In Schuyler County, Missouri, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Schuyler County, 16.6% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 89% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 62% of U.S. counties.
What drives Schuyler County's score
In Schuyler County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 69.6. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 10.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Schuyler 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, Schuyler County is worse off than most counties on adults 25 to 54 not working (31.7%, 2020 to 2024) and people without health insurance (15.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 69.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.7% · 202462nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line24.0% · 202479th percentile
- People with a disability19.4% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- People without health insurance15.5% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$70,835 · 202438th percentile
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- 56.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202620th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working31.7% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
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- 40.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.2% · August 202531st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people123.4 · 202548th percentile
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- 35.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind1.6% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202559th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.7% · second quarter of 202640th percentile
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- 10.9 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 rent9.5% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.6% · fiscal year 202710th 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 Schuyler 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 Schuyler County, 19.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Schuyler County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Schuyler County had its largest rise, from 18.7% in 1979 to 24.4% in 1984.
In Schuyler County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 29.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Schuyler County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Schuyler County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 10.2% in 2020 to 7.8% in 2021.
The share of households in Schuyler County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 7.7%
Low on the chart: 7.2% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Schuyler County, Missouri.
How Schuyler County has changed
Schuyler County's population fell 15% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 1984 and 1989
High on the chart: 4,971 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Schuyler County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Schuyler County had its largest rise in the last span, from 564 in 2020 to 895 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Schuyler County fell to its lowest on the chart in 2020, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 564 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Schuyler County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.7% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.4% | 2024 14.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,537 | 2024 $70,835 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.2% 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 Schuyler County's history
1845
Organized February 14, 1845, from Adair County. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 10,840. The 2020 Census counted 4,032, 37% of the peak. Census Bureau
1967
A tornado in January 1967 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flash flood in May 2010 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Schuyler County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Schuyler County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Schuyler County, in Missouri and Iowa, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Schuyler County ranks 3rd of the six; Appanoose County is highest, at 33.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adair County, MO | 57 | 21.9% | 28.6% |
| Appanoose County, IA | 49 | 15.8% | 33.8% |
| Schuyler County, MO | 37 | 14.7% | 29.2% |
| Putnam County, MO | 23 | 13.8% | 31.8% |
| Scotland County, MO | 21 | 13.6% | 23.4% |
| Davis County, IA | 10 | 10.4% | 21.3% |
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 Schuyler County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Schuyler County's poverty rate was 14.7% in 2024, 46th 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, Schuyler County ranks 73rd of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Schuyler 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 Eastern 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 Schuyler 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 Schuyler County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.