Unemployment in Daviess County, Missouri, is lower than in 84% of U.S. counties
In Daviess County, 3.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). That is lower than in 84% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 78% of U.S. counties.
What drives Daviess County's score
In Daviess County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 64.0. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 23.2. About one in eight renters (13.0%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 77% 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, Daviess County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (17.1%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Daviess 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.
- 64.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line20.1% · 202465th percentile
- People with a disability15.7% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,306 · 202460th percentile
- People below the poverty line13.7% · 202454th percentile
- People without health insurance17.1% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
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- 29.1 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.5% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.1% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202615th percentile
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- 24.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.4% · August 202539th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people46.8 · 20258th percentile
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- 24.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.4% · August 202538th percentile
- People with a credit card behind4.1% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score13.7% · Q4 20257th percentile
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- 23.2 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 income18.2% · fiscal year 202724th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent13.0% · 2020 to 202422nd 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 Daviess 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
Daviess County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Daviess County in 2024, pay from work was 56 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 15 cents. Benefit checks were 29 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 15 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Daviess County, benefit checks rose from 15 to 29 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Daviess County, Missouri: 29.1% and 55.5% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 29.1% of all personal income in Daviess 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 Daviess County, 21.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Daviess County has changed
The number of people living in Daviess County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 8,679 to 8,541. The number of jobs located there grew by about 23% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 5.6% in 1990 to 3.3% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 8,679 | 2024 8,541 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 1,538 | 2024 1,886 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.6% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.5% | 2024 13.7% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $18,206 | 2024 $63,306 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 15.2% | 2024 29.1% |
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 Daviess County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 21,325. The 2020 Census counted 8,430, 40% of the peak. Census Bureau
1836
Organized December 29, 1836. Wikipedia
1838
Mormons burned and looted Gallatin, Millport and Grindstone Fork in Daviess County expedition. Wikipedia
1838
Millport, once the largest city in the county and center for trade, never recovered from destruction and became a ghost town. Wikipedia
1869
Jesse James robbed Daviess County Savings Association on December 7, 1869. Wikipedia
1881
Jesse James gang believed responsible for July 15, 1881 Rock Island Line robbery at Winston. Wikipedia
1984
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Daviess County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Daviess County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Daviess County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Daviess County ranks 5th of the seven; Grundy County is highest, at 37.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grundy County, MO | 52 | 16.8% | 37.6% |
| Harrison County, MO | 50 | 15.9% | 36.0% |
| Caldwell County, MO | 41 | 10.9% | 28.9% |
| DeKalb County, MO | 30 | 11.5% | 27.6% |
| Gentry County, MO | 26 | 13.8% | 32.8% |
| Livingston County, MO | 25 | 14.3% | 29.9% |
| Daviess County, MO | 21 | 13.7% | 29.1% |
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 Daviess County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Daviess County's poverty rate was 13.7% in 2024, 61st 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, Daviess County ranks 100th of 115 in the state.
Daviess County in photographs
Places in Daviess County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Aubrey Bettencourt visited Mandi and Dillon Bird on their farm in Daviess County, Missouri.
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Daviess County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Daviess County, Missouri?
13.7% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 20.1%.
Is Daviess County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Daviess County's poverty rate was 13.7% in 2024, 61st 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, Daviess County ranks 100th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Daviess County, Missouri?
About 8,541 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 8,430, 40% of the county's peak of 21,325 in 1900.
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 Daviess 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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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.
Download the CSV for Daviess 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 Daviess County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.