Unemployment in Stone County, Missouri, is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties
In Stone County, 5.4% of the labor force was out of work, on average (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). That is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Stone County's score
In Stone County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 80.6. Unemployment averaged 5.4%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, higher than in 87% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 66.2.
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.
Stone County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (76.6, 2025) and people with a subprime credit score (18.8%, Q4 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Stone 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.
- 80.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.0% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average5.4% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202687th percentile
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- 66.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line22.9% · 202475th percentile
- People with a disability19.7% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,377 · 202456th percentile
- People below the poverty line14.1% · 202457th percentile
- People without health insurance9.4% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
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- 41.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.0% · August 202547th percentile
- People with a credit card behind5.4% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score18.8% · Q4 202528th percentile
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- 38.8 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 income19.2% · fiscal year 202734th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent17.0% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
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- 30.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.6% · August 202537th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people76.6 · 202523rd 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 Stone 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
Stone County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Stone County in 2024, pay from work was 49 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 20 cents. Benefit checks were 31 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 14 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Stone County, benefit checks rose from 14 to 31 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Stone County, Missouri: 30.7% and 49.2% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 30.7% of all personal income in Stone 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 Stone County, 32.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Stone County has changed
The number of people living in Stone County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 9,960 to 32,630. The number of jobs located there grew by about 79% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 9.5% in 1990 to 5.7% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 9,960 | 2024 32,630 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 4,084 | 2024 7,300 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.5% | 2025 5.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.6% | 2024 14.1% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $19,036 | 2024 $64,377 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 14.4% | 2024 30.7% |
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 Stone County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 32,202. The 2020 Census counted 31,076, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
1852
Galena ore deposits near the town site. Wikipedia
2008
Flash flood: $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
Tornado: $5.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
Thunderstorm wind: 17 deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
Thunderstorm wind: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Stone County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Stone County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Stone County, in Missouri and Arkansas, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Stone County ranks 2nd of the six; Lawrence County is highest, at 30.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taney County, MO | 77 | 13.6% | 29.2% |
| Carroll County, AR | 67 | 16.4% | 30.4% |
| Barry County, MO | 54 | 15.7% | 29.7% |
| Stone County, MO | 52 | 14.1% | 30.7% |
| Lawrence County, MO | 43 | 12.6% | 30.8% |
| Christian County, MO | 17 | 8.0% | 20.5% |
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 Stone County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Stone County's poverty rate was 14.1% in 2024, 57th 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, Stone County ranks 52nd of 115 in the state.
Stone County in photographs
Places in Stone County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Stone County, Missouri, courthouse in Galena.
Insulation batts fitted between steel roof members above a sheathed ceiling, taped windows below, 27 May 2026.
Photo: K&K Data Service Inc. via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Stone County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Stone County, Missouri?
14.1% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 22.9%.
Is Stone County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Stone County's poverty rate was 14.1% in 2024, 57th 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, Stone County ranks 52nd of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Stone County, Missouri?
About 32,630 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 31,076, 97% of the county's peak of 32,202 in 2010.
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 Stone 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.
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 Stone County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.