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. 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 59.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Vernon 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.
Vernon County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (60.9, 2025) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.5%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 75.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.9% · 202464th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.7% · 202467th percentile
- People with a disability19.3% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- People without health insurance14.4% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,007 · 202480th percentile
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- 59.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.8% · August 202570th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.4% · August 202537th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score46.5% · second quarter of 202671st percentile
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- 49.7 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 rent16.9% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.3% · fiscal year 202756th percentile
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- 45.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202632nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.0% · 2020 to 202458th 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: 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 Vernon 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 Vernon County, 20.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Vernon County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Vernon County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 35.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Vernon County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 35.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Vernon County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 16.5% in 2017 to 13.2% in 2018.
The share of households in Vernon County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 10.7% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Vernon County, Missouri.
How Vernon County has changed
Vernon County's population had its largest rise, from 19,543 in 1994 to 20,427 in 1999.
Vernon County's population was about the same in 2024 as in 1969
High on the chart: 21,071 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Vernon County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Vernon County had its largest rise, from 6,797 in 1990 to 7,201 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Vernon County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 7% since
High on the chart: 7,577 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Vernon County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.1% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.1% | 2024 14.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,742 | 2024 $56,007 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 3.5% 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 Vernon County's history
1863
General Order No. 11 wholly depopulated Vernon County in 1863; evacuation lasted until May 1865. Wikipedia
1900
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
1982
A tornado in March 1982 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1995
A tornado in May 1995 did $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flood in December 2015 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2026
Hail in April 2026 did $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
Vernon County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Vernon County, in Missouri and Kansas, four 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 | 72 | 15.7% | 29.6% |
| Cedar County, MO | 62 | 16.5% | 41.3% |
| Crawford County, KS | 58 | 17.1% | 27.5% |
| Barton County, MO | 58 | 13.7% | 30.4% |
| Vernon County, MO | 57 | 14.9% | 35.2% |
| Linn County, KS | 55 | 10.7% | 27.8% |
| St. Clair County, MO | 54 | 16.0% | 40.0% |
| Bates County, MO | 46 | 11.1% | 28.7% |
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 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 44th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Vernon 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 Aid of Western 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.
Download the CSV for Vernon County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
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 Vernon County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.