Unemployment in Callaway County, Missouri, is lower than in 81% of U.S. counties
In Callaway County, 3.2% of the labor force was out of work, on average (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). That is lower than in 81% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Callaway County's score
In Callaway County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 56.5. Jobs are the lowest part, at 27.8. Unemployment averaged 3.2%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, lower 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.
Callaway County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Callaway 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.
- 56.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.7% · August 202555th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people143.1 · 202557th percentile
-
- 48.6 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 income18.8% · fiscal year 202729th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent21.2% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
-
- 48.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.7% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a credit card behind4.3% · August 202530th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score25.1% · Q4 202556th percentile
-
- 43.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line15.1% · 202439th percentile
- People with a disability15.7% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$71,868 · 202436th percentile
- People below the poverty line11.8% · 202438th percentile
- People without health insurance8.4% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
-
- 27.8 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.6% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.2% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202618th percentile
-
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 Callaway 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
Callaway County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Callaway County in 2024, pay from work was 59 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 16 cents. Benefit checks were 25 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 9 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Callaway County, benefit checks rose from 9 to 25 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Callaway County, Missouri: 24.6% and 59.3% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 24.6% of all personal income in Callaway 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 Callaway County, 17.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Callaway County has changed
The number of people living in Callaway County grew by about 73% between 1969 and 2024, from 26,102 to 45,126. The number of jobs located there grew by about 26% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 4.4% in 1990 to 3.4% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 26,102 | 2024 45,126 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 11,827 | 2024 14,917 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.4% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.7% | 2024 11.8% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $26,556 | 2024 $71,868 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 9.2% | 2024 24.6% |
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 Callaway County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 44,332. The 2020 Census counted 44,283, 100% of the peak. Census Bureau
2001
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
Lightning: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
Flood: $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1973
29 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Callaway County, 18 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Callaway County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Callaway County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Callaway County ranks 3rd of the six; Montgomery County is highest, at 27.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audrain County, MO | 64 | 15.4% | 27.2% |
| Callaway County, MO | 41 | 11.8% | 24.6% |
| Montgomery County, MO | 39 | 12.2% | 27.6% |
| Boone County, MO | 23 | 14.3% | 16.7% |
| Cole County, MO | 10 | 9.6% | 20.4% |
| Osage County, MO | 3 | 7.7% | 19.5% |
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 Callaway County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Callaway County's poverty rate was 11.8% in 2024, 85th 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, Callaway County ranks 68th of 115 in the state.
Callaway County in photographs
Places in Callaway County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Callaway County Missouri Courthouse.
Photo: Onegentlemanofverona via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Callaway County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Callaway County, Missouri?
11.8% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in nine people. Among children it was 15.1%.
Is Callaway County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Callaway County's poverty rate was 11.8% in 2024, 85th 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, Callaway County ranks 68th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Callaway County, Missouri?
About 45,126 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 44,283, 100% of the county's peak of 44,332 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 Callaway 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.
-
The Legal Aid and Defender Association (LAD)
Legal aid
-
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 Callaway 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 Callaway County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.