In Wayne County, Missouri, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2009
In 2024, 48 cents of every dollar of income here came from a benefit check: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits and the like (47.6%, Bureau of Economic Analysis). Across the country it was 18 cents.
More distressed than 96% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wayne County's score
In Wayne County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 91.3. About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 (35.3%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 88.9.
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.
Wayne County is worse off than the typical U.S. county on every measure in the score.
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Wayne 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.
- 91.3 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working35.3% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average5.4% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202687th percentile
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- 88.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line28.7% · 202489th percentile
- People with a disability29.8% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$51,716 · 202488th percentile
- People below the poverty line19.6% · 202486th percentile
- People without health insurance13.5% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
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- 82.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector34.4% · August 202584th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people222 · 202580th percentile
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- 77.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.2% · August 202584th percentile
- People with a credit card behind8.2% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.0% · Q4 202560th percentile
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- 68.2 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 income22.3% · fiscal year 202765th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent21.7% · 2020 to 202470th 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 Wayne 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
Wayne County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Wayne County in 2024, pay from work was 38 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 14 cents. Benefit checks were 48 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
In 1969, pay was 58 cents of every dollar here and benefit checks were 28 cents.
In Wayne County, benefit checks have brought in more than pay since 2009
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Wayne County, Missouri: 47.6% and 38.0% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 47.6% of all personal income in Wayne 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 Wayne County, 25.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Wayne County has changed
The number of people living in Wayne County grew by about 23% between 1969 and 2024, from 8,765 to 10,820. The number of jobs located there fell by about two in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 11.8% in 1990 to 5.8% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 8,765 | 2024 10,820 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,993 | 2024 2,269 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 11.8% | 2025 5.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 27.5% | 2024 19.6% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $12,959 | 2024 $51,716 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 28.1% | 2024 47.6% |
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 Wayne County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 15,309. The 2020 Census counted 10,974, 72% of the peak. Census Bureau
1818
Created December 1818 by Missouri Territorial Legislature from portions of Cape Girardeau and Lawrence counties. Wikipedia
1941
Greenville relocated 2 miles north in 1941 due to Lake Wappapello construction. Wikipedia
2011
Flash flood: $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
Tornado: $4 million in property damage, three deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
Tornado: $3 million in property damage, two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
Tornado: $1.5 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wayne County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Wayne County beside its neighbors
Wayne County scores higher than all seven counties that border it. Of the group, Wayne County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (47.6%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County, MO | 96 | 19.6% | 47.6% |
| Butler County, MO | 93 | 20.3% | 38.2% |
| Carter County, MO | 81 | 17.1% | 40.8% |
| Iron County, MO | 80 | 18.2% | 47.1% |
| Madison County, MO | 71 | 15.1% | 41.7% |
| Reynolds County, MO | 71 | 18.6% | 45.2% |
| Stoddard County, MO | 70 | 14.8% | 34.9% |
| Bollinger County, MO | 55 | 14.5% | 35.6% |
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 Wayne County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Wayne County's poverty rate was 19.6% in 2024, 10th 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, Wayne County ranks 4th of 115 in the state.
Wayne County in photographs
Places in Wayne County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Wayne County, Missouri, courthouse in Greenville.
NTIR Staff observes a wayside at a flooded St.
Photo: English: National Trails Office ( US National Park Service ) via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
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Wayne County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Wayne County, Missouri?
19.6% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 28.7%.
Is Wayne County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Wayne County's poverty rate was 19.6% in 2024, 10th 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, Wayne County ranks 4th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Wayne County, Missouri?
About 10,820 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 10,974, 72% of the county's peak of 15,309 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 Wayne 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 Wayne County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.