Cole County, Missouri

County Distress Index: Healthy · 27.2 | 77,278 people · 113th most distressed in Missouri

Behind on your mortgage or facing eviction? Take a 2-minute assessment to see your options.

Cole County, MO ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 27.2 — 2976th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Debt & Delinquency, where debt and delinquency rates remain below the national norm. Within Missouri, it ranks 113th of 115 counties. Among its 5 neighboring counties, 4 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Cole County's primary driver is Debt & Delinquency at 42.8 — above the national median.

Debt & Delinquency Primary driver 42.8
Debt in Collections 42
Medical Debt 78
Student Loan Delinquency 52
Auto Loan Delinquency 29
Credit Card Delinquency 14
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 41
Housing Cost Burden 32.1
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 27
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 28
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 24
Homeownership Rate 79
Rent-to-Income Ratio 2
Community Vulnerability 30.1
Uninsured Rate 37
Disability Rate 23
Employment & Wages 17.4
Unemployment Rate 8
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 7
Business Formation Rate 38
Income & Poverty 13.7
Poverty Rate 16
Income vs. State Median 10
Child Poverty Rate 16

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Cole County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Cole County
Cole County, MO 27.2 Healthy
Miller County, MO 51.1 Elevated +23.9
Callaway County, MO 41.5 Normal +14.3
Boone County, MO 38.9 Normal +11.7
Moniteau County, MO 35.3 Normal +8.1
Osage County, MO 19.8 Healthy -7.4

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Cole County
Sheboygan County, WI 27.5 Healthy +0.3
Medina County, OH 26.9 Healthy -0.4
Hanover County, VA 26.8 Healthy -0.4
Cass County, ND 27.8 Healthy +0.5
Hunterdon County, NJ 26.6 Healthy -0.6

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Cole County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Cole County

Find an Attorney

Missouri Bar — Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Cole County residents at no cost.

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.