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. 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 61.6. 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 looks at five parts of household money trouble in St. Louis 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, St. Louis County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (23.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 61.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.2% · August 202549th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people194.4 · 202573rd percentile
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- 56.3 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 rent23.1% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.3% · fiscal year 202734th percentile
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- 48.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.8% · August 202570th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.3% · second quarter of 202638th percentile
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- 34.6 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 202648th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.9% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
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- 21.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.8% · 202420th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.1% · 202428th percentile
- People with a disability12.1% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- People without health insurance5.7% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$84,109 · 202415th 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. Louis 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. Louis County, 19.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
St. Louis County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in St. Louis County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 10.4% in 2004 to 13.5% in 2009.
In St. Louis County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 13.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In St. Louis County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 13.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in St. Louis County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.4% in 2011 to 9.4% in 2012.
The share of households in St. Louis 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: 6.9% in 2009. 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. Louis County, Missouri.
How St. Louis County has changed
St. Louis County's population rose 10% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1969 and 1974
High on the chart: 1,016,040 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, St. Louis County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in St. Louis County had its largest rise, from 584,626 in 1995 to 645,854 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in St. Louis County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 645,854 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, St. Louis County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.4% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 5.7% | 2024 9.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $38,596 | 2024 $84,109 |
The table uses 4.1% 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. Louis County's history
2000
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 in April 2001 did $400 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
Hail in April 2001 did $300 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $250 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flood in December 2015 did $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
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 | 93 | 21.8% | 22.4% |
| St. Clair County, IL | 67 | 12.7% | 25.9% |
| Madison County, IL | 40 | 9.6% | 22.8% |
| St. Louis County, MO | 40 | 9.8% | 13.1% |
| Franklin County, MO | 31 | 9.0% | 24.0% |
| Jefferson County, MO | 27 | 9.3% | 21.9% |
| St. Charles County, MO | 7 | 6.3% | 15.6% |
| Monroe County, IL | 0 | 4.7% | 16.7% |
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. 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 68th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in St. Louis 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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The Housing Partnership, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Urban League of Metropolitan Saint Louis - St. Louis County Operations
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Urban League of Metropolitan Saint Louis Inc - Ferguson Community Empowerment Center
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Services of Eastern 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. Louis 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. Louis County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.