In Miller County, Missouri, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Miller County, 18.2% 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 76% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Miller County's score
In Miller County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 62.4. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 18.9. About one in nine renters (10.9%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 85% 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.
Miller 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 Miller 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.
- 62.4 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.9% · August 202560th percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.9% · August 202571st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score24.7% · Q4 202555th percentile
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- 58.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line16.5% · 202446th percentile
- People with a disability18.1% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,343 · 202456th percentile
- People below the poverty line13.1% · 202449th percentile
- People without health insurance10.7% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
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- 54.0 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.1% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202638th percentile
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- 48.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.2% · August 202568th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people86 · 202528th percentile
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- 18.9 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 income18.2% · fiscal year 202723rd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent10.9% · 2020 to 202414th 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 Miller 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
Miller County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Miller County in 2024, pay from work was 59 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 14 cents. Benefit checks were 28 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 13 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Miller County, benefit checks rose from 13 to 28 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Miller County, Missouri: 27.5% and 58.6% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 27.5% of all personal income in Miller 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 Miller County, 20.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Miller County has changed
The number of people living in Miller County grew by about 70% between 1969 and 2024, from 15,117 to 25,668. The number of jobs located there grew by about 25% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 9.1% in 1990 to 3.8% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 15,117 | 2024 25,668 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 6,383 | 2024 8,005 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.1% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.8% | 2024 13.1% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $19,892 | 2024 $64,343 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 12.6% | 2024 27.5% |
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 Miller County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 24,748. The 2020 Census counted 24,722, 100% of the peak. Census Bureau
1997
Flash flood: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
Tornado: $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2026
Hail: $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
30 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Miller County, 20 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Miller County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Miller County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Miller County ranks 4th of the eight; Morgan County is highest, at 32.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan County, MO | 78 | 16.4% | 32.8% |
| Pulaski County, MO | 52 | 14.7% | 24.5% |
| Miller County, MO | 47 | 13.1% | 27.5% |
| Camden County, MO | 35 | 11.6% | 30.6% |
| Maries County, MO | 32 | 11.5% | 31.4% |
| Moniteau County, MO | 17 | 11.2% | 22.0% |
| Cole County, MO | 10 | 9.6% | 20.4% |
| 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 Miller County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Miller County's poverty rate was 13.1% in 2024, 72nd 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, Miller County ranks 62nd of 115 in the state.
Miller County in photographs
Places in Miller County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Miller County courthouse in Tuscumbia, Missouri.
Entering Miller County, Missouri - a welcome sign denotes the county line for the County of Miller, Missouri, at Lake of the Ozarks State Park.
Photo: Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
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Miller County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Miller County, Missouri?
13.1% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in eight people. Among children it was 16.5%.
Is Miller County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Miller County's poverty rate was 13.1% in 2024, 72nd 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, Miller County ranks 62nd of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Miller County, Missouri?
About 25,668 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 24,722, 100% of the county's peak of 24,748 in 2010.
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 Miller 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 Miller 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 Miller County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.