Benefit checks make up 37 cents of every dollar of income in Wright County, Missouri
In Wright County, 37.4% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024). That is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wright County's score
In Wright County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 80.4. The typical household earns $50,836 a year (2024), less than in 90% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 73.5.
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.
Wright County does better than most counties on one measure: renters paying half their income or more in rent (11.6%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Wright 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.
- 80.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line23.3% · 202476th percentile
- People with a disability17.8% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$50,836 · 202490th percentile
- People below the poverty line19.0% · 202483rd percentile
- People without health insurance13.5% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
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- 73.5 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.3% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202671st percentile
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- 54.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.3% · August 202552nd percentile
- People with a credit card behind5.5% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score25.9% · Q4 202560th percentile
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- 54.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.4% · August 202554th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people134 · 202553rd percentile
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- 43.1 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 income22.7% · fiscal year 202768th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent11.6% · 2020 to 202417th 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 Wright 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
Wright County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Wright County in 2024, pay from work was 51 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 12 cents. Benefit checks were 37 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 20 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Wright County, benefit checks rose from 20 to 37 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Wright County, Missouri: 37.4% and 50.9% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 37.4% of all personal income in Wright 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 Wright County, 19.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Wright County has changed
The number of people living in Wright County grew by about 41% between 1969 and 2024, from 13,868 to 19,505. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 9.4% in 1990 to 5.2% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 13,868 | 2024 19,505 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 4,513 | 2024 4,649 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.4% | 2025 5.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 23.0% | 2024 19.0% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $16,363 | 2024 $50,836 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 19.7% | 2024 37.4% |
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 Wright County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 18,815. The 2020 Census counted 18,188, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
1841
Founded: January 29, 1841. Wikipedia
2002
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
Flash flood: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
Flood: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wright County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Wright County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Wright County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Wright County ranks 2nd of the five; Douglas County is highest, at 38.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas County, MO | 75 | 19.3% | 36.5% |
| Douglas County, MO | 73 | 17.8% | 38.6% |
| Wright County, MO | 68 | 19.0% | 37.4% |
| Laclede County, MO | 68 | 14.9% | 30.9% |
| Webster County, MO | 49 | 15.0% | 27.3% |
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 Wright County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Wright County's poverty rate was 19.0% in 2024, 14th 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, Wright County ranks 30th of 115 in the state.
Wright County in photographs
Places in Wright County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Wright County, Missouri, courthouse in Hartville.
Wright County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Wright County, Missouri?
19.0% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 23.3%.
Is Wright County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Wright County's poverty rate was 19.0% in 2024, 14th 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, Wright County ranks 30th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Wright County, Missouri?
About 19,505 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 18,188, 97% of the county's peak of 18,815 in 2010.
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 Wright 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 Wright 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 Wright County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.