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. That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 71% of U.S. counties.
What drives Shannon County's score
In Shannon County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 91.2. Income and the safety net comes next, at 84.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Shannon 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.
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).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202688th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working32.4% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
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- 84.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line21.3% · 202490th percentile
- Children below the poverty line30.9% · 202492nd percentile
- People with a disability21.1% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- People without health insurance8.8% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$45,440 · 2024top 5%
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- 54.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.3% · August 202551st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score48.4% · second quarter of 202675th percentile
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- 45.1 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 rent5.5% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.4% · fiscal year 202785th 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: 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 Shannon 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 Shannon County, 22.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Shannon County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Shannon County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 33.3% in 2004 to 42.2% in 2009.
In Shannon County, benefit checks brought in more than pay in one of the bars shown, but pay leads in 2024
In Shannon County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 39.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Shannon County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 20.0% in 2020 to 14.4% in 2021.
The share of households in Shannon County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 13.5%
Low on the chart: 11.4% 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, Shannon County, Missouri.
How Shannon County has changed
Shannon County's population fell most sharply on the way to its 2019 low, from 7,799 in 2014 to 7,097 in 2019.
Shannon County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2009 and is down 14% since
High on the chart: 8,446 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Shannon County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Shannon County fell most sharply on the way to its 2010 low, from 1,797 in 2005 to 1,318 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Shannon County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 17% since
High on the chart: 1,921 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Shannon County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.0% | 2025 5.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 32.1% | 2024 21.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $13,648 | 2024 $45,440 |
The table uses 5.8% for 2025; the score uses 5.5% 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 Shannon County's history
1837
Copper mine opened near Eminence. Wikipedia
1880
Large lumber companies harvested the county's forests. Wikipedia
1920
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
1973
A tornado in November 1973 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A tornado in October 1984 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flash flood in April 2008 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flash flood in July 2011 killed one person. 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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon County, MO | 82 | 20.1% | 45.0% |
| Carter County, MO | 81 | 17.1% | 40.8% |
| Texas County, MO | 77 | 19.3% | 36.5% |
| Howell County, MO | 75 | 18.6% | 35.9% |
| 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 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 26th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Shannon 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 Shannon 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 Shannon County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.