In Gasconade County, Missouri, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Gasconade County, 18.1% 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 77% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 69% of U.S. counties.
What drives Gasconade County's score
In Gasconade County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 54.0. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 26.0. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 18.1% of the median household's income (fiscal year 2027), lower 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, Gasconade County is worse off than most counties on people with a car or retail loan behind (8.8%, August 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Gasconade 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.
- 54.0 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.8% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a credit card behind5.0% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score19.5% · Q4 202531st percentile
-
- 44.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line15.1% · 202439th percentile
- People with a disability16.4% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,921 · 202458th percentile
- People below the poverty line12.1% · 202440th percentile
- People without health insurance5.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
-
- 38.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.0% · August 202549th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people81.6 · 202526th percentile
-
- 31.5 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.6% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.4% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202626th percentile
-
- 26.0 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 income18.1% · fiscal year 202722nd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent14.7% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
-
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 Gasconade 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
Gasconade County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Gasconade County in 2024, pay from work was 51 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 17 cents. Benefit checks were 32 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 14 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Gasconade County, benefit checks rose from 14 to 32 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Gasconade County, Missouri: 32.0% and 50.6% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 32.0% of all personal income in Gasconade 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 Gasconade County, 23.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Gasconade County has changed
The number of people living in Gasconade County grew by about 21% between 1969 and 2024, from 12,155 to 14,655. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 7.5% in 1990 to 3.7% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 12,155 | 2024 14,655 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 4,778 | 2024 5,134 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.5% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.8% | 2024 12.1% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $22,241 | 2024 $63,921 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 13.7% | 2024 32.0% |
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 Gasconade County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 15,342. The 2020 Census counted 14,794, 96% of the peak. Census Bureau
1820
Organized November 25, 1820. Wikipedia
1855
Gasconade Bridge train disaster on November 1, 1855. Wikipedia
1984
Tornado: $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
Hail: $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1973
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Gasconade County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Gasconade County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Gasconade County, five score higher. Of the group, Gasconade County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (32.0%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crawford County, MO | 59 | 15.1% | 31.9% |
| Phelps County, MO | 51 | 17.1% | 29.2% |
| Montgomery County, MO | 39 | 12.2% | 27.6% |
| Franklin County, MO | 32 | 9.0% | 24.0% |
| Maries County, MO | 32 | 11.5% | 31.4% |
| Gasconade County, MO | 30 | 12.1% | 32.0% |
| Warren County, MO | 28 | 8.0% | 22.9% |
| 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 Gasconade County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Gasconade County's poverty rate was 12.1% in 2024, 81st 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, Gasconade County ranks 89th of 115 in the state.
Gasconade County in photographs
Places in Gasconade County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
The county courthouse in en:Gasconade County, Missouri.
Hermann Bridge (truss bridge behind) with Christopher Bond Bridge (girder bridge in foreground) from southwest bank.
Photo: Americasroof at en.wikipedia via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5
Gasconade County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Gasconade County, Missouri?
12.1% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in eight people. Among children it was 15.1%.
Is Gasconade County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Gasconade County's poverty rate was 12.1% in 2024, 81st 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, Gasconade County ranks 89th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Gasconade County, Missouri?
About 14,655 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 14,794, 96% of the county's peak of 15,342 in 2000.
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 Gasconade 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.
-
The Legal Aid and Defender Association (LAD)
Legal aid
-
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 Gasconade 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 Gasconade County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.