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 (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). 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. About one in 11 people (9.0%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a lower share than in 84% 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, 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).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Ray 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.
- 57.3 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorHUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.1% · fiscal year 202778th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent15.7% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
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- 50.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.9% · August 202549th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people129.4 · 202551st percentile
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- 50.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.9% · August 202559th percentile
- People with a credit card behind4.2% · August 202528th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.3% · Q4 202561st percentile
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- 47.1 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.5% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202639th percentile
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- 32.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line11.2% · 202418th percentile
- People with a disability15.2% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,920 · 202425th percentile
- People below the poverty line9.0% · 202415th percentile
- People without health insurance9.1% · 2020 to 202460th 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 Ray 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
Ray County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Ray County in 2024, pay from work was 62 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 12 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 9 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Ray County, benefit checks rose from 9 to 26 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Ray County, Missouri: 26.4% and 61.8% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 26.4% of all personal income in Ray 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 Ray County, 19.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Ray County has changed
The number of people living in Ray County grew by about 32% between 1969 and 2024, from 17,619 to 23,199. The number of jobs located there grew by about 18% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 7.5% in 1990 to 4.2% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 17,619 | 2024 23,199 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 3,399 | 2024 4,007 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.5% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.6% | 2024 9.0% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $26,594 | 2024 $76,920 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 9.1% | 2024 26.4% |
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 Ray County's history
Largest decennial census count
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
1820
Organized November 16, 1820. Wikipedia
1967
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage, two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1977
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
Flash flood: one death. 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
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
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 | 73 | 14.3% | 21.1% |
| Lafayette County, MO | 54 | 9.7% | 29.4% |
| Ray County, MO | 45 | 9.0% | 26.4% |
| Caldwell County, MO | 41 | 10.9% | 28.9% |
| Carroll County, MO | 34 | 14.3% | 26.6% |
| Clinton County, MO | 34 | 9.5% | 26.0% |
| Clay County, MO | 33 | 8.9% | 17.3% |
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 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.
Ray County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Ray County, Missouri?
9.0% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 11 people. Among children it was 11.2%.
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.
What is the population of Ray County, Missouri?
About 23,199 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 23,158, 93% of the county's peak of 24,805 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 Ray 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 Ray County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.