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 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). That is lower than in 89% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 80% 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 12.9. Bankruptcy filings ran at 33.8 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 96% 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, Nodaway County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (23.0%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Nodaway 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.
- 53.8 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorHUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.8% · fiscal year 202729th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent23.0% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
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- 42.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line10.7% · 202416th percentile
- People with a disability13.2% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,242 · 202460th percentile
- People below the poverty line15.0% · 202464th percentile
- People without health insurance7.5% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
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- 28.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.4% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a credit card behind2.8% · August 20259th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score17.6% · Q4 202523rd percentile
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- 21.2 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.7% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average2.9% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202610th percentile
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- 12.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.8% · August 202522nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people33.8 · 20253rd 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 Nodaway 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
Nodaway County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Nodaway County in 2024, pay from work was 56 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 17 cents. Benefit checks were 28 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 11 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Nodaway County, benefit checks rose from 11 to 28 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Nodaway County, Missouri: 27.6% and 55.5% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 27.6% of all personal income in Nodaway 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 Nodaway County, 17.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Nodaway County has changed
The number of people living in Nodaway County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 22,773 to 20,503. The number of jobs located there grew by about 13% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 4.1% in 1990 to 3.1% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 22,773 | 2024 20,503 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 7,472 | 2024 8,431 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.1% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.8% | 2024 15.0% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $22,026 | 2024 $63,242 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 11.2% | 2024 27.6% |
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 Nodaway County's history
Largest decennial census count
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
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1979
F4 tornado destroyed Braddyville, Iowa. Wikipedia
2011
Thunderstorm wind: $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
Lightning: one death. 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
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Nodaway County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Nodaway County, in Missouri and Iowa, two 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 | 26 | 13.8% | 32.8% |
| Page County, IA | 21 | 14.5% | 30.5% |
| Nodaway County, MO | 19 | 15.0% | 27.6% |
| Worth County, MO | 19 | 14.8% | 32.8% |
| Atchison County, MO | 18 | 12.1% | 28.0% |
| Holt County, MO | 18 | 12.7% | 24.0% |
| Andrew County, MO | 10 | 7.8% | 18.8% |
| Taylor County, IA | 9 | 12.4% | 28.9% |
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 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 104th of 115 in the state.
Nodaway County in photographs
Places in Nodaway County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Nodaway County Courthouse in Maryville, Missouri.
Photo: Americasroof with modifications by Kbh3rd via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
En:102 River east of en:Maryville, Missouri during 2007 flood.
Photo: The original uploader was Americasroof at English Wikipedia . via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5
Nodaway County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Nodaway County, Missouri?
15.0% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 10.7%.
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 104th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Nodaway County, Missouri?
About 20,503 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 21,241, 64% of the county's peak of 32,938 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 Nodaway 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 Nodaway 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 Nodaway County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.