Douglas County, Missouri

County Distress Index: Elevated · 59.5 | 12,228 people · 31st most distressed in Missouri
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Douglas County, MO registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 59.5 — 868th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Missouri, it ranks 31st of 115 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 5 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Douglas County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 80.0 — worse than roughly 80% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 80.0
Poverty Rate 69
Income vs. State Median 94
Child Poverty Rate 77
Community Vulnerability 78.0
Uninsured Rate 73
Disability Rate 83
Debt & Delinquency 54.2
Debt in Collections 62
Medical Debt 18
Student Loan Delinquency 59
Auto Loan Delinquency 87
Credit Card Delinquency 65
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 35
Employment & Wages 47.4
Unemployment Rate 45
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 75
Business Formation Rate 22
Housing Cost Burden 38.1
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 24
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 19
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 47
Homeownership Rate 22
Rent-to-Income Ratio 78

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Douglas County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Douglas County
Douglas County, MO 59.5 Elevated —
Texas County, MO 69.7 Serious +10.2
Ozark County, MO 63.5 Elevated +4.0
Howell County, MO 61.5 Elevated +2.0
Taney County, MO 60.9 Elevated +1.4
Wright County, MO 60.3 Elevated +0.7
Webster County, MO 43.8 Normal -15.7
Christian County, MO 32.0 Healthy -27.5

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Douglas County
Brooke County, WV 59.5 Elevated 0.0
Gray County, TX 59.6 Elevated +0.0
Perquimans County, NC 59.6 Elevated +0.0
Carroll County, VA 59.5 Elevated -0.1
Cannon County, TN 59.6 Elevated +0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Douglas County

Find an Attorney

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

Missouri Bar — Lawyer Referral Service 573-635-4128

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Douglas County residents at no cost.

Legal Services of Eastern Missouri 314-534-4200 (St. Louis); 1-800-444-0514 (statewide hotline)
Legal Aid of Western Missouri 816-474-6750 (Kansas City); 1-800-748-2057 (statewide hotline)
Central Missouri Legal Services 573-442-0116
The Legal Aid and Defender Association (LAD) 816-474-6750
Legal Services of Southern Missouri (417) 881-1397
Mid-Missouri Legal Services Corporation (573) 442-0116

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

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Douglas County, Missouri?

    Douglas County has a County Distress Index score of 59.5 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 868th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 31st in Missouri out of 115 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Douglas County?

    The primary driver of distress in Douglas County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 80.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Douglas County compare to neighboring counties?

    Douglas County (59.5) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Texas County, MO (69.7); Ozark County, MO (63.5); Howell County, MO (61.5).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Douglas County?

    Douglas County, Missouri has a population of approximately 12,228 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.