About one in five people in Stoddard County, Missouri, has a disability
In Stoddard County, 20.8% of people reported a disability (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 83% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 70% of U.S. counties.
What drives Stoddard County's score
In Stoddard County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 72.5. About one in five people (20.8%, 2020 to 2024) has a disability, a higher share than in 83% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 71.9.
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.
Stoddard County does better than most counties on one measure: renters paying half their income or more in rent (10.8%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Stoddard 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.
- 72.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line18.7% · 202458th percentile
- People with a disability20.8% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,245 · 202482nd percentile
- People below the poverty line14.8% · 202463rd percentile
- People without health insurance11.2% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
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- 71.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.4% · August 202565th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people214.8 · 202578th percentile
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- 69.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.7% · August 202569th percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.6% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score29.3% · Q4 202573rd percentile
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- 60.6 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.9% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.1% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202653rd percentile
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- 33.5 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 income20.9% · fiscal year 202752nd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent10.8% · 2020 to 202414th 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 Stoddard 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
Stoddard County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Stoddard County in 2024, pay from work was 53 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 12 cents. Benefit checks were 35 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 18 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Stoddard County, benefit checks rose from 18 to 35 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Stoddard County, Missouri: 34.9% and 53.1% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 34.9% of all personal income in Stoddard 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 Stoddard County, 20.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Stoddard County has changed
The number of people living in Stoddard County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 26,350 to 28,438. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 8.9% in 1990 to 4.5% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 26,350 | 2024 28,438 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 9,083 | 2024 9,951 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.9% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.2% | 2024 14.8% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $19,770 | 2024 $55,245 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 17.7% | 2024 34.9% |
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 Stoddard County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 33,463. The 2020 Census counted 28,672, 86% of the peak. Census Bureau
2006
Thunderstorm wind: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
Flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Flood: $3.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Stoddard County, 18 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Stoddard County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Stoddard County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Stoddard County ranks 5th of the eight; Wayne County is highest, at 47.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dunklin County, MO | 96 | 25.4% | 41.3% |
| Wayne County, MO | 96 | 19.6% | 47.6% |
| Butler County, MO | 93 | 20.3% | 38.2% |
| New Madrid County, MO | 90 | 19.1% | 32.5% |
| Stoddard County, MO | 70 | 14.8% | 34.9% |
| Scott County, MO | 66 | 13.5% | 32.5% |
| Bollinger County, MO | 55 | 14.5% | 35.6% |
| Cape Girardeau County, MO | 39 | 12.4% | 23.0% |
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 Stoddard County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Stoddard County's poverty rate was 14.8% in 2024, 44th 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, Stoddard County ranks 28th of 115 in the state.
Stoddard County in photographs
Places in Stoddard County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Located at Dexter, Stoddard County, Missouri.
Stoddard County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Stoddard County, Missouri?
14.8% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 18.7%.
Is Stoddard County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Stoddard County's poverty rate was 14.8% in 2024, 44th 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, Stoddard County ranks 28th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Stoddard County, Missouri?
About 28,438 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 28,672, 86% of the county's peak of 33,463 in 1950.
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 Stoddard 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 Stoddard 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 Stoddard County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.