In Ripley County, Missouri, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2023
In 2024, 45 cents of every dollar of income here came from a benefit check: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits and the like (44.8%, Bureau of Economic Analysis). Across the country it was 18 cents.
More distressed than 95% of U.S. counties.
What drives Ripley County's score
In Ripley County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 93.5. About one in three children (33.0%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 83.6.
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.
Ripley County is worse off than the typical U.S. county on every measure in the score.
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Ripley 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.
- 93.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line33.0% · 202495th percentile
- People with a disability26.2% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$44,357 · 202495th percentile
- People below the poverty line21.9% · 202491st percentile
- People without health insurance15.6% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
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- 83.6 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 income26.0% · fiscal year 202787th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent23.4% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
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- 79.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector32.9% · August 202581st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people212.8 · 202577th percentile
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- 75.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.4% · August 202566th percentile
- People with a credit card behind7.7% · August 202581st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.3% · Q4 202578th percentile
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- 73.5 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.1% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.4% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202662nd 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 Ripley 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
Ripley County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Ripley County in 2024, pay from work was 45 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 11 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 61 cents of every dollar here and benefit checks were 26 cents.
In Ripley County, benefit checks have brought in more than pay since 2023
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Ripley County, Missouri: 44.8% and 44.7% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 44.8% of all personal income in Ripley 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 Ripley County, 19.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Ripley County has changed
The number of people living in Ripley County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 9,933 to 10,715. The number of jobs located there grew by about 38% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 7.4% in 1990 to 4.9% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 9,933 | 2024 10,715 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,068 | 2024 2,859 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.4% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 34.7% | 2024 21.9% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $12,531 | 2024 $44,357 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 25.5% | 2024 44.8% |
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 Ripley County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 14,100. The 2020 Census counted 10,679, 76% of the peak. Census Bureau
1833
Created January 5, 1833, from part of Wayne County. Wikipedia
1982
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
Flood: $4.7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
Tornado: $1.4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Ripley County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Ripley County beside its neighbors
Ripley County scores higher than all five counties that border it, in Missouri and Arkansas. For the share of income from benefit checks, Ripley County ranks 2nd of the six; Oregon County is highest, at 45.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ripley County, MO | 95 | 21.9% | 44.8% |
| Butler County, MO | 93 | 20.3% | 38.2% |
| Carter County, MO | 81 | 17.1% | 40.8% |
| Oregon County, MO | 80 | 20.1% | 45.0% |
| Clay County, AR | 76 | 15.9% | 36.8% |
| Randolph County, AR | 74 | 18.1% | 36.7% |
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 Ripley County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Ripley County's poverty rate was 21.9% in 2024, 3rd 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, Ripley County ranks 5th of 115 in the state.
Ripley County in photographs
Places in Ripley County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Ripley County, Missouri courthouse in Doniphan.
Index to Aerial Photography of Ripley County, Missouri 15 - DPLA - 3f3bc9b75dc59679a33ea95b84c4fb26.jpg.
Ripley County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Ripley County, Missouri?
21.9% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 33.0%.
Is Ripley County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Ripley County's poverty rate was 21.9% in 2024, 3rd 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, Ripley County ranks 5th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Ripley County, Missouri?
About 10,715 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 10,679, 76% of the county's peak of 14,100 in 2010.
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 Ripley 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 Ripley 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 Ripley County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.