About one in three people with a credit file in Randolph County, Missouri, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Randolph County, 29.8% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector (Urban Institute, Debt in America, August 2025). That is higher than in 73% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 51% of U.S. counties.
What drives Randolph County's score
In Randolph County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 77.8. People with a car or retail loan behind: 8.2%, August 2025, higher than in 84% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 67.9.
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.
Randolph County does better than most counties on two measures: adults 25 to 54 not working (14.4%, 2020 to 2024) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (11.6%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Randolph 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.
- 77.8 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.2% · August 202584th percentile
- People with a credit card behind8.0% · August 202584th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score27.0% · Q4 202564th percentile
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- 67.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.8% · August 202573rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people157.6 · 202562nd percentile
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- 60.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line16.9% · 202448th percentile
- People with a disability18.8% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,452 · 202466th percentile
- People below the poverty line12.8% · 202446th percentile
- People without health insurance9.7% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
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- 25.7 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.4% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202637th percentile
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- 23.4 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 income18.8% · fiscal year 202729th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent11.6% · 2020 to 202417th 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 Randolph 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
Randolph County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Randolph County in 2024, pay from work was 59 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 13 cents. Benefit checks were 28 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 14 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Randolph County, benefit checks rose from 14 to 28 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Randolph County, Missouri: 27.9% and 59.0% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 27.9% of all personal income in Randolph 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 Randolph County, 17.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Randolph County has changed
The number of people living in Randolph County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 22,602 to 24,077. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 5.3% in 1990 to 3.8% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 22,602 | 2024 24,077 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 8,872 | 2024 9,202 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.3% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.7% | 2024 12.8% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $22,132 | 2024 $61,452 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 14.2% | 2024 27.9% |
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 Randolph County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 27,633. The 2020 Census counted 24,716, 89% of the peak. Census Bureau
1829
Organized January 22, 1829. Wikipedia
1838
On October 17 and 18, 1838, about 850 Potawatomi Indians camped near Huntsville on their forced march from northern Indiana to Kansas, on the Trail of Death. Wikipedia
2006
Tornado: $5 million in property damage, four deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Randolph County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Randolph County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Randolph County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Randolph County ranks 5th of the seven; Monroe County is highest, at 30.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audrain County, MO | 64 | 15.4% | 27.2% |
| Randolph County, MO | 51 | 12.8% | 27.9% |
| Monroe County, MO | 36 | 12.4% | 30.0% |
| Howard County, MO | 35 | 11.2% | 29.0% |
| Macon County, MO | 31 | 12.0% | 30.0% |
| Boone County, MO | 23 | 14.3% | 16.7% |
| Chariton County, MO | 10 | 11.7% | 28.8% |
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 Randolph County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Randolph County's poverty rate was 12.8% in 2024, 73rd 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, Randolph County ranks 55th of 115 in the state.
Randolph County in photographs
Places in Randolph County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Randolph County, Missouri, historic courthouse in Huntsville.
Randolph County, Missouri, auxillary courthouse in Moberly.
Randolph County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Randolph County, Missouri?
12.8% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in eight people. Among children it was 16.9%.
Is Randolph County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Randolph County's poverty rate was 12.8% in 2024, 73rd 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, Randolph County ranks 55th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Randolph County, Missouri?
About 24,077 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 24,716, 89% of the county's peak of 27,633 in 1920.
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 Randolph 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 Randolph 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 Randolph County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.