About three in four adults aged 25 to 54 in Livingston County, Missouri, have a job
In Livingston County, 11.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 74% of U.S. counties.
What drives Livingston County's score
In Livingston County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 60.7. Jobs are the lowest part, at 12.9. About one in nine adults aged 25 to 54 (11.8%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 94% 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, Livingston County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (11.4%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Livingston 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.
- 60.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line17.4% · 202451st percentile
- People with a disability16.4% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,122 · 202463rd percentile
- People below the poverty line14.3% · 202459th percentile
- People without health insurance11.4% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
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- 41.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.9% · August 202549th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people96.2 · 202534th percentile
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- 40.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.3% · August 202519th percentile
- People with a credit card behind5.6% · August 202552nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score23.2% · Q4 202549th percentile
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- 22.2 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 income18.6% · fiscal year 202727th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent11.5% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
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- 12.9 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working11.8% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.2% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202620th 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 Livingston 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
Livingston County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Livingston County in 2024, pay from work was 53 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 17 cents. Benefit checks were 30 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 11 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Livingston County, benefit checks rose from 11 to 30 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Livingston County, Missouri: 29.9% and 53.4% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
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 Livingston County, 20.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Livingston County has changed
The number of people living in Livingston County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 15,667 to 14,658. The number of jobs located there grew by about 12% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 4.0% in 1990 to 3.6% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 15,667 | 2024 14,658 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 5,484 | 2024 6,156 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.0% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.2% | 2024 14.3% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $21,704 | 2024 $62,122 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 10.8% | 2024 29.9% |
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 Livingston County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 22,302. The 2020 Census counted 14,557, 65% of the peak. Census Bureau
1837
Organized January 6, 1837. Wikipedia
2004
Tornado: $1.7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Livingston County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Livingston County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Livingston County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Livingston County ranks 3rd of the seven; Grundy County is highest, at 37.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grundy County, MO | 52 | 16.8% | 37.6% |
| Caldwell County, MO | 41 | 10.9% | 28.9% |
| Carroll County, MO | 34 | 14.3% | 26.6% |
| Linn County, MO | 33 | 12.1% | 33.5% |
| Livingston County, MO | 25 | 14.3% | 29.9% |
| Daviess County, MO | 21 | 13.7% | 29.1% |
| 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 Livingston County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Livingston County's poverty rate was 14.3% in 2024, 53rd 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, Livingston County ranks 97th of 115 in the state.
Livingston County in photographs
Places in Livingston County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Livingston County, Missouri Courthouse in Chillicothe.
Livingston County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Livingston County, Missouri?
14.3% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 17.4%.
Is Livingston County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Livingston County's poverty rate was 14.3% in 2024, 53rd 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, Livingston County ranks 97th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Livingston County, Missouri?
About 14,658 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 14,557, 65% of the county's peak of 22,302 in 1900.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of household finances and the economy, 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 Livingston 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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Legal Aid of Western Missouri
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,298 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 Livingston 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 Livingston County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.