Morgan County, Missouri

County Distress Index: Elevated · 63.4 | 21,970 people · 17th most distressed in Missouri
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Morgan County, MO registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 63.4 — 596th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Community Vulnerability, where uninsured and disability rates are well above the national average. Within Missouri, it ranks 17th of 115 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 5 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Morgan County's primary driver is Community Vulnerability at 92.5 — worse than roughly 93% of U.S. counties.

Community Vulnerability Primary driver 92.5
Uninsured Rate 99
Disability Rate 86
Debt & Delinquency 65.2
Debt in Collections 51
Medical Debt 61
Student Loan Delinquency 87
Auto Loan Delinquency 78
Credit Card Delinquency 75
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 38
Income & Poverty 63.7
Poverty Rate 61
Income vs. State Median 68
Child Poverty Rate 63
Employment & Wages 55.1
Unemployment Rate 67
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 68
Business Formation Rate 30
Housing Cost Burden 40.7
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 37
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 64
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 38
Homeownership Rate 20
Rent-to-Income Ratio 44

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Morgan County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Morgan County
Morgan County, MO 63.4 Elevated —
Benton County, MO 66.1 Serious +2.7
Pettis County, MO 54.2 Elevated -9.3
Miller County, MO 51.1 Elevated -12.3
Camden County, MO 41.7 Normal -21.8
Cooper County, MO 39.1 Normal -24.3
Moniteau County, MO 35.3 Normal -28.1

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Morgan County
Wise County, VA 63.5 Elevated +0.0
Vinton County, OH 63.4 Elevated -0.0
Upshur County, TX 63.4 Elevated -0.1
Caldwell County, TX 63.6 Elevated +0.1
Vernon Parish, LA 63.6 Elevated +0.2

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Morgan County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Morgan County

Find an Attorney

Missouri Bar — Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Missouri Bar — Lawyer Referral Service 573-635-4128

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Morgan County residents at no cost.

Legal Services of Eastern Missouri 314-534-4200 (St. Louis); 1-800-444-0514 (statewide hotline)
Legal Aid of Western Missouri 816-474-6750 (Kansas City); 1-800-748-2057 (statewide hotline)
Central Missouri Legal Services 573-442-0116
The Legal Aid and Defender Association (LAD) 816-474-6750
Legal Services of Southern Missouri (417) 881-1397
Mid-Missouri Legal Services Corporation (573) 442-0116

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Morgan County, Missouri?

    Morgan County has a County Distress Index score of 63.4 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 596th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 17th in Missouri out of 115 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Morgan County?

    The primary driver of distress in Morgan County is Community Vulnerability, where the county scores 92.5 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Uninsured Rate, Disability Rate.

  • How does Morgan County compare to neighboring counties?

    Morgan County (63.4) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Benton County, MO (66.1); Pettis County, MO (54.2); Miller County, MO (51.1).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Morgan County?

    Morgan County, Missouri has a population of approximately 21,970 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.