In St. Louis County, Missouri, benefit checks make up only 13 cents of every dollar of income
In St. Louis County, 13.1% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024). That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 59% of U.S. counties.
What drives St. Louis County's score
In St. Louis County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 61.7. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 21.6. The typical household earns $84,109 a year (2024), more than in 84% 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.
Even so, St. Louis County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (23.1%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where St. Louis 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.
- 61.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.2% · August 202550th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people194.4 · 202573rd percentile
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- 56.3 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 income19.3% · fiscal year 202734th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent23.1% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
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- 49.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.8% · August 202570th percentile
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score21.5% · Q4 202541st percentile
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- 34.6 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.9% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.0% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202648th percentile
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- 21.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line13.1% · 202428th percentile
- People with a disability12.1% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$84,109 · 202415th percentile
- People below the poverty line9.8% · 202420th percentile
- People without health insurance5.7% · 2020 to 202427th 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. Louis 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. Louis County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In St. Louis County in 2024, pay from work was 52 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 35 cents. Benefit checks were 13 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 4 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
Income from investments and rentals is unusually large here: 35 cents of the dollar, against 21 nationally.
In St. Louis County, benefit checks rose from 4 to 13 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, St. Louis County, Missouri: 13.1% and 51.9% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 13.1% of all personal income in St. Louis 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. Louis County, 19.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How St. Louis County has changed
The number of people living in St. Louis County grew by about 10% between 1969 and 2024, from 898,895 to 992,929. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 4.4% in 1990 to 4.1% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 898,895 | 2024 992,929 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 571,259 | 2024 596,676 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.4% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 5.7% | 2024 9.8% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $38,596 | 2024 $84,109 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 4.4% | 2024 13.1% |
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. Louis County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 1,016,315. The 2020 Census counted 1,004,125, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
2001
Hail: $400 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
Hail: $300 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Tornado: $250 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
Flood: $235 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
34 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered St. Louis County, 24 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
St. Louis County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border St. Louis County, in Missouri and Illinois, two score higher. Of the group, St. Louis County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; St. Clair County gets the largest, at 25.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis city, MO | 94 | 21.8% | 22.4% |
| St. Clair County, IL | 68 | 12.7% | 25.9% |
| St. Louis County, MO | 40 | 9.8% | 13.1% |
| Madison County, IL | 40 | 9.6% | 22.8% |
| Franklin County, MO | 32 | 9.0% | 24.0% |
| Jefferson County, MO | 28 | 9.3% | 21.9% |
| St. Charles County, MO | 8 | 6.3% | 15.6% |
| Monroe County, IL | 0 | 4.7% | 16.7% |
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. Louis County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, St. Louis County's poverty rate was 9.8% in 2024, 98th 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. Louis County ranks 69th of 115 in the state.
St. Louis County in photographs
Places in St. Louis County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Downtown Clayton, MO from Wydown.
Spc.
Photo: U.S. Department of Defense Current Photos via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
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St. Louis County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in St. Louis County, Missouri?
9.8% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 10 people. Among children it was 13.1%.
Is St. Louis County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, St. Louis County's poverty rate was 9.8% in 2024, 98th 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. Louis County ranks 69th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of St. Louis County, Missouri?
About 992,929 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 1,004,125, 99% of the county's peak of 1,016,315 in 2000.
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. Louis 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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Beyond Housing
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Community Action Agency of St. Louis County, Inc. (CAASTLC)
HUD-approved housing counselor
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The Housing Partnership, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Services of Eastern Missouri
Legal aid
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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. Louis 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. Louis County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.