About one in 18 people in Platte County, Missouri, lives below the poverty line
In Platte County, 5.5% of people lived below the poverty line (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 82% of U.S. counties.
What drives Platte County's score
In Platte County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 48.1. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 12.9. About one in 18 people (5.5%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a lower share than in 98% 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.
Platte County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Platte 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.
- 48.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.7% · August 202533rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people159 · 202562nd percentile
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- 45.9 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 income20.1% · fiscal year 202743rd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent17.9% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
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- 28.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.9% · August 202530th percentile
- People with a credit card behind3.7% · August 202521st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score19.6% · Q4 202532nd percentile
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- 16.2 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.6% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.2% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202618th percentile
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- 12.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line6.4% · 20242nd percentile
- People with a disability12.6% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$92,305 · 20249th percentile
- People below the poverty line5.5% · 20241st percentile
- People without health insurance6.1% · 2020 to 202432nd 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 Platte 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
Platte County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Platte County in 2024, pay from work was 68 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 19 cents. Benefit checks were 14 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 4 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Platte County, benefit checks rose from 4 to 14 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Platte County, Missouri: 13.6% and 67.9% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 13.6% of all personal income in Platte 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 Platte County, 16.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Platte County has changed
The number of people living in Platte County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 31,733 to 113,207. The number of jobs located there grew by about 96% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 3.8% in 1990 to 3.4% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 31,733 | 2024 113,207 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 24,509 | 2024 48,079 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.8% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 4.3% | 2024 5.5% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $39,961 | 2024 $92,305 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 4.4% | 2024 13.6% |
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 Platte County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 106,718, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1838
Organized December 31, 1838, from the Platte Purchase. Wikipedia
1863
Platte County Fair began in 1863 and is the oldest continuously operating fair west of the Mississippi River. Wikipedia
1998
Flash flood: $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Tornado: $32 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Tornado: $1.95 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Platte County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Platte County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Platte County, in Missouri and Kansas, score higher than it does. Of the group, Platte County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Buchanan County gets the largest, at 28.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wyandotte County, KS | 89 | 15.0% | 25.8% |
| Buchanan County, MO | 71 | 13.5% | 28.7% |
| Clinton County, MO | 34 | 9.5% | 26.0% |
| Clay County, MO | 33 | 8.9% | 17.3% |
| Atchison County, KS | 31 | 13.9% | 26.9% |
| Leavenworth County, KS | 27 | 9.2% | 20.7% |
| Platte County, MO | 17 | 5.5% | 13.6% |
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 Platte County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Platte County's poverty rate was 5.5% in 2024, the lowest 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, Platte County ranks 109th of 115 in the state.
Platte County in photographs
Places in Platte County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Platte-courthouse.jpg.
Photo: Not stated on the file page via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5
Very faint rainbow along NW 101 Terrace in Kansas City, Platte County, Missouri.
Platte County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Platte County, Missouri?
5.5% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 18 people. Among children it was 6.4%.
Is Platte County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Platte County's poverty rate was 5.5% in 2024, the lowest 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, Platte County ranks 109th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Platte County, Missouri?
About 113,207 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 106,718, the most of any census.
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 Platte 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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Legal Aid of Western Missouri
Legal aid
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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 Platte 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 Platte County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.