John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
These payments—which include Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and income maintenance—accounted for 40.8% of all personal income in the county, according to information from the Economic Innovation Group.
This marks a slight increase in the county’s reliance on government transfers compared to 2012, when such payments made up 39.5% of total income. Since then, the share has risen by 1.3%.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
In 2022, government transfers in Dunklin County primarily focused on older adults—such as Social Security transfers, which totaled $117.6 million (24% of all transfer income), and Medicare, which accounted for $107.3 million (21.9%)—played a notable role in the county's overall income.
On a per capita basis, Social Security payments rose from $3,787 in 2012 and $1,030 in 1970 to $4,289 in 2022, reflecting a 13.3% increase over the past decade and a 316.4% shift since 1970.
Similarly, Medicare transfers climbed from $3,320 in 2012 and $250 in 1970 to $3,914, marking 17.9% and 1,465.6% increases, respectively.
These increases in per capita payments align with shifts in the county’s age distribution. In 2022, residents aged 65 and older made up 18.8% of the total population, compared to 16.7% in 2012 and 13.7% in 1970. While the senior share of the population has increased, the rise in per capita Social Security and Medicare transfers suggests that these assistance programs for older adults now require a larger share of government funding—either due to growing needs, expanded eligibility, higher benefit levels, or increased enrollment.
According to the Economic Innovation Group, total income in Dunklin County excluding public assistance amounted to $26,009 per capita in 2022, compared to $43,916 when government transfers were included.
Breaking down the other contributions in the county, Medicaid transfers made up $172.6 million, a 35.2% share of total income, while income maintenance programs, including assistance such as SNAP or TANF, added another $58.5 million, or 11.9% of the total.
Compared to the previous year, Dunklin County's reliance on government transfers decreased by 1.5%.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans' income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.2% (or $2,016 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.6% (or $11,529 per capita) in 2022 nationwide.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | State Rank (Per Capita Transfers) | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers (%) | Medicare Transfers (%) | Medicaid Transfers (%) | Income Maintenance Transfers (%) | Per Capita Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ripley County | 1 | 43.59% | 19.91% | 26% | 21.7% | 30.7% | 10.9% | $19,834 |
| Iron County | 2 | 46.67% | 22.14% | 27% | 24.7% | 30% | 8.5% | $19,467 |
| Carter County | 3 | 40.49% | 20.84% | 28.9% | 23.2% | 24.5% | 9.8% | $18,774 |
| Oregon County | 4 | 44% | 22.93% | 27.5% | 19.9% | 26.8% | 10.5% | $18,751 |
