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 benefit checks, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans' benefits. That was a larger share than across the country.
More distressed than 73% 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 three in ten people (28.9%, 2020 to 2024) have a disability, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 77.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Reynolds 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.
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).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 86.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.6% · 202482nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line25.4% · 202483rd percentile
- People with a disability28.9% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance12.2% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$49,206 · 202492nd percentile
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- 77.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202662nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working32.6% · 2020 to 202493rd 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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- 54.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.3% · August 202530th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.7% · August 202580th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.1% · second quarter of 202653rd percentile
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- 41.4 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent8.1% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.5% · fiscal year 202774th 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 Reynolds 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 Reynolds County, 23.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Reynolds County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Reynolds County had its largest rise, from 29.3% in 1999 to 41.3% in 2004.
In Reynolds County, benefit checks brought in more than pay from work in 2024, a bigger share of income than across Missouri
In Reynolds County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 45.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Reynolds County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 17.9% in 2021 to 14.5% in 2022.
The share of households in Reynolds County getting SNAP food aid fell by about a fifth from 2009 to 2024, reaching 16.2%, with its low point on the chart in 2022
Low on the chart: 14.5% 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, Reynolds County, Missouri.
How Reynolds County has changed
Reynolds County's population had its largest drop, from 7,217 in 1984 to 6,610 in 1989.
Reynolds County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 18% since
High on the chart: 7,217 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Reynolds County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Reynolds County had its largest drop, from 2,143 in 1995 to 1,747 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Reynolds County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 2,143 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Reynolds County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.4% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 26.2% | 2024 18.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $15,872 | 2024 $49,206 |
The table uses 4.7% for 2025; the score uses 4.3% 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 Reynolds County's history
1845
Officially organized February 25, 1845. Wikipedia
1920
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
2008
A flash flood in March 2008 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flood in November 2015 killed two people. 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
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 | 97 | 19.6% | 47.6% |
| Iron County, MO | 82 | 18.2% | 47.1% |
| Carter County, MO | 81 | 17.1% | 40.8% |
| Reynolds County, MO | 73 | 18.6% | 45.2% |
| Shannon County, MO | 71 | 21.3% | 39.1% |
| Dent County, MO | 62 | 14.4% | 38.8% |
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 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 21st of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Reynolds 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 Services of Southern 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.
Download the CSV for Reynolds County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
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 Reynolds County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.