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 (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 82% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 56% of U.S. counties.
What drives Pike County's score
In Pike County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 71.1. About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 (27.3%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a higher share than in 82% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 65.5.
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.
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).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Pike 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.
- 71.1 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.3% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.3% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202659th percentile
-
- 65.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line21.1% · 202468th percentile
- People with a disability17.1% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,541 · 202469th percentile
- People below the poverty line15.9% · 202470th percentile
- People without health insurance9.0% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
-
- 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
-
- 39.8 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 income20.3% · fiscal year 202746th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent15.3% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
-
- 35.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.7% · August 202511th percentile
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202544th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score23.6% · Q4 202551st percentile
-
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 Pike 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
Pike County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Pike County in 2024, pay from work was 52 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 17 cents. Benefit checks were 32 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 10 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Pike County, benefit checks rose from 10 to 32 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Pike County, Missouri: 31.8% and 51.5% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 31.8% of all personal income in Pike 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 Pike County, 19.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Pike County has changed
The number of people living in Pike County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 17,160 to 17,961. The number of jobs located there grew by about 12% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 7.5% in 1990 to 4.4% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 17,160 | 2024 17,961 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 4,804 | 2024 5,398 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.5% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.5% | 2024 15.9% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $21,151 | 2024 $60,541 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 10.2% | 2024 31.8% |
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 Pike County's history
Largest decennial census count
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
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
2010
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1965
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Pike County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
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 | 56 | 15.9% | 31.8% |
| Pike County, IL | 45 | 13.5% | 28.1% |
| Montgomery County, MO | 39 | 12.2% | 27.6% |
| Lincoln County, MO | 32 | 7.9% | 21.2% |
| Ralls County, MO | 23 | 8.5% | 26.2% |
| Calhoun County, IL | 14 | 10.0% | 27.3% |
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 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 44th of 115 in the state.
Pike County in photographs
Places in Pike County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Pike County, Missouri Courthouse.
Title: Pike County, Missouri bicycle tour, 1895.
Photo: Unknown author Unknown author via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Pike County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Pike County, Missouri?
15.9% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 21.1%.
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 44th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Pike County, Missouri?
About 17,961 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 17,587, 68% of the county's peak of 25,744 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 Pike 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.
-
North East Community Action Corporation
HUD-approved housing counselor
-
The Legal Aid and Defender Association (LAD)
Legal aid
-
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 Pike County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.