About one in 16 people in St. Charles County, Missouri, lives below the poverty line
In St. Charles County, 6.3% of people lived below the poverty line (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives St. Charles County's score
In St. Charles County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 46.6. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 6.5. About one in 16 children (6.2%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a lower share than in 97% of U.S. counties.
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.
St. Charles County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where St. Charles 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.
- 46.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.7% · August 202521st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people187.2 · 202571st percentile
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- 30.5 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 income15.6% · fiscal year 20275th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent19.1% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
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- 21.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.6% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a credit card behind3.5% · August 202517th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score16.4% · Q4 202518th percentile
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- 13.3 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working11.3% · 2020 to 20244th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.3% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202622nd percentile
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- 6.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line6.2% · 20242nd percentile
- People with a disability11.7% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$103,890 · 20244th percentile
- People below the poverty line6.3% · 20242nd percentile
- People without health insurance4.2% · 2020 to 202410th 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 St. Charles 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
St. Charles County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In St. Charles County in 2024, pay from work was 68 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 16 cents. Benefit checks were 16 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 5 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In St. Charles County, benefit checks rose from 5 to 16 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, St. Charles County, Missouri: 15.6% and 68.4% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 15.6% of all personal income in St. Charles 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 St. Charles County, 17.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How St. Charles County has changed
The number of people living in St. Charles County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 85,761 to 423,726. The number of jobs located there more than doubled from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 4.7% in 1990 to 3.4% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 85,761 | 2024 423,726 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 64,268 | 2024 162,611 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.7% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 3.9% | 2024 6.3% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $41,555 | 2024 $103,890 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 4.5% | 2024 15.6% |
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 St. Charles County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 405,262, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2001
Hail: $100 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
Hail: $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
Hail: $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Tornado: $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered St. Charles County, 20 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
St. Charles County beside its neighbors
All seven counties that border St. Charles County, in Missouri and Illinois, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, St. Charles County ranks 7th of the eight; Calhoun County is highest, at 27.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County, IL | 40 | 9.6% | 22.8% |
| St. Louis County, MO | 40 | 9.8% | 13.1% |
| Franklin County, MO | 32 | 9.0% | 24.0% |
| Lincoln County, MO | 32 | 7.9% | 21.2% |
| Warren County, MO | 28 | 8.0% | 22.9% |
| Jersey County, IL | 27 | 9.5% | 25.4% |
| Calhoun County, IL | 14 | 10.0% | 27.3% |
| St. Charles County, MO | 8 | 6.3% | 15.6% |
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 St. Charles County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, St. Charles County's poverty rate was 6.3% in 2024, 114th 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, St. Charles County ranks 114th of 115 in the state.
St. Charles County in photographs
Places in St. Charles County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
St.
Natural Resource Conservation Service Chief Terry Cosby visited a 75-acre Wetland Reserve Program property in St.
St. Charles County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in St. Charles County, Missouri?
6.3% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 16 people. Among children it was 6.2%.
Is St. Charles County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, St. Charles County's poverty rate was 6.3% in 2024, 114th 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, St. Charles County ranks 114th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of St. Charles County, Missouri?
About 423,726 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 405,262, the most of any census.
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 St. Charles 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 St. Charles 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 St. Charles County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.