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 (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024). That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 53% 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 63.3.
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.
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).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where St. Clair 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.
- 76.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line24.9% · 202481st percentile
- People with a disability20.9% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,334 · 202475th percentile
- People below the poverty line16.0% · 202470th percentile
- People without health insurance10.6% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
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- 63.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.4% · August 202566th percentile
- People with a credit card behind8.1% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score20.7% · Q4 202537th percentile
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- 55.0 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.4% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.0% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202649th 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
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.8% · fiscal year 202739th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent10.4% · 2020 to 202413th 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. Clair 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. Clair County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In St. Clair County in 2024, pay from work was 45 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 15 cents. Benefit checks were 40 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks brought in more than pay in seven of the years since 1969, but pay is ahead now.
In St. Clair County, benefit checks rose from 18 to 40 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, St. Clair County, Missouri: 40.0% and 44.7% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 40.0% of all personal income in St. Clair 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. Clair County, 25.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How St. Clair County has changed
The number of people living in St. Clair County grew by about 26% between 1969 and 2024, from 7,843 to 9,848. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 7.9% in 1990 to 4.3% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 7,843 | 2024 9,848 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 1,788 | 2024 1,710 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.9% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 22.4% | 2024 16.0% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $15,305 | 2024 $58,334 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 18.0% | 2024 40.0% |
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. Clair County's history
Largest decennial census count
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
Tornado: $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
Flash flood: two deaths. 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
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benton County, MO | 87 | 18.8% | 39.1% |
| Hickory County, MO | 87 | 16.0% | 46.9% |
| Cedar County, MO | 63 | 16.5% | 41.3% |
| Henry County, MO | 61 | 14.4% | 33.8% |
| Vernon County, MO | 57 | 14.9% | 35.2% |
| St. Clair County, MO | 53 | 16.0% | 40.0% |
| Bates County, MO | 47 | 11.1% | 28.7% |
| Polk County, MO | 47 | 15.2% | 29.9% |
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. 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 50th of 115 in the state.
St. Clair County in photographs
Places in St. Clair County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
St.
St. Clair County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in St. Clair County, Missouri?
16.0% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 24.9%.
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 50th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of St. Clair County, Missouri?
About 9,848 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 9,284, half the county's peak of 17,907 in 1900.
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. Clair 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. Clair 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. Clair County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.