In Ralls County, Missouri, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in seven dollars of the typical household's income
In Ralls County, 14.5% of the median household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom at HUD's fair market rent (HUD and Census Bureau, HUD rent fiscal year 2027; household income 2024). That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 76% of U.S. counties.
What drives Ralls County's score
In Ralls County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 56.5. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 6.2. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 14.5% of the median household's income (fiscal year 2027), lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
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.
Even so, Ralls County is worse off than most counties on people with a credit card behind (8.8%, August 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Ralls 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.
- 56.5 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.0% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a credit card behind8.8% · August 202589th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score16.3% · Q4 202518th percentile
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- 51.1 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.4% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.5% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202631st percentile
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- 29.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line11.4% · 202419th percentile
- People with a disability18.5% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$80,041 · 202420th percentile
- People below the poverty line8.5% · 202411th percentile
- People without health insurance5.5% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
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- 29.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.1% · August 202535th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people76.3 · 202522nd percentile
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- 6.2 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 income14.5% · fiscal year 20275th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent7.7% · 2020 to 20247th 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 Ralls 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
Ralls County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Ralls County in 2024, pay from work was 60 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 14 cents. Benefit checks were 26 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 Ralls County, benefit checks rose from 10 to 26 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Ralls County, Missouri: 26.2% and 60.3% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 26.2% of all personal income in Ralls 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 Ralls County, 23.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Ralls County has changed
The number of people living in Ralls County grew by about 34% between 1969 and 2024, from 7,834 to 10,499. The number of jobs located there more than doubled from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 5.9% in 1990 to 3.8% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 7,834 | 2024 10,499 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 1,772 | 2024 3,599 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.9% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.7% | 2024 8.5% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $23,738 | 2024 $80,041 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 9.9% | 2024 26.2% |
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 Ralls County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 12,913. The 2020 Census counted 10,355, 80% of the peak. Census Bureau
1820
Organized November 16, 1820. Wikipedia
2021
Thunderstorm wind: $1.3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Ralls County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Ralls County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Ralls County, in Missouri and Illinois, score higher than it does. Of the group, Ralls County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Marion County gets the largest, at 32.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audrain County, MO | 64 | 15.4% | 27.2% |
| Pike County, MO | 56 | 15.9% | 31.8% |
| Marion County, MO | 55 | 14.1% | 32.0% |
| Pike County, IL | 45 | 13.5% | 28.1% |
| Monroe County, MO | 36 | 12.4% | 30.0% |
| Ralls County, MO | 23 | 8.5% | 26.2% |
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 Ralls County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Ralls County's poverty rate was 8.5% in 2024, 107th 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, Ralls County ranks 99th of 115 in the state.
Ralls County in photographs
Places in Ralls County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Ralls County, Missouri, courthouse.
Ralls County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Ralls County, Missouri?
8.5% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 12 people. Among children it was 11.4%.
Is Ralls County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Ralls County's poverty rate was 8.5% in 2024, 107th 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, Ralls County ranks 99th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Ralls County, Missouri?
About 10,499 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 10,355, 80% of the county's peak of 12,913 in 1910.
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 Ralls 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.
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 Ralls County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.