Unemployment in Taney County, Missouri, is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties
In Taney County, 5.9% of the labor force was out of work, on average (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 77% of U.S. counties.
What drives Taney County's score
In Taney County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 70.0. People with a credit card behind: 7.2%, August 2025, higher than in 75% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 67.0.
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.
Taney County does better than most counties on one measure: adults 25 to 54 not working (19.4%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Taney 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.
- 70.0 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.3% · August 202565th percentile
- People with a credit card behind7.2% · August 202575th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score28.3% · Q4 202569th percentile
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- 67.0 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.4% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average5.9% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202691st percentile
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- 67.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line19.8% · 202463rd percentile
- People with a disability16.4% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,978 · 202475th percentile
- People below the poverty line13.6% · 202453rd percentile
- People without health insurance14.6% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
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- 66.4 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 income23.3% · fiscal year 202773rd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent19.7% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
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- 60.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.1% · August 202560th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people149.7 · 202559th 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 Taney 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
Taney County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Taney County in 2024, pay from work was 55 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 16 cents. Benefit checks were 29 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 Taney County, benefit checks rose from 16 to 29 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Taney County, Missouri: 29.2% and 55.2% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 29.2% of all personal income in Taney 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 Taney County, 22.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Taney County has changed
The number of people living in Taney County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 12,871 to 56,744. The number of jobs located there more than doubled from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 10.6% in 1990 to 6.0% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 12,871 | 2024 56,744 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 10,276 | 2024 28,634 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.6% | 2025 6.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.6% | 2024 13.6% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $19,293 | 2024 $57,978 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 16.4% | 2024 29.2% |
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 Taney County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 56,066, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1952
Third courthouse removed in 1952 to permit building of Bull Shoals Lake. Wikipedia
2011
Flash flood: $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
Tornado: $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
Flash flood: three deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
Flash flood: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Taney County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Taney County beside its neighbors
Taney County scores higher than all seven counties that border it, in Missouri and Arkansas. For the share of income from benefit checks, Taney County ranks 7th of the eight; Ozark County is highest, at 43.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taney County, MO | 77 | 13.6% | 29.2% |
| Douglas County, MO | 73 | 17.8% | 38.6% |
| Carroll County, AR | 67 | 16.4% | 30.4% |
| Marion County, AR | 63 | 16.4% | 41.9% |
| Ozark County, MO | 56 | 19.4% | 43.5% |
| Boone County, AR | 54 | 11.8% | 32.4% |
| Stone County, MO | 52 | 14.1% | 30.7% |
| 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 Taney County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Taney County's poverty rate was 13.6% in 2024, 65th 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, Taney County ranks 16th of 115 in the state.
Taney County in photographs
Places in Taney County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Taney County, Missouri, courthouse in Forsyth.
M.
Photo: KTrimble ( talk ) ( Uploads ) via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Taney County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Taney County, Missouri?
13.6% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 19.8%.
Is Taney County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Taney County's poverty rate was 13.6% in 2024, 65th 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, Taney County ranks 16th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Taney County, Missouri?
About 56,744 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 56,066, the most of any census.
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 Taney 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 Taney County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.