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 typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. 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 62.9. 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 looks at five parts of household money trouble in Miller County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Miller County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 62.9 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.9% · August 202571st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.9% · August 202560th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.1% · second quarter of 202656th percentile
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- 58.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.1% · 202449th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.5% · 202446th percentile
- People with a disability18.1% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- People without health insurance10.7% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,343 · 202456th percentile
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- 54.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202638th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.1% · 2020 to 202469th 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
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent10.9% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.2% · fiscal year 202723rd percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; 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 Sep 2026.
Where the money in Miller County comes from
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 that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Miller County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Miller County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 23.2% in 2004 to 29.1% in 2009.
In Miller County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 27.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Miller County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Miller County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen by about half
Biggest drop: 2014 to 2015, reaching 15.6%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Miller County, Missouri.
How Miller County has changed
Miller County's population nearly doubled to 25,668, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 18,377. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Miller County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Miller County fell most sharply on the way to its 2010 low, from 7,234 in 2005 to 5,942 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Miller County rose by about a quarter to 7,806, the highest on the chart
High on the chart: 7,806 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Miller County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.1% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.8% | 2024 13.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,892 | 2024 $64,343 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Miller County's history
1997
A flash flood in May 1997 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
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
2013
A flash flood in May 2013 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A tornado in May 2019 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2026
Hail in April 2026 did $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
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 | 80 | 16.4% | 32.8% |
| Pulaski County, MO | 50 | 14.7% | 24.5% |
| Miller County, MO | 47 | 13.1% | 27.5% |
| Camden County, MO | 36 | 11.6% | 30.6% |
| Maries County, MO | 34 | 11.5% | 31.4% |
| Moniteau County, MO | 15 | 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 Sep 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 61st of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Miller County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Mid-Missouri Legal Services
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, 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 Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- 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.