#2,401 Missouri · 2026

Livingston County, Missouri

34.9 · low-moderate county distress 2,401st of 3,144 counties nationally · 14,557 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
11% Livingston residents
vs.
8% U.S. median

Above the national median for uninsured rate.

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 34 words · paste-ready

Livingston County, Missouri ranks 2,401st most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Livingston sits near the national median across major distress indicators. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.

Key Findings
  • 2,401st of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 34.9 · low-moderate county distress, 94th in Missouri.
  • 11% of residents lack health insurance (U.S. median 8%). Uninsured rate at the 69th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
  • Credit card delinquency at 6% — national median 5%, ranked at the 52nd percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Delinquency domain score 40 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
  • Labor domain score 19 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 22-point drop to Chariton County marks where the Missouri distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. Livingston County, Missouri and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Livingston and its 6 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Livingston County ranks 2,401st of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 20 words

Livingston County has a low-moderate county distress score. The CDI reading is a county comparison, separate from national ADI bands.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 35 words

The CDI gives this county a low-moderate county distress label. The label comes from the score, while the rank compares the county with the current national cross-section. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.

— American Default Research

Indicator History

Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.

Updated Jul 1, 2026
BLS 1990 to 2025

Unemployment rate

3.6% -0.4 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

14.3% -0.9 pp since 1989
BEA 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

29.9% +19.1 pp since 1969
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

23.2% -3.1 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Livingston County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Livingston County's value shown alongside MO's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.

How to read the table. A domain score is a 0–100 composite of the indicators in that domain; higher values represent a higher mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles. A county's domain rank is computed separately against all counties. Percentile is Livingston County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Livingston MO median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 40 · Rank 1,919 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 3% 6% 5% 19th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 6% 5% 5% 52nd Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 23% 24% 23% 49th Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 42 · Rank 1,923 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 23% 24% 23% 49th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 96 118 126 34th Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 18 · Rank 2,864 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 18% 20% 21% 19th HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 11% 16% 18% 16th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Labor — domain score 19 · Rank 2,493 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 3% 4% 4% 19th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 56 · Rank 1,348 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 18% 19% 18% 51st U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 15% 17% 16% 46th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 14% 14% 14% 53rd U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 11% 11% 8% 69th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Data compiled May 2026 from Urban Institute Debt in America (2025 panel), U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-yr 2023, SAIPE 2023, Business Formation Statistics 2024), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS May 2026, QCEW 2024), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings 2025), and HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2026).

Five-Domain Breakdown

The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.

Safety Net & Buffer Primary driver 56
Weight 20% · Rank 1,348 of 3,144
Default & Legal 42
Weight 20% · Rank 1,923 of 3,144
Delinquency 40
Weight 20% · Rank 1,919 of 3,144
Labor 19
Weight 20% · Rank 2,493 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 18
Weight 20% · Rank 2,864 of 3,144

Methodology

The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.

Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.

For Press & Research

Everything you need to cite Livingston County data — in under 60 seconds.

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Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · same-day response, 9am–6pm ET
Draft wire copy 124-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
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CHILLICOTHE, Mo. — Livingston County ranks 2,401st among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.

The composite score of 34.9 out of 100 gives Livingston a low-moderate county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 2,400 counties rank more distressed. Within Missouri, Livingston ranks 94th of 115 counties.

The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, finds Livingston sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.

American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.

Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.

— 30 —

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Livingston County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Livingston County scores 34.9 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label low-moderate county distress. It ranks 2,401st of 3,144 U.S. counties and 94th of 115 Missouri counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Livingston County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer, at a domain score of 56. Uninsured rate ranks at the 69th percentile nationally.

How does Livingston County compare to its neighbors?

Livingston County's neighbors span three CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Grundy County (50.90, moderate county distress). Lowest: Chariton County (28.84, low county distress).

How is the County Distress Index calculated?

The CDI is a 0–100 composite of 13 source indicators across five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Data comes from Urban Institute, Census Bureau, BLS, U.S. Courts, HUD, and related public sources. Full methodology →
Ross Kilburn
Written by

Ross Kilburn, Founder

Founder · American Default Research · Seattle, Washington

Two decades working directly with financially distressed American households — from property preservation in 2003, to negotiating over 1,000 short sales during the Great Recession, to foreclosure defense marketing today. Author, The Ark Law Group Complete Guide to Short Sales (Auroch Press, 2013). Founded American Default Research in 2026.

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