Bates County, Missouri

County Distress Index: Elevated · 56.2 | 16,242 people · 41st most distressed in Missouri

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Bates County, MO registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 56.2 — 1129th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Community Vulnerability, where uninsured and disability rates are well above the national average. Within Missouri, it ranks 41st of 115 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Bates County's primary driver is Community Vulnerability at 69.8 — above the national median.

Community Vulnerability Primary driver 69.8
Uninsured Rate 70
Disability Rate 70
Debt & Delinquency 64.2
Debt in Collections 75
Medical Debt 95
Student Loan Delinquency 94
Auto Loan Delinquency 44
Credit Card Delinquency 60
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 18
Housing Cost Burden 55.7
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 68
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 56
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 57
Homeownership Rate 61
Rent-to-Income Ratio 37
Income & Poverty 48.2
Poverty Rate 53
Income vs. State Median 49
Child Poverty Rate 42
Employment & Wages 43.1
Unemployment Rate 23
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 58
Business Formation Rate 49

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Bates County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Bates County
Bates County, MO 56.2 Elevated
St. Clair County, MO 64.7 Elevated +8.5
Henry County, MO 59.8 Elevated +3.5
Vernon County, MO 55.8 Elevated -0.5
Linn County, KS 53.3 Elevated -2.9
Cass County, MO 37.9 Normal -18.3
Miami County, KS 34.1 Healthy -22.1

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Bates County
Scott County, MO 56.3 Elevated +0.0
Macon County, TN 56.3 Elevated +0.1
Fannin County, TX 56.1 Elevated -0.1
Cherokee County, NC 56.3 Elevated +0.1
Crenshaw County, AL 56.4 Elevated +0.1

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