About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 in Pike County, Missouri, is not working
In Pike County, 27.3% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 82% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Pike County's score
In Pike County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 71.1. Income and the safety net comes next, at 65.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Pike 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.
Pike County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a car or retail loan behind (2.7%, August 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (15.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 71.1 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202659th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.3% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
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- 65.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.9% · 202470th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.1% · 202468th percentile
- People with a disability17.1% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- People without health insurance9.0% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,541 · 202469th percentile
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- 58.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.6% · August 202566th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people128.2 · 202551st percentile
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- 42.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.7% · August 202511th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score46.7% · second quarter of 202671st percentile
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- 39.8 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 rent15.3% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.3% · fiscal year 202746th 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 Pike 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 Pike County, 19.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Pike County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Pike County rose most in two steps: 17.7% in 1989 to 22.5% in 1994; 23.1% in 2004 to 27.9% in 2009.
In Pike County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 31.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Pike County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Pike County getting SNAP food aid rose most in two steps: 11.4% in 2010 to 13.1% in 2011; 8.7% in 2023 to 10.4% in 2024.
The share of households in Pike County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 8.7% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Pike County, Missouri.
How Pike County has changed
Pike County's population rose 5% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1994 and 1999
High on the chart: 18,544 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Pike County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Pike County had its largest rise, from 4,972 in 1995 to 6,083 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Pike County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 14% since
High on the chart: 6,083 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Pike County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.5% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.5% | 2024 15.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,151 | 2024 $60,541 |
The table uses 4.4% for 2025; the score uses 4.3% 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 Pike County's history
1799
William Spencer arrived in 1799 to work a salt spring at Spencer Lick for salt manufacturing to be shipped to St. Louis. Wikipedia
1818
Organized December 14, 1818. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 25,744. The 2020 Census counted 17,587, 68% of the peak. Census Bureau
2010
A flash flood in July 2010 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Pike County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Pike County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Pike County, in Missouri and Illinois, one scores higher. Of the group, Pike County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (31.8%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audrain County, MO | 64 | 15.4% | 27.2% |
| Pike County, MO | 58 | 15.9% | 31.8% |
| Pike County, IL | 46 | 13.5% | 28.1% |
| Montgomery County, MO | 38 | 12.2% | 27.6% |
| Lincoln County, MO | 29 | 7.9% | 21.2% |
| Ralls County, MO | 22 | 8.5% | 26.2% |
| Calhoun County, IL | 15 | 10.0% | 27.3% |
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 Pike County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Pike County's poverty rate was 15.9% in 2024, 30th 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, Pike County ranks 41st of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Pike 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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North East Community Action Corporation
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Services of Eastern 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.
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 Pike County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.