In Moniteau County, Missouri, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Moniteau County, 16.5% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 89% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 84% of U.S. counties.
What drives Moniteau County's score
In Moniteau County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 49.3. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 17.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Moniteau 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.
Even so, Moniteau County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (18.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 49.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.2% · 202432nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.7% · 202437th percentile
- People with a disability15.0% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- People without health insurance18.6% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,870 · 202441st percentile
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- 32.8 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 rent19.0% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.5% · fiscal year 202710th percentile
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- 26.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.0% · August 202541st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people52.4 · 202510th percentile
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- 19.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202613th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.7% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
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- 17.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.5% · August 202517th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.7% · August 202510th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.2% · second quarter of 202623rd 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 Moniteau 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 Moniteau County, 16.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Moniteau County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Moniteau County had its largest rise, from 17.3% in 2004 to 21.2% in 2009.
In Moniteau County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 22.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Moniteau County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Moniteau County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 9.6% in 2017 to 7.4% in 2018.
The share of households in Moniteau County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 7.6%
Low on the chart: 7.0% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Moniteau County, Missouri.
How Moniteau County has changed
Moniteau County's population had its largest rise, from 13,249 in 1994 to 14,644 in 1999.
Moniteau County's population rose 41% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 15,740 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Moniteau County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Moniteau County had its largest drop, from 4,396 in 2000 to 3,803 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Moniteau County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 4,396 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Moniteau County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.8% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.8% | 2024 11.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,241 | 2024 $69,870 |
The table uses 3.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.0% 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 Moniteau County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 15,931. The 2020 Census counted 15,473, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
1990
A tornado in June 1990 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Moniteau County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Moniteau County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Moniteau County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Moniteau County ranks 4th of the six; Morgan County is highest, at 32.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan County, MO | 80 | 16.4% | 32.8% |
| Miller County, MO | 47 | 13.1% | 27.5% |
| Cooper County, MO | 28 | 11.6% | 26.4% |
| Boone County, MO | 22 | 14.3% | 16.7% |
| Moniteau County, MO | 15 | 11.2% | 22.0% |
| Cole County, MO | 10 | 9.6% | 20.4% |
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 Moniteau County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Moniteau 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, Moniteau County ranks 109th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Moniteau 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 Moniteau 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 Moniteau County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.