| Wayne County | 5 | 43.25% | 24.71% | 30.5% | 18.2% | 26.3% | 9.9% | $18,323 |
| Dunklin County | 6 | 40.78% | 18.84% | 24% | 21.9% | 35.2% | 11.9% | $17,907 |
| Pemiscot County | 7 | 37.72% | 18.31% | 23.6% | 21.3% | 34.5% | 13.8% | $17,608 |
| Hickory County | 8 | 44.61% | 32.27% | 39.5% | 27.7% | 14.8% | 6.5% | $17,437 |
| Reynolds County | 9 | 42.77% | 23.92% | 33.1% | 19.7% | 26.4% | 8.7% | $17,320 |
| Ozark County | 10 | 42.12% | 28.6% | 36.2% | 27% | 16.5% | 8.1% | $16,621 |
| Madison County | 11 | 39.81% | 19.5% | 28.9% | 20.7% | 32.6% | 8.4% | $16,292 |
| Gentry County | 12 | 33.21% | 18.47% | 26.9% | 30.8% | 27.3% | 6.6% | $16,281 |
| Benton County | 13 | 36.79% | 31.34% | 40.4% | 28.1% | 11.2% | 6.9% | $16,109 |
| Butler County | 14 | 36.61% | 19.43% | 25.2% | 22.4% | 28.4% | 10.5% | $15,908 |
| Mississippi County | 15 | 37.34% | 19.18% | 26.9% | 24.1% | 30% | 11.5% | $15,860 |
| Bollinger County | 16 | 34.23% | 21.51% | 32.3% | 21.3% | 24.7% | 9.1% | $15,642 |
| Henry County | 17 | 31.94% | 22.55% | 33.9% | 29.9% | 18.6% | 7.4% | $15,617 |
| Dent County | 18 | 37.91% | 22.31% | 30.9% | 24.6% | 24.4% | 9% | $15,593 |
| Scott County | 19 | 30.64% | 18.83% | 29.4% | 23.9% | 25.8% | 10.3% | $15,409 |
| St. Clair County | 20 | 41.6% | 25.76% | 34.3% | 31.7% | 16.2% | 7.7% | $15,295 |
| Shannon County | 21 | 38% | 22.89% | 31.3% | 19.8% | 21.1% | 12% | $15,286 |
| New Madrid County | 22 | 29.99% | 20% | 26.9% | 20.9% | 31% | 11.4% | $15,278 |
| Grundy County | 23 | 37% | 21.99% | 28% | 32.5% | 22.3% | 7% | $15,038 |
| Linn County | 24 | 33.1% | 21.17% | 29.2% | 30.2% | 17.9% | 7.6% | $14,963 |
| Camden County | 25 | 29.94% | 29.75% | 40.9% | 27.3% | 12.8% | 5.6% | $14,956 |
| Marion County | 26 | 30.61% | 18.91% | 27.8% | 25.5% | 28.2% | 7.8% | $14,952 |
| Stoddard County | 27 | 31.32% | 20.79% | 30.8% | 24.5% | 23.5% | 8.8% | $14,942 |
| Crawford County | 28 | 33.3% | 20.8% | 33.4% | 25% | 23.1% | 8.8% | $14,595 |
| Cedar County | 29 | 40% | 23.24% | 33% | 26.7% | 21.8% | 8.5% | $14,592 |
| Sullivan County | 30 | 33.98% | 21.11% | 27.8% | 27.3% | 27.3% | 8.4% | $14,584 |
| Vernon County | 31 | 33.69% | 20.56% | 28.5% | 21.7% | 32.6% | 8.9% | $14,436 |
| Howell County | 32 | 35.19% | 19.81% | 31.4% | 22.2% | 22.6% | 10.4% | $14,286 |
| Putnam County | 33 | 35% | 23.77% | 31.5% | 32.1% | 18.2% | 7% | $14,270 |
| Carroll County | 34 | 24.1% | 22.66% | 33.3% | 32.2% | 18.4% | 6.9% | $14,169 |
| Harrison County | 35 | 32.54% | 22.66% | 30.4% | 30.6% | 21.9% | 8.1% | $14,138 |
| Lafayette County | 36 | 28.13% | 19.27% | 30.7% | 26.2% | 27.7% | 6.4% | $14,094 |
| Stone County | 37 | 29.97% | 31.96% | 43.9% | 26% | 11.3% | 6.3% | $14,071 |
| Morgan County | 38 | 29.54% | 23.57% | 37.4% | 24.4% | 17.7% | 8.1% | $14,056 |
| Shelby County | 39 | 28.62% | 22.15% | 31.4% | 28.9% | 18.6% | 7% | $14,049 |
| Gasconade County | 40 | 29.94% | 23.38% | 37.8% | 28.2% | 16.8% | 6.5% | $14,045 |
| Chariton County | 41 | 27.46% | 24.85% | 32.4% | 25.2% | 23.4% | 6.2% | $14,043 |
