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. 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. Income and the safety net comes next, at 66.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Stone 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.
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 (36.1%, Q2 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202687th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.0% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
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- 66.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.1% · 202457th percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.9% · 202475th percentile
- People with a disability19.7% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- People without health insurance9.4% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,377 · 202456th percentile
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- 43.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.4% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.0% · August 202547th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.1% · second quarter of 202633rd percentile
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- 38.8 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 rent17.0% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.2% · fiscal year 202734th percentile
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- 30.2 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: 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 Stone 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 Stone County, 32.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Stone County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Stone County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 25.8% in 2004 to 32.2% in 2009.
In Stone County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 30.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Stone County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Stone County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.5% in 2009 to 15.3% in 2010.
The share of households in Stone County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen to 6.6%
Low on the chart: 6.3% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Stone County, Missouri.
How Stone County has changed
Stone County's population tripled to 32,630, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1989 to 1994, reaching 24,225. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Stone County, Missouri.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Stone County doubled to 7,389, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 6,033. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Stone County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.5% | 2025 5.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.6% | 2024 14.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,036 | 2024 $64,377 |
The table uses 5.7% for 2025; the score uses 5.4% 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 Stone County's history
1852
Galena ore deposits near the town site. Wikipedia
2008
A flash flood in March 2008 did $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
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
2012
A tornado in February 2012 did $5.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A thunderstorm in July 2018 killed 17 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A thunderstorm in July 2023 killed one person. 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
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 | 76 | 13.6% | 29.2% |
| Carroll County, AR | 69 | 16.4% | 30.4% |
| Barry County, MO | 55 | 15.7% | 29.7% |
| Stone County, MO | 52 | 14.1% | 30.7% |
| Lawrence County, MO | 45 | 12.6% | 30.8% |
| Christian County, MO | 16 | 8.0% | 20.5% |
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 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.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Stone 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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Legal Services of Southern 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.
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 Stone County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.