In Reynolds County, Missouri, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2016
In 2024, 45 cents of every dollar of income here came from a benefit check: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits and the like (45.2%, Bureau of Economic Analysis). Across the country it was 18 cents.
More distressed than 71% of U.S. counties.
What drives Reynolds County's score
In Reynolds County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 86.4. About one in four people (28.9%, 2020 to 2024) has a disability, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 77.9.
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.
Reynolds County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (8.1%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a credit card behind (4.3%, August 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Reynolds 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.
- 86.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line25.4% · 202483rd percentile
- People with a disability28.9% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$49,206 · 202492nd percentile
- People below the poverty line18.6% · 202482nd percentile
- People without health insurance12.2% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
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- 77.9 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working32.6% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.4% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202662nd percentile
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- 59.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.0% · August 202553rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people168.1 · 202565th percentile
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- 47.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.7% · August 202580th percentile
- People with a credit card behind4.3% · August 202530th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score19.6% · Q4 202532nd percentile
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- 41.4 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 income23.5% · fiscal year 202774th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent8.1% · 2020 to 20248th 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 Reynolds 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
Reynolds County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Reynolds County in 2024, pay from work was 42 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 13 cents. Benefit checks were 45 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
In 1969, pay was 73 cents of every dollar here and benefit checks were 17 cents.
In Reynolds County, benefit checks have brought in more than pay since 2016
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Reynolds County, Missouri: 45.2% and 41.7% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 45.2% of all personal income in Reynolds 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 Reynolds County, 23.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Reynolds County has changed
The number of people living in Reynolds County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 6,134 to 5,927. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 7.4% in 1990 to 4.7% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 6,134 | 2024 5,927 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 1,759 | 2024 1,757 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.4% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 26.2% | 2024 18.6% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $15,872 | 2024 $49,206 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 17.2% | 2024 45.2% |
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 Reynolds County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 10,106. The 2020 Census counted 6,096, 60% of the peak. Census Bureau
1845
Officially organized February 25, 1845. Wikipedia
2008
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
Flood: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Reynolds County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Reynolds County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Reynolds County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Reynolds County ranks 3rd of the six; Wayne County is highest, at 47.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County, MO | 96 | 19.6% | 47.6% |
| Carter County, MO | 81 | 17.1% | 40.8% |
| Iron County, MO | 80 | 18.2% | 47.1% |
| Reynolds County, MO | 71 | 18.6% | 45.2% |
| Shannon County, MO | 70 | 21.3% | 39.1% |
| Dent County, MO | 61 | 14.4% | 38.8% |
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 Reynolds County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Reynolds County's poverty rate was 18.6% in 2024, 16th 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, Reynolds County ranks 24th of 115 in the state.
Reynolds County in photographs
Places in Reynolds County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Reynolds County, Missouri, Courthouse in Centerville, Missouri.
Index to Aerial Photography of Reynolds County, Missouri 3 - DPLA - cb4064cf31e3735bb003f6b2cc4160eb.jpg.
Reynolds County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Reynolds County, Missouri?
18.6% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 25.4%.
Is Reynolds County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Reynolds County's poverty rate was 18.6% in 2024, 16th 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, Reynolds County ranks 24th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Reynolds County, Missouri?
About 5,927 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 6,096, 60% of the county's peak of 10,106 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 Reynolds 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 Reynolds 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 Reynolds County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.