In Cole County, Missouri, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in seven dollars of the typical household's income
In Cole County, 15.2% 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 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 89% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cole County's score
In Cole County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 41.7. Jobs are the lowest part, at 10.9. About one in eight adults aged 25 to 54 (12.5%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 92% 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.
Cole 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 Cole 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.
- 41.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.0% · August 202542nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people110 · 202541st percentile
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- 26.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.8% · August 202529th percentile
- People with a credit card behind3.3% · August 202514th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score20.5% · Q4 202536th percentile
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- 23.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line11.5% · 202420th percentile
- People with a disability13.1% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$75,881 · 202427th percentile
- People below the poverty line9.6% · 202419th percentile
- People without health insurance5.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
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- 22.3 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 income15.2% · fiscal year 20273rd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent16.6% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
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- 10.9 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working12.5% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.0% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202614th 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 Cole 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
Cole County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Cole County in 2024, pay from work was 60 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 20 cents. Benefit checks were 20 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 8 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Cole County, benefit checks rose from 8 to 20 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Cole County, Missouri: 20.4% and 59.6% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 20.4% of all personal income in Cole 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 Cole County, 18.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Cole County has changed
The number of people living in Cole County grew by about 68% between 1969 and 2024, from 46,140 to 77,625. The number of jobs located there grew by about 38% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 3.6% in 1990 to 3.2% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 46,140 | 2024 77,625 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 39,229 | 2024 54,302 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.6% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.9% | 2024 9.6% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $31,788 | 2024 $75,881 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 7.5% | 2024 20.4% |
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 Cole County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 77,279, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1820
Organized November 16, 1820. Wikipedia
1836
Missouri State Penitentiary opened in 1836. Wikipedia
1866
Lincoln University founded in 1866 by Union Army black veterans. Wikipedia
1994
Tornado: $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
Tornado: $170 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
Hail: $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cole County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Cole County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Cole County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Cole County ranks 4th of the six; Miller County is highest, at 27.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miller County, MO | 47 | 13.1% | 27.5% |
| Callaway County, MO | 41 | 11.8% | 24.6% |
| Boone County, MO | 23 | 14.3% | 16.7% |
| Moniteau County, MO | 17 | 11.2% | 22.0% |
| 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 Cole County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Cole County's poverty rate was 9.6% in 2024, 101st 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, Cole County ranks 112th of 115 in the state.
Cole County in photographs
Places in Cole County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
The county courthouse for Cole County in Jefferson City, Missouri.
Cole County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Cole County, Missouri?
9.6% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 10 people. Among children it was 11.5%.
Is Cole County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Cole County's poverty rate was 9.6% in 2024, 101st 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, Cole County ranks 112th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Cole County, Missouri?
About 77,625 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 77,279, 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 Cole 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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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 Cole County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.