About one in six people in Phelps County, Missouri, lives below the poverty line
In Phelps County, 17.1% of people lived below the poverty line (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is higher than in 76% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 51% of U.S. counties.
What drives Phelps County's score
In Phelps County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 62.0. About one in six people (17.1%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a higher share than in 76% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 52.5.
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.
Phelps County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a credit card behind (4.2%, August 2025) and unemployment rate, 12-month average (3.8%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Phelps 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.
- 62.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line16.4% · 202446th percentile
- People with a disability16.3% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,629 · 202474th percentile
- People below the poverty line17.1% · 202476th percentile
- People without health insurance9.1% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
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- 52.5 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.1% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.8% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202640th percentile
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- 49.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.0% · August 202549th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people123.7 · 202548th percentile
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- 46.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.5% · August 202554th percentile
- People with a credit card behind4.2% · August 202527th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score25.0% · Q4 202556th 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 income19.9% · fiscal year 202741st percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent18.0% · 2020 to 202449th 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 Phelps 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
Phelps County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Phelps County in 2024, pay from work was 54 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 17 cents. Benefit checks were 29 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 11 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Phelps County, benefit checks rose from 11 to 29 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Phelps County, Missouri: 29.2% and 53.9% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 29.2% of all personal income in Phelps 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 Phelps County, 17.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Phelps County has changed
The number of people living in Phelps County grew by about 55% between 1969 and 2024, from 29,423 to 45,672. The number of jobs located there grew by about 52% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.1% in 1990 to 4.0% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 29,423 | 2024 45,672 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 12,660 | 2024 19,225 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.1% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.7% | 2024 17.1% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $22,271 | 2024 $58,629 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 11.1% | 2024 29.2% |
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 Phelps County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 45,156. The 2020 Census counted 44,638, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
1857
Created November 13, 1857, from portions of Pulaski, Maries and Crawford counties. Wikipedia
1861
Fort Wyman was constructed in 1861 as a Union fort with a dry moat and 32-pound field pieces on each corner. Wikipedia
1863
Fort Dette was constructed in 1863 in a cross shape with positions for 24-pound cannons and ports for rifle fire. Wikipedia
1978
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
Tornado: $3.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
Tornado: $1 million in property damage, two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Phelps County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Phelps County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Phelps County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Phelps County ranks 6th of the seven; Dent County is highest, at 38.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas County, MO | 75 | 19.3% | 36.5% |
| Dent County, MO | 61 | 14.4% | 38.8% |
| Crawford County, MO | 59 | 15.1% | 31.9% |
| Pulaski County, MO | 52 | 14.7% | 24.5% |
| Phelps County, MO | 51 | 17.1% | 29.2% |
| Maries County, MO | 32 | 11.5% | 31.4% |
| Gasconade County, MO | 30 | 12.1% | 32.0% |
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 Phelps County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Phelps County's poverty rate was 17.1% in 2024, 22nd 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, Phelps County ranks 54th of 115 in the state.
Phelps County in photographs
Places in Phelps County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
W:Phelps County, Missouri, courthouse.
Phelps County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Phelps County, Missouri?
17.1% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 16.4%.
Is Phelps County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Phelps County's poverty rate was 17.1% in 2024, 22nd 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, Phelps County ranks 54th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Phelps County, Missouri?
About 45,672 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 44,638, 99% of the county's peak of 45,156 in 2010.
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 Phelps 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 Phelps 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 Phelps County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.