Benefit checks make up 35 cents of every dollar of income in Vernon County, Missouri
In Vernon County, 35.2% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024). That is higher than in 82% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 57% of U.S. counties.
What drives Vernon County's score
In Vernon County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 75.1. About one in seven people (14.4%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a higher share than in 87% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 57.7.
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.
Vernon County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (60.9, 2025) and unemployment rate, 12-month average (3.6%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Vernon 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.
- 75.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line20.7% · 202467th percentile
- People with a disability19.3% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,007 · 202480th percentile
- People below the poverty line14.9% · 202464th percentile
- People without health insurance14.4% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
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- 57.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.4% · August 202537th percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.8% · August 202570th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score27.2% · Q4 202565th percentile
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- 49.7 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 income21.3% · fiscal year 202756th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent16.9% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
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- 45.4 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.0% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.6% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202632nd percentile
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- 43.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.4% · August 202572nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people60.9 · 202515th 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 Vernon 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
Vernon County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Vernon County in 2024, pay from work was 51 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 14 cents. Benefit checks were 35 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 18 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Vernon County, benefit checks rose from 18 to 35 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Vernon County, Missouri: 35.2% and 50.6% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 35.2% of all personal income in Vernon 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 Vernon County, 20.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Vernon County has changed
The number of people living in Vernon County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 19,483 to 19,787. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 5.1% in 1990 to 3.8% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 19,483 | 2024 19,787 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 6,797 | 2024 6,582 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.1% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.1% | 2024 14.9% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $19,742 | 2024 $56,007 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 17.6% | 2024 35.2% |
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 Vernon County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 31,619. The 2020 Census counted 19,707, 62% of the peak. Census Bureau
1863
General Order No. 11 wholly depopulated Vernon County in 1863; evacuation lasted until May 1865. Wikipedia
1982
Tornado: $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1995
Tornado: $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
Flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2026
Hail: $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Vernon County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Vernon County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Vernon County, in Missouri and Kansas, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Vernon County ranks 3rd of the eight; Cedar County is highest, at 41.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bourbon County, KS | 70 | 15.7% | 29.6% |
| Cedar County, MO | 63 | 16.5% | 41.3% |
| Crawford County, KS | 58 | 17.1% | 27.5% |
| Vernon County, MO | 57 | 14.9% | 35.2% |
| Barton County, MO | 57 | 13.7% | 30.4% |
| Linn County, KS | 55 | 10.7% | 27.8% |
| St. Clair County, MO | 53 | 16.0% | 40.0% |
| Bates County, MO | 47 | 11.1% | 28.7% |
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 Vernon County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Vernon County's poverty rate was 14.9% in 2024, 42nd 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, Vernon County ranks 42nd of 115 in the state.
Vernon County in photographs
Places in Vernon County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Vernon County Courthouse, Missouri.
Index to Aerial Photography of Vernon County, Missouri 2 - DPLA - 4e1f98c14d730c601895fdcdf61b19d6.jpg.
Vernon County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Vernon County, Missouri?
14.9% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 20.7%.
Is Vernon County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Vernon County's poverty rate was 14.9% in 2024, 42nd 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, Vernon County ranks 42nd of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Vernon County, Missouri?
About 19,787 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 19,707, 62% of the county's peak of 31,619 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 Vernon 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 Vernon 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 Vernon County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.