About one in 11 people in Ray County, Missouri, lives below the poverty line
In Ray County, 9.0% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 85% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives Ray County's score
In Ray County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 57.3. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 32.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Ray 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, Ray County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (24.1%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 57.3 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent15.7% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.1% · fiscal year 202778th percentile
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- 50.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.9% · August 202548th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people129.4 · 202551st percentile
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- 48.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.2% · August 202528th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.9% · August 202559th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.1% · second quarter of 202656th percentile
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- 47.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202639th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.5% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
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- 32.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.0% · 202415th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.2% · 202418th percentile
- People with a disability15.2% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- People without health insurance9.1% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,920 · 202425th 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 Ray 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 Ray County, 19.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Ray County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Ray County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 26.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Ray County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Ray County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise in the last span, from 8.5% in 2023 to 10.5% in 2024.
The share of households in Ray County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 10.5%
Low on the chart: 7.9% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Ray County, Missouri.
How Ray County has changed
Ray County's population had its largest rise, from 17,619 in 1969 to 19,738 in 1974.
Ray County's population rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23,199
High on the chart: 23,739 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Ray County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Ray County had its largest rise, from 3,717 in 1995 to 4,517 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Ray County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 4,517 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Ray County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.5% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.6% | 2024 9.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,594 | 2024 $76,920 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Ray County's history
1820
Organized November 16, 1820. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 24,805. The 2020 Census counted 23,158, 93% of the peak. Census Bureau
1967
A tornado in January 1967 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1977
A tornado in May 1977 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A flash flood in June 2001 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
33 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Ray County, 24 of them for flooding. FEMA
Ray County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Ray County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Ray County ranks 4th of the seven; Lafayette County is highest, at 29.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, MO | 72 | 14.3% | 21.1% |
| Lafayette County, MO | 54 | 9.7% | 29.4% |
| Ray County, MO | 45 | 9.0% | 26.4% |
| Caldwell County, MO | 43 | 10.9% | 28.9% |
| Carroll County, MO | 37 | 14.3% | 26.6% |
| Clinton County, MO | 33 | 9.5% | 26.0% |
| Clay County, MO | 30 | 8.9% | 17.3% |
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 Ray County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Ray County's poverty rate was 9.0% in 2024, 104th 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, Ray County ranks 64th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Ray 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.
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 Ray County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.