Unemployment in Taney County, Missouri, is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties
In Taney County, 5.9% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 76% 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 68.7. 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 looks at five parts of household money trouble in Taney 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.
Taney County does better than most counties on one measure: adults 25 to 54 not working (19.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 68.7 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.2% · August 202575th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.3% · August 202565th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.4% · second quarter of 202665th percentile
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- 67.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202691st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.4% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
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- 67.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.6% · 202453rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.8% · 202463rd percentile
- People with a disability16.4% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- People without health insurance14.6% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,978 · 202475th percentile
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- 66.4 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 rent19.7% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.3% · fiscal year 202773rd 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: 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 Taney 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 Taney County, 22.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Taney County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Taney County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 29.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Taney County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Taney County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.9% in 2010 to 15.9% in 2011.
The share of households in Taney County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 11.4%
Low on the chart: 11.2% 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, Taney County, Missouri.
How Taney County has changed
Taney County's population had its largest rise, from 43,381 in 2004 to 50,794 in 2009.
Taney County's population rose 341% from 1969 to 2024, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 56,744. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Taney County, Missouri.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Taney County tripled to 28,673, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 19,410. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Taney County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.6% | 2025 6.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.6% | 2024 13.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,293 | 2024 $57,978 |
The table uses 6.0% for 2025; the score uses 5.9% 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 Taney County's history
1952
Third courthouse removed in 1952 to permit building of Bull Shoals Lake. Wikipedia
2011
A flash flood in April 2011 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A tornado in February 2012 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A flash flood in May 2017 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flash flood in May 2019 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 56,066, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1976
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Taney County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
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 | 76 | 13.6% | 29.2% |
| Douglas County, MO | 74 | 17.8% | 38.6% |
| Carroll County, AR | 69 | 16.4% | 30.4% |
| Marion County, AR | 68 | 16.4% | 41.9% |
| Ozark County, MO | 57 | 19.4% | 43.5% |
| Boone County, AR | 55 | 11.8% | 32.4% |
| Stone County, MO | 52 | 14.1% | 30.7% |
| 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 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 17th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Taney 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 Taney County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.