About one in seven people in Sullivan County, Missouri, has a disability
In Sullivan County, 13.9% of people reported a disability (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is lower than in 70% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Sullivan County's score
In Sullivan County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 64.2. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 29.2. Bankruptcy filings ran at 51.8 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 89% 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, Sullivan County is worse off than most counties on median household income ($54,486, 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Sullivan 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.
- 64.2 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.6% · August 202555th percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.9% · August 202572nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score27.1% · Q4 202565th percentile
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- 59.8 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.6% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.1% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202652nd percentile
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- 52.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line16.4% · 202446th percentile
- People with a disability13.9% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$54,486 · 202483rd percentile
- People below the poverty line12.7% · 202446th percentile
- People without health insurance8.7% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
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- 38.5 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 income21.2% · fiscal year 202755th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent12.8% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
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- 29.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.6% · August 202548th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people51.8 · 202510th 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 Sullivan 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
Sullivan County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Sullivan County in 2024, pay from work was 57 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 11 cents. Benefit checks were 32 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 16 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Sullivan County, benefit checks rose from 16 to 32 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Sullivan County, Missouri: 31.7% and 57.2% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 31.7% of all personal income in Sullivan 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 Sullivan County, 20.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Sullivan County has changed
The number of people living in Sullivan County fell by about three in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 7,821 to 5,750. The number of jobs located there grew by about 24% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment was 3.7% in both 1990 and 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 7,821 | 2024 5,750 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 1,888 | 2024 2,348 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.7% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.7% | 2024 12.7% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $15,809 | 2024 $54,486 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 15.8% | 2024 31.7% |
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 Sullivan County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 20,282. The 2020 Census counted 5,999, 30% of the peak. Census Bureau
1836
American pioneers from Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia established settlements, 1836-1840. Wikipedia
1843
1843 (created) 1845 (organized). Wikipedia
1845
February 14, 1845 (formally organized). Wikipedia
1900
Farm population declined from about 3,100 in 1900 to under 900 by 1982. Wikipedia
2009
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Sullivan County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Sullivan County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Sullivan County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Sullivan County ranks 5th of the six; Grundy County is highest, at 37.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adair County, MO | 57 | 21.9% | 28.6% |
| Grundy County, MO | 52 | 16.8% | 37.6% |
| Sullivan County, MO | 47 | 12.7% | 31.7% |
| Linn County, MO | 33 | 12.1% | 33.5% |
| Mercer County, MO | 32 | 13.7% | 35.0% |
| Putnam County, MO | 20 | 13.8% | 31.8% |
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 Sullivan County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Sullivan County's poverty rate was 12.7% in 2024, 74th 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, Sullivan County ranks 60th of 115 in the state.
Sullivan County in photographs
Places in Sullivan County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Sullivan County, Missouri courthouse in Milan, Missouri.
Sullivan County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Sullivan County, Missouri?
12.7% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in eight people. Among children it was 16.4%.
Is Sullivan County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Sullivan County's poverty rate was 12.7% in 2024, 74th 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, Sullivan County ranks 60th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Sullivan County, Missouri?
About 5,750 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 5,999, 30% of the county's peak of 20,282 in 1900.
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 Sullivan 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 Sullivan 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 Sullivan County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.