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 70.6. About one in eight people (12.6%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a higher share than in 81% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 62.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Pettis 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.
Pettis County does better than most counties on two measures: adults 25 to 54 not working (19.4%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a credit card behind (5.1%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 70.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.7% · 202468th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.3% · 202469th percentile
- People with a disability17.4% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- People without health insurance12.6% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,038 · 202470th percentile
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- 62.4 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 rent21.1% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.3% · fiscal year 202757th percentile
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- 61.8 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 people147 · 202558th percentile
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- 56.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202544th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.8% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.7% · second quarter of 202665th percentile
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- 43.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202645th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.4% · 2020 to 202442nd 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 Pettis 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 Pettis County, 17.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Pettis County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Pettis County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 29.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Pettis County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Pettis County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 12.9% in 2019 to 10.9% in 2020.
The share of households in Pettis County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 10.0% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Pettis County, Missouri.
How Pettis County has changed
Pettis County's population rose by about a quarter to 43,791, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1989 to 1994, reaching 37,494. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Pettis County, Missouri.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Pettis County rose by about a third to 19,680, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 17,290. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Pettis County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.2% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.4% | 2024 15.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,543 | 2024 $60,038 |
The table uses 4.0% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Pettis County's history
1833
Organized January 24, 1833. Wikipedia
1952
A tornado in August 1952 did $25 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1977
A tornado in May 1977 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
A tornado in May 1980 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A tornado in March 2006 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 42,980, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Pettis County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Pettis County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Pettis County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Pettis County ranks 4th of the eight; Benton County is highest, at 39.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benton County, MO | 88 | 18.8% | 39.1% |
| Morgan County, MO | 80 | 16.4% | 32.8% |
| Pettis County, MO | 64 | 15.7% | 29.6% |
| Henry County, MO | 62 | 14.4% | 33.8% |
| Saline County, MO | 61 | 15.5% | 29.0% |
| Lafayette County, MO | 54 | 9.7% | 29.4% |
| Cooper County, MO | 28 | 11.6% | 26.4% |
| Johnson County, MO | 26 | 11.8% | 24.0% |
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 Pettis County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Pettis County's poverty rate was 15.7% in 2024, 32nd 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, Pettis County ranks 33rd of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Pettis 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 Aid of Western 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 Pettis 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 Pettis County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.