Benefit checks make up 40 cents of every dollar of income in St. Clair County, Missouri
In St. Clair County, 40.0% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives St. Clair County's score
In St. Clair County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 76.5. About one in five people (20.9%, 2020 to 2024) has a disability, a higher share than in 84% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 67.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in St. Clair 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.
St. Clair County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (51.3, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (10.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 76.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.0% · 202470th percentile
- Children below the poverty line24.9% · 202481st percentile
- People with a disability20.9% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- People without health insurance10.6% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,334 · 202475th percentile
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- 67.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.1% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.4% · August 202566th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.1% · second quarter of 202649th percentile
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- 55.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202649th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.4% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
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- 37.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.2% · August 202564th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people51.3 · 202510th percentile
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- 26.4 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 rent10.4% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.8% · fiscal year 202739th 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 St. Clair 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 St. Clair County, 25.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
St. Clair County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in St. Clair County had its largest rise, from 31.7% in 2004 to 38.7% in 2009.
In St. Clair County, benefit checks brought in more than pay in one of the bars shown, but pay leads in 2024
In St. Clair County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 40.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in St. Clair County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.4% in 2011 to 16.4% in 2012.
The share of households in St. Clair County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 11.1% in 2018. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, St. Clair County, Missouri.
How St. Clair County has changed
St. Clair County's population rose by about a quarter to 9,848, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 9,528. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, St. Clair County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in St. Clair County had its largest drop, from 2,163 in 2005 to 1,797 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in St. Clair County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 2,255 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, St. Clair County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.9% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 22.4% | 2024 16.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $15,305 | 2024 $58,334 |
The table uses 4.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.9% 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 St. Clair County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 17,907. The 2020 Census counted 9,284, 52% of the peak. Census Bureau
1982
A tornado in March 1982 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A flash flood in July 2001 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered St. Clair County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
St. Clair County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border St. Clair County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, St. Clair County ranks 3rd of the eight; Hickory County is highest, at 46.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hickory County, MO | 89 | 16.0% | 46.9% |
| Benton County, MO | 88 | 18.8% | 39.1% |
| Cedar County, MO | 62 | 16.5% | 41.3% |
| Henry County, MO | 62 | 14.4% | 33.8% |
| Vernon County, MO | 57 | 14.9% | 35.2% |
| St. Clair County, MO | 54 | 16.0% | 40.0% |
| Polk County, MO | 48 | 15.2% | 29.9% |
| Bates County, MO | 46 | 11.1% | 28.7% |
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 St. Clair County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, St. Clair County's poverty rate was 16.0% in 2024, 28th 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. Clair County ranks 51st of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in St. Clair 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 Aid of Western 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 St. Clair 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 St. Clair County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.