Unemployment in Daviess County, Missouri, is lower than in 85% of U.S. counties
In Daviess County, 3.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 85% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 77% 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 looks at five parts of household money trouble in Daviess County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Even so, Daviess County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (17.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 64.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.7% · 202454th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.1% · 202465th percentile
- People with a disability15.7% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- People without health insurance17.1% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,306 · 202460th percentile
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- 29.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202615th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.5% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
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- 29.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.1% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.4% · August 202537th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.2% · second quarter of 202623rd 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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- 23.2 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent13.0% · 2020 to 202422nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.2% · fiscal year 202724th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; 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 Sep 2026.
Where the money in Daviess County comes from
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 that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Daviess County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Daviess County rose most sharply after its 1979 low, from 14.8% in 1979 to 19.5% in 1984.
In Daviess County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 29.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Daviess County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Daviess County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.1% in 2021 to 10.8% in 2022.
The share of households in Daviess County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a third
Biggest drop: 2023 to 2024, reaching 8.2%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Daviess County, Missouri.
How Daviess County has changed
Daviess County's population had its largest drop, from 8,532 in 1984 to 7,972 in 1989.
Daviess County's population was about the same in 2024 as in 1969, after reaching its lowest on the chart in 1994
Low on the chart: 7,656 in 1994. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Daviess County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Daviess County fell most sharply after its 2005 high, from 1,898 in 2005 to 1,524 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Daviess County rose by about a fifth from 1990 to 2025, reaching 1,839
High on the chart: 1,898 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Daviess County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.6% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.5% | 2024 13.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,206 | 2024 $63,306 |
The table uses 3.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.1% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Daviess County's history
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
1900
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
1984
A tornado in June 1984 did $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
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 | 55 | 16.8% | 37.6% |
| Harrison County, MO | 51 | 15.9% | 36.0% |
| Caldwell County, MO | 43 | 10.9% | 28.9% |
| DeKalb County, MO | 31 | 11.5% | 27.6% |
| Gentry County, MO | 28 | 13.8% | 32.8% |
| Livingston County, MO | 25 | 14.3% | 29.9% |
| Daviess County, MO | 22 | 13.7% | 29.1% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 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.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Daviess County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Legal Aid of Western Missouri
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, 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 Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- 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.