| Washington County | 42 | 37.33% | 18% | 29.4% | 23.1% | 28.9% | 10.9% | $14,034 |
| Worth County | 43 | 33.59% | 26.7% | 33.6% | 34.4% | 11.5% | 6.2% | $14,021 |
| St. Francois County | 44 | 33.11% | 17.14% | 31.1% | 25.5% | 24.5% | 9% | $13,915 |
| Monroe County | 45 | 29.21% | 24.88% | 35% | 28.2% | 17.2% | 6.5% | $13,837 |
| Holt County | 46 | 22.74% | 25.18% | 36.7% | 32.7% | 14.1% | 6.6% | $13,707 |
| Macon County | 47 | 27.14% | 22.37% | 34.9% | 28.3% | 17.9% | 7% | $13,666 |
| Mercer County | 48 | 36.39% | 22.79% | 32.6% | 33.6% | 17.6% | 5.5% | $13,617 |
| Buchanan County | 49 | 28.66% | 17.64% | 30.6% | 28.7% | 23.2% | 9.2% | $13,587 |
| Wright County | 50 | 35.68% | 19.52% | 32.1% | 22.6% | 21.6% | 11.1% | $13,583 |
| Knox County | 51 | 31.29% | 21.34% | 29.6% | 28.4% | 19.2% | 8.1% | $13,526 |
| Randolph County | 52 | 27.94% | 17.15% | 27.6% | 24.5% | 24.9% | 8.8% | $13,459 |
| Douglas County | 53 | 36.47% | 24.68% | 37.5% | 19.9% | 18.7% | 10.6% | $13,405 |
| Saline County | 54 | 28.84% | 18% | 28.6% | 24.5% | 29.6% | 8.8% | $13,287 |
| Montgomery County | 55 | 26.49% | 20.64% | 36.3% | 24.8% | 21% | 8.1% | $13,158 |
| Livingston County | 56 | 27.52% | 20.31% | 33.1% | 28.4% | 21.7% | 7.8% | $13,130 |
| Atchison County | 57 | 23.8% | 25.54% | 38.9% | 36.3% | 10.1% | 6.3% | $13,120 |
| St. Louis (Independent City) County | 58 | 23.1% | 15.57% | 22.8% | 21.9% | 34.5% | 13% | $12,884 |
| Dallas County | 59 | 32.65% | 20.46% | 33.3% | 25.5% | 19% | 8.9% | $12,883 |
| Howard County | 60 | 26.88% | 19.91% | 31.5% | 19.3% | 27.6% | 7.2% | $12,852 |
| Maries County | 61 | 31.39% | 21.77% | 35.7% | 27.8% | 17.2% | 7.1% | $12,849 |
| Dade County | 62 | 30.34% | 24.45% | 37.4% | 25.1% | 15.3% | 8.5% | $12,828 |
| Laclede County | 63 | 29.32% | 18.1% | 31.6% | 23.8% | 19.7% | 10.3% | $12,799 |
| Bates County | 64 | 26.99% | 19.8% | 35.4% | 28.8% | 17.2% | 8.1% | $12,798 |
| Texas County | 65 | 35.47% | 21.18% | 30.9% | 24.3% | 17.6% | 9.6% | $12,789 |
| Taney County | 66 | 28.36% | 22.49% | 38.3% | 26.3% | 13.7% | 8.9% | $12,742 |
| Pettis County | 67 | 28% | 17.56% | 28.8% | 22.1% | 27.3% | 10.2% | $12,437 |
| Cooper County | 68 | 24.74% | 19.71% | 33.9% | 25.4% | 23% | 7.2% | $12,385 |
| Phelps County | 69 | 28.14% | 17.18% | 28.9% | 25.1% | 22.7% | 8.2% | $12,370 |
| Pike County | 70 | 29.72% | 19.26% | 33.4% | 26% | 22.5% | 8.1% | $12,299 |
| Barton County | 71 | 27.99% | 21% | 37.2% | 30.4% | 13% | 10% | $12,278 |
| Polk County | 72 | 29% | 18.3% | 28.8% | 22.9% | 26.4% | 9.5% | $12,270 |
| Caldwell County | 73 | 26.76% | 20.15% | 35.8% | 30.3% | 14.8% | 7.5% | $12,181 |
| Perry County | 74 | 24.78% | 20.15% | 36% | 25.4% | 21.7% | 7.1% | $12,145 |
| Franklin County | 75 | 21.93% | 19% | 39.1% | 30.3% | 15% | 7% | $11,835 |
| Ray County | 76 | 24.83% | 19.17% | 37.2% | 27.1% | 18.6% | 6.9% | $11,801 |
| Barry County | 77 | 26.86% | 21.91% | 37.9% | 25.5% | 13% | 11.1% | $11,785 |
| Schuyler County | 78 | 29.24% | 19.38% | 31.7% | 28.8% | 19.3% | 9.1% | $11,713 |
| Clark County | 79 | 26.33% | 21.28% | 35.2% | 28.6% | 15.2% | 8.2% | $11,648 |
