Unemployment in Shelby County, Missouri, is lower than in 83% of U.S. counties
In Shelby County, 3.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 83% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 72% of U.S. counties.
What drives Shelby County's score
In Shelby County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 64.6. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 21.9. People with a credit card behind: 2.4%, August 2025, lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Shelby 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, Shelby County is worse off than most counties on median household income ($55,114, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 64.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.6% · 202468th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.4% · 202457th percentile
- People with a disability15.4% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- People without health insurance10.6% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,114 · 202482nd percentile
-
- 42.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202618th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.4% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
-
- 29.8 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 rent7.1% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.0% · fiscal year 202753rd percentile
-
- 24.9 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 people67.4 · 202518th percentile
-
- 21.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.4% · August 20256th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.9% · August 202513th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.2% · second quarter of 202646th percentile
-
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 Shelby 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 Shelby County, 22.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Shelby County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Shelby County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 30.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Shelby County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Shelby County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 14.7% in 2013 to 11.8% in 2014.
The share of households in Shelby County getting SNAP food aid fell by about half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 8.4%
High on the chart: 16.7% in 2011. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Shelby County, Missouri.
How Shelby County has changed
Shelby County's population fell by about a quarter to 5,926, the lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1984 to 1989, reaching 7,029. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Shelby County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Shelby County had its largest rise, from 1,836 in 1990 to 2,166 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Shelby County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 17% since
High on the chart: 2,166 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Shelby County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.3% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.3% | 2024 15.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,361 | 2024 $55,114 |
The table uses 3.6% for 2025; the score uses 3.1% 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 Shelby County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 16,167. The 2020 Census counted 6,103, 38% of the peak. Census Bureau
1975
A tornado in April 1975 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
Lightning in October 2005 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1973
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Shelby County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Shelby County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Shelby County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Shelby County ranks 4th of the six; Knox County is highest, at 32.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marion County, MO | 55 | 14.1% | 32.0% |
| Monroe County, MO | 36 | 12.4% | 30.0% |
| Knox County, MO | 35 | 14.7% | 32.9% |
| Macon County, MO | 31 | 12.0% | 30.0% |
| Lewis County, MO | 30 | 13.4% | 30.7% |
| Shelby County, MO | 27 | 15.6% | 30.4% |
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 Shelby County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Shelby County's poverty rate was 15.6% in 2024, 34th 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, Shelby County ranks 94th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Shelby 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.
-
Legal Services of Eastern Missouri
Legal aid
-
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 Shelby 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 Shelby County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.