About four in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Putnam County, Missouri, have a job
In Putnam County, 15.5% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 81% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 76% of U.S. counties.
What drives Putnam County's score
In Putnam County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 58.7. Jobs are the lowest part, at 20.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Putnam 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.
Even so, Putnam County is worse off than most counties on median household income ($56,997, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 58.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.8% · 202455th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.0% · 202460th percentile
- People with a disability14.6% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- People without health insurance9.6% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,997 · 202478th percentile
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- 41.6 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 rent16.1% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.3% · fiscal year 202745th percentile
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- 30.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.1% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.5% · August 202525th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.4% · second quarter of 202661st percentile
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- 20.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.0% · August 202534th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people43.1 · 20257th percentile
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- 20.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202622nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.5% · 2020 to 202418th 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 Putnam 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 Putnam County, 25.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Putnam County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Putnam County fell most sharply after its 2009 high, from 33.9% in 2009 to 28.0% in 2014.
In Putnam County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 31.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Putnam County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled 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 Putnam County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.4% in 2012 to 14.7% in 2013.
The share of households in Putnam County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 5.1% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Putnam County, Missouri.
How Putnam County has changed
Putnam County's population had its largest drop, from 5,725 in 1984 to 5,106 in 1989.
Putnam County's population fell by about a quarter to 4,539, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 6,337 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Putnam County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Putnam County had its largest rise, from 1,009 in 1990 to 1,250 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Putnam County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 1,250 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Putnam County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.7% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.2% | 2024 13.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $15,473 | 2024 $56,997 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 Putnam County's history
1845
Organized February 28, 1845, from parts of Adair and Sullivan counties. Wikipedia
1873
Following arrival of the Burlington & Southwestern Railway in 1873, coal mining became a major industry, especially in the east of the county. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 16,688. The 2020 Census counted 4,681, 28% of the peak. Census Bureau
1900
Putnam County lost over two-thirds of its population between 1900 and 2000 as the United States changed from rural to urban. Wikipedia
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Since 1973
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Putnam County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Putnam County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Putnam County, in Missouri and Iowa, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Putnam County ranks 3rd of the seven; Mercer County is highest, at 35.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adair County, MO | 57 | 21.9% | 28.6% |
| Appanoose County, IA | 49 | 15.8% | 33.8% |
| Sullivan County, MO | 48 | 12.7% | 31.7% |
| Schuyler County, MO | 37 | 14.7% | 29.2% |
| Mercer County, MO | 32 | 13.7% | 35.0% |
| Putnam County, MO | 23 | 13.8% | 31.8% |
| Wayne County, IA | 19 | 12.9% | 26.4% |
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 Putnam County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Putnam County's poverty rate was 13.8% in 2024, 59th 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, Putnam County ranks 98th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Putnam 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 Putnam 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 Putnam County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.