About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in Shannon County, Missouri, is not working
In Shannon County, 32.4% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 70% of U.S. counties.
What drives Shannon County's score
In Shannon County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 91.2. About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 (32.4%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a higher share than in 93% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 84.3.
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.
Shannon County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (5.5%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (69.1, 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Shannon 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.
- 91.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working32.4% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average5.6% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202688th percentile
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- 84.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line30.9% · 202492nd percentile
- People with a disability21.1% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$45,440 · 202495th percentile
- People below the poverty line21.3% · 202490th percentile
- People without health insurance8.8% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
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- 49.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.3% · August 202551st percentile
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.2% · Q4 202561st percentile
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- 45.1 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 income25.4% · fiscal year 202785th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent5.5% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
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- 39.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.0% · August 202560th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people69.1 · 202518th 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 Shannon 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
Shannon County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Shannon County in 2024, pay from work was 50 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 11 cents. Benefit checks were 39 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks brought in more than pay in one of the years since 1969, but pay is ahead now.
In Shannon County, benefit checks rose from 18 to 39 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Shannon County, Missouri: 39.1% and 50.3% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
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 Shannon County, 22.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Shannon County has changed
The number of people living in Shannon County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 7,347 to 7,275. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 10.0% in 1990 to 5.8% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 7,347 | 2024 7,275 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 1,439 | 2024 1,562 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.0% | 2025 5.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 32.1% | 2024 21.3% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $13,648 | 2024 $45,440 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 18.1% | 2024 39.1% |
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 Shannon County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 11,865. The 2020 Census counted 7,031, 59% of the peak. Census Bureau
1837
Copper mine opened near Eminence. Wikipedia
1880
Large lumber companies harvested the county's forests. Wikipedia
1973
Tornado: three deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Shannon County, 18 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Shannon County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Shannon County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Shannon County ranks 4th of the seven; Reynolds County is highest, at 45.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carter County, MO | 81 | 17.1% | 40.8% |
| Oregon County, MO | 80 | 20.1% | 45.0% |
| Texas County, MO | 75 | 19.3% | 36.5% |
| Howell County, MO | 74 | 18.6% | 35.9% |
| 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 Shannon County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Shannon County's poverty rate was 21.3% in 2024, 6th 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, Shannon County ranks 27th of 115 in the state.
Shannon County in photographs
Places in Shannon County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
County courthouse for en:Shannon County, Missouri in en:Eminence, Missouri.
Shannon County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Shannon County, Missouri?
21.3% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 30.9%.
Is Shannon County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Shannon County's poverty rate was 21.3% in 2024, 6th 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, Shannon County ranks 27th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Shannon County, Missouri?
About 7,275 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 7,031, 59% of the county's peak of 11,865 in 1920.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of household finances and the economy, 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 Shannon 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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Legal Services of Southern Missouri
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,298 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 Shannon 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 Shannon County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.