| Miller County | 80 | 26.73% | 19.93% | 35% | 20.5% | 22.1% | 9.8% | $11,599 |
| Ste. Genevieve County | 81 | 24.46% | 21% | 38.7% | 31.8% | 13.7% | 6.4% | $11,559 |
| Lewis County | 82 | 27.91% | 19.24% | 36.9% | 26.9% | 16.7% | 7% | $11,550 |
| Jasper County | 83 | 26% | 16.17% | 31.2% | 26.2% | 21.1% | 10.9% | $11,474 |
| St. Louis County | 84 | 12.28% | 19.11% | 38.5% | 28.4% | 17.4% | 7.7% | $11,469 |
| St. Louis County | 85 | 12.28% | 19.11% | 38.5% | 28.4% | 17.4% | 7.7% | $11,469 |
| Lawrence County | 86 | 28.19% | 17.84% | 35.6% | 22.6% | 19.8% | 10.6% | $11,377 |
| Audrain County | 87 | 25.51% | 19% | 38.5% | 26.5% | 15.5% | 9.7% | $11,256 |
| Clinton County | 88 | 23.19% | 18.68% | 35.6% | 28.4% | 15.5% | 7.1% | $11,132 |
| Ralls County | 89 | 23.5% | 23.33% | 41.6% | 22.5% | 18.1% | 6.6% | $11,127 |
| Daviess County | 90 | 30.1% | 21.97% | 37.4% | 28% | 15.5% | 8.4% | $11,115 |
| Cole County | 91 | 19.56% | 18.22% | 37.9% | 25.2% | 17.4% | 7.9% | $11,005 |
| Scotland County | 92 | 23.31% | 19.13% | 31% | 32.2% | 16.5% | 7.3% | $11,004 |
| Jackson County | 93 | 20.69% | 15.88% | 32% | 25.1% | 23.4% | 10.2% | $10,997 |
| Callaway County | 94 | 23.92% | 18% | 37.3% | 23.8% | 19.5% | 8% | $10,932 |
| Webster County | 95 | 25.97% | 15.7% | 35.5% | 28% | 14.6% | 9.1% | $10,868 |
| Warren County | 96 | 21% | 18.36% | 39.6% | 28.1% | 16.7% | 7.3% | $10,835 |
| Greene County | 97 | 20.72% | 17% | 34.3% | 23.5% | 19.9% | 9% | $10,761 |
| Cape Girardeau County | 98 | 21.44% | 17.69% | 35.6% | 23.3% | 19.3% | 8.6% | $10,644 |
| Adair County | 99 | 28.31% | 15.53% | 31.9% | 28.1% | 19.2% | 8.9% | $10,420 |
| Nodaway County | 100 | 25.17% | 18% | 34.1% | 32.4% | 13.4% | 6.6% | $10,410 |
| Jefferson County | 101 | 20.34% | 16.65% | 40.2% | 26.5% | 16.4% | 7% | $10,401 |
| Cass County | 102 | 18.59% | 17.97% | 38.1% | 29% | 15.6% | 6.5% | $10,359 |
| Newton County | 103 | 21.74% | 18.93% | 38.3% | 19.9% | 19.2% | 10.4% | $10,152 |
| Pulaski County | 104 | 23% | 9.61% | 21% | 18.4% | 15.3% | 9.7% | $10,075 |
| Moniteau County | 105 | 21.11% | 16.8% | 36.9% | 24.7% | 18.5% | 9% | $10,047 |
| Lincoln County | 106 | 19.73% | 14.62% | 37.4% | 26.2% | 19.2% | 8.3% | $9,827 |
| McDonald County | 107 | 25.97% | 16.16% | 31.2% | 24% | 20.3% | 14.4% | $9,716 |
| DeKalb County | 108 | 26% | 18.56% | 38.3% | 26.3% | 18.4% | 6.6% | $9,692 |
| Osage County | 109 | 18.21% | 18.14% | 39.7% | 25.4% | 14.1% | 6.5% | $9,630 |
| Johnson County | 110 | 22% | 13% | 31.2% | 22.9% | 17.6% | 8.3% | $9,508 |
| Christian County | 111 | 19.11% | 16.78% | 39% | 25.6% | 12.7% | 8.2% | $9,462 |
| Clay County | 112 | 16.21% | 15.29% | 39.3% | 28.3% | 13.9% | 7.5% | $9,034 |
| St. Charles County | 113 | 13.97% | 16.95% | 44.2% | 29.9% | 11.4% | 4.9% | $9,017 |
| Andrew County | 114 | 17.52% | 20.34% | 42.2% | 28.5% | 10.7% | 7.1% | $8,954 |
| Boone County | 115 | 15.53% | 13.68% | 35.1% | 22.8% | 20.4% | 8.5% | $8,601 |
| Platte County | 116 | 12.27% | 16% | 40.9% | 27.9% | 10.1% | 6% | $8,403 |
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