Unemployment in Nodaway County, Missouri, is lower than in 89% of U.S. counties
In Nodaway County, 2.9% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 89% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 81% of U.S. counties.
What drives Nodaway County's score
In Nodaway County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 53.8. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 12.8. Bankruptcy filings ran at 33.8 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Nodaway 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, Nodaway County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (23.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 53.8 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent23.0% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.8% · fiscal year 202729th percentile
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- 42.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.0% · 202464th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.7% · 202416th percentile
- People with a disability13.2% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- People without health insurance7.5% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,242 · 202460th percentile
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- 29.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.8% · August 20259th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.4% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.6% · second quarter of 202624th percentile
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- 21.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202610th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.7% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
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- 12.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.8% · August 202521st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people33.8 · 20253rd 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 Nodaway 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 Nodaway County, 17.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Nodaway County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Nodaway County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 27.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Nodaway County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income more than 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 Nodaway County getting SNAP food aid moved most in three steps: 6.7% in 2011 to 9.1% in 2012; 11.0% in 2014 to 13.4% in 2015; 9.7% in 2019 to 7.3% in 2020.
The share of households in Nodaway County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 8.3%
Low on the chart: 6.3% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Nodaway County, Missouri.
How Nodaway County has changed
Nodaway County's population fell 10% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 2014 and 2019
High on the chart: 23,242 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Nodaway County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Nodaway County had its largest rise, from 7,673 in 1995 to 8,724 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Nodaway County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 8,864 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Nodaway County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.1% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.8% | 2024 15.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,026 | 2024 $63,242 |
The table uses 3.1% for 2025; the score uses 2.9% 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 Nodaway County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 32,938. The 2020 Census counted 21,241, 64% of the peak. Census Bureau
1964
A tornado in April 1964 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1979
F4 tornado destroyed Braddyville, Iowa. Wikipedia
2011
A thunderstorm in August 2011 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
Lightning in August 2018 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Nodaway County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Nodaway County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Nodaway County, in Missouri and Iowa, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Nodaway County ranks 6th of the eight; Gentry County is highest, at 32.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gentry County, MO | 28 | 13.8% | 32.8% |
| Page County, IA | 22 | 14.5% | 30.5% |
| Holt County, MO | 22 | 12.7% | 24.0% |
| Worth County, MO | 21 | 14.8% | 32.8% |
| Atchison County, MO | 20 | 12.1% | 28.0% |
| Nodaway County, MO | 18 | 15.0% | 27.6% |
| Taylor County, IA | 10 | 12.4% | 28.9% |
| Andrew County, MO | 8 | 7.8% | 18.8% |
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 Nodaway County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Nodaway County's poverty rate was 15.0% in 2024, 40th 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, Nodaway County ranks 106th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Nodaway 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 Aid of Western 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 Nodaway 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 Nodaway County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.