In Boone County, Missouri, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Boone County, 16.1% of the median household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom at HUD's fair market rent (HUD and Census Bureau, HUD rent fiscal year 2027; household income 2024). That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 76% of U.S. counties.
What drives Boone County's score
In Boone County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 46.4. Jobs are the lowest part, at 20.1. About one in six adults aged 25 to 54 (15.5%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 81% of U.S. counties.
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.
Even so, Boone County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (24.5%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Boone 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.
- 46.4 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorHUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.1% · fiscal year 20277th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent24.5% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
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- 41.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.2% · August 202543rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people108.7 · 202540th percentile
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- 36.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.6% · August 202541st percentile
- People with a credit card behind4.2% · August 202528th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score20.9% · Q4 202538th percentile
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- 30.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line11.8% · 202421st percentile
- People with a disability12.6% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$80,041 · 202420th percentile
- People below the poverty line14.3% · 202459th percentile
- People without health insurance5.9% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
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- 20.1 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.5% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.3% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202621st 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 Boone 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
Boone County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Boone County in 2024, pay from work was 61 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 23 cents. Benefit checks were 17 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 6 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Boone County, benefit checks rose from 6 to 17 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Boone County, Missouri: 16.7% and 60.5% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 16.7% of all personal income in Boone 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 Boone County, 13.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Boone County has changed
The number of people living in Boone County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 79,517 to 192,154. The number of jobs located there grew by about 71% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 3.8% in 1990 to 3.4% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 79,517 | 2024 192,154 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 57,533 | 2024 98,657 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.8% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.8% | 2024 14.3% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $28,824 | 2024 $80,041 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 5.7% | 2024 16.7% |
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 Boone County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 183,610, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1820
Organized November 16, 1820 from a separated portion of the larger territorial Howard County. Wikipedia
1990
Tornado: $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
Tornado: $6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
Lightning: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Boone County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Boone County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Boone County, five score higher. Of the group, Boone County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Howard County gets the largest, at 29.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audrain County, MO | 64 | 15.4% | 27.2% |
| Randolph County, MO | 51 | 12.8% | 27.9% |
| Callaway County, MO | 41 | 11.8% | 24.6% |
| Howard County, MO | 35 | 11.2% | 29.0% |
| Cooper County, MO | 29 | 11.6% | 26.4% |
| Boone County, MO | 23 | 14.3% | 16.7% |
| Moniteau County, MO | 17 | 11.2% | 22.0% |
| Cole County, MO | 10 | 9.6% | 20.4% |
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 Boone County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Boone County's poverty rate was 14.3% in 2024, 53rd 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, Boone County ranks 98th of 115 in the state.
Boone County in photographs
Places in Boone County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
The Boone County Courthouse in Columbia, Missouri.
Barnes Chapel Cemetery n Boone County, Missouri.
Boone County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Boone County, Missouri?
14.3% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 11.8%.
Is Boone County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Boone County's poverty rate was 14.3% in 2024, 53rd 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, Boone County ranks 98th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Boone County, Missouri?
About 192,154 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 183,610, the most of any census.
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 Boone 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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Love Columbia
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Central Missouri Legal Services
Legal aid
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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 Boone County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.