About one in nine people in Howard County, Missouri, lives below the poverty line
In Howard County, 11.2% of people lived below the poverty line (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is lower than in 68% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 64% of U.S. counties.
What drives Howard County's score
In Howard County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 47.0. Jobs are the lowest part, at 35.0. About one in six adults aged 25 to 54 (17.9%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 67% 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.
Howard 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 Howard 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.
- 47.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line13.6% · 202431st percentile
- People with a disability16.1% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,980 · 202467th percentile
- People below the poverty line11.2% · 202432nd percentile
- People without health insurance8.1% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
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- 43.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.2% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a credit card behind4.5% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score20.0% · Q4 202534th percentile
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- 43.4 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 income19.5% · fiscal year 202736th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent18.2% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
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- 37.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.0% · August 202538th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people99 · 202535th percentile
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- 35.1 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.9% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202637th 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 Howard 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
Howard County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Howard County in 2024, pay from work was 54 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 17 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 12 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Howard County, benefit checks rose from 12 to 29 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Howard County, Missouri: 29.0% and 53.6% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 29.0% of all personal income in Howard 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 Howard County, 20.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Howard County has changed
The number of people living in Howard County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 10,726 to 10,150. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 4.7% in 1990 to 4.0% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 10,726 | 2024 10,150 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,354 | 2024 2,438 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.7% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.5% | 2024 11.2% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $20,446 | 2024 $60,980 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 12.4% | 2024 29.0% |
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 Howard County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 18,337. The 2020 Census counted 10,151, 55% of the peak. Census Bureau
1816
Organized January 23, 1816. Wikipedia
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Since 1973
29 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Howard County, 20 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Howard County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Howard County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Howard County ranks 2nd of the six; Saline County is highest, at 29.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saline County, MO | 61 | 15.5% | 29.0% |
| Randolph County, MO | 51 | 12.8% | 27.9% |
| Howard County, MO | 35 | 11.2% | 29.0% |
| Cooper County, MO | 29 | 11.6% | 26.4% |
| Boone County, MO | 23 | 14.3% | 16.7% |
| Chariton County, MO | 10 | 11.7% | 28.8% |
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 Howard County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Howard County's poverty rate was 11.2% in 2024, 93rd 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, Howard County ranks 73rd of 115 in the state.
Howard County in photographs
Places in Howard County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
The county courthouse for Howard County in Fayette, Missouri.
Lynchmord an dem 19-jährigen Frank Embree in Burton bei Fayette (Missouri), 1899.
Photo: Unknown author Unknown author via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Howard County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Howard County, Missouri?
11.2% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in nine people. Among children it was 13.6%.
Is Howard County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Howard County's poverty rate was 11.2% in 2024, 93rd 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, Howard County ranks 73rd of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Howard County, Missouri?
About 10,150 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 10,151, 55% of the county's peak of 18,337 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 Howard 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 Howard 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 Howard County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.