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 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 89% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 82% 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. Jobs are the lowest part, at 19.6. Unemployment averaged 3.0%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, lower than in 86% 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, Moniteau County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (18.6%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Moniteau 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.
- 49.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line14.7% · 202437th percentile
- People with a disability15.0% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,870 · 202441st percentile
- People below the poverty line11.2% · 202432nd percentile
- People without health insurance18.6% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
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- 32.8 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 income16.5% · fiscal year 202710th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent19.0% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
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- 26.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.0% · August 202542nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people52.4 · 202510th percentile
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- 24.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.7% · August 202510th percentile
- People with a credit card behind3.5% · August 202517th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score22.1% · Q4 202544th percentile
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- 19.6 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.7% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.0% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202613th 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 Moniteau 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
Moniteau County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Moniteau County in 2024, pay from work was 62 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 16 cents. Benefit checks were 22 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 12 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Moniteau County, benefit checks rose from 12 to 22 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Moniteau County, Missouri: 22.0% and 62.2% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 22.0% of all personal income in Moniteau 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 Moniteau County, 16.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Moniteau County has changed
The number of people living in Moniteau County grew by about 41% between 1969 and 2024, from 10,850 to 15,294. The number of jobs located there grew by about 14% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.8% in 1990 to 3.3% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 10,850 | 2024 15,294 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 3,574 | 2024 4,087 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.8% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.8% | 2024 11.2% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $23,241 | 2024 $69,870 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 12.0% | 2024 22.0% |
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 Moniteau County's history
Largest decennial census count
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
Tornado: $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
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
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 | 78 | 16.4% | 32.8% |
| Miller County, MO | 47 | 13.1% | 27.5% |
| Cooper County, MO | 29 | 11.6% | 26.4% |
| Boone County, MO | 23 | 14.3% | 16.7% |
| Moniteau County, MO | 17 | 11.2% | 22.0% |
| Cole County, MO | 10 | 9.6% | 20.4% |
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 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 108th of 115 in the state.
Moniteau County in photographs
Places in Moniteau County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Photograph of Moniteau County, Missouri, courthouse in California, Missouri.
Photo: ~ (The Rebel At) ~ via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Moniteau County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Moniteau County, Missouri?
11.2% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in nine people. Among children it was 14.7%.
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 108th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Moniteau County, Missouri?
About 15,294 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 15,473, 97% of the county's peak of 15,931 in 1900.
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 Moniteau 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 Moniteau 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 Moniteau County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.