In Montgomery County, Missouri, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Montgomery County, 17.2% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 85% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 61% of U.S. counties.
What drives Montgomery County's score
In Montgomery County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 53.6. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 22.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Montgomery 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.
Montgomery 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.
- 53.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.2% · 202441st percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.7% · 202442nd percentile
- People with a disability18.2% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- People without health insurance9.9% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,180 · 202448th percentile
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- 49.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.2% · August 202549th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people122.2 · 202548th percentile
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- 46.5 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 behind6.2% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.3% · second quarter of 202657th percentile
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- 45.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202625th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.5% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
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- 22.8 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 rent14.9% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.2% · fiscal year 202714th 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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery County, 20.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Montgomery County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Montgomery County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 27.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Montgomery County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Montgomery County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.9% in 2011 to 18.3% in 2012.
The share of households in Montgomery County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen to 11.1%
Low on the chart: 10.6% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Montgomery County, Missouri.
How Montgomery County has changed
Montgomery County's population rose 4% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1994 and 1999
High on the chart: 12,236 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Montgomery County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Montgomery County had its largest rise, from 3,043 in 1990 to 3,532 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Montgomery County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 3,532 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Montgomery County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.7% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.3% | 2024 12.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,471 | 2024 $67,180 |
The table uses 3.6% for 2025; the score uses 3.4% 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 Montgomery County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 16,571. The 2020 Census counted 11,322, 68% of the peak. Census Bureau
1993
Great Flood of 1993 caused Rhineland to relocate inland. Wikipedia
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Since 1973
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Montgomery County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Montgomery County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Montgomery County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Montgomery County ranks 3rd of the eight; Gasconade County is highest, at 32.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audrain County, MO | 64 | 15.4% | 27.2% |
| Pike County, MO | 58 | 15.9% | 31.8% |
| Callaway County, MO | 39 | 11.8% | 24.6% |
| Montgomery County, MO | 38 | 12.2% | 27.6% |
| Gasconade County, MO | 31 | 12.1% | 32.0% |
| Lincoln County, MO | 29 | 7.9% | 21.2% |
| Warren County, MO | 25 | 8.0% | 22.9% |
| 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 Montgomery County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Montgomery County's poverty rate was 12.2% in 2024, 80th 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, Montgomery County ranks 70th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Montgomery 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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Legal Services of Eastern Missouri
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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.