In Polk County, Missouri, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in five dollars of the typical household's income
In Polk County, 18.9% of the median household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom at HUD's fair market rent (HUD and Census Bureau, HUD rent fiscal year 2027; household income 2024). That is lower than in 69% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Polk County's score
In Polk County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 65.8. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 28.8. About one in seven renters (13.9%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 73% 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, Polk County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (14.1%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Polk 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.
- 65.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line18.1% · 202455th percentile
- People with a disability16.3% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,993 · 202467th percentile
- People below the poverty line15.2% · 202466th percentile
- People without health insurance14.1% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
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- 56.1 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.2% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.8% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202642nd percentile
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- 50.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.9% · August 202567th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people94.6 · 202533rd percentile
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- 42.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.6% · August 202541st percentile
- People with a credit card behind4.5% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score24.0% · Q4 202552nd percentile
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- 28.8 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 income18.9% · fiscal year 202731st percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent13.9% · 2020 to 202426th 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 Polk 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
Polk County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Polk County in 2024, pay from work was 56 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 14 cents. Benefit checks were 30 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 15 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Polk County, benefit checks rose from 15 to 30 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Polk County, Missouri: 29.9% and 55.8% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
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 Polk County, 18.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Polk County has changed
The number of people living in Polk County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 15,505 to 33,070. The number of jobs located there grew by about 81% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.7% in 1990 to 4.2% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 15,505 | 2024 33,070 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 5,259 | 2024 9,503 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.7% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.3% | 2024 15.2% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $19,001 | 2024 $60,993 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 14.7% | 2024 29.9% |
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 Polk County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 31,519, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1835
Polk County was separated from Greene County on January 5, 1835, from mostly Upper South settlers including those descended from Ezekiel Polk who had settled Greene County. Wikipedia
2007
Flash flood: $9 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
Thunderstorm wind: $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
Hail: $9.55 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Polk County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Polk County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Polk County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Polk County ranks 6th of the seven; Hickory County is highest, at 46.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hickory County, MO | 87 | 16.0% | 46.9% |
| Dallas County, MO | 74 | 17.0% | 33.3% |
| Cedar County, MO | 63 | 16.5% | 41.3% |
| St. Clair County, MO | 53 | 16.0% | 40.0% |
| Polk County, MO | 47 | 15.2% | 29.9% |
| Greene County, MO | 47 | 10.5% | 22.1% |
| Dade County, MO | 43 | 13.5% | 32.1% |
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 Polk County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Polk County's poverty rate was 15.2% in 2024, 37th 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, Polk County ranks 61st of 115 in the state.
Polk County in photographs
Places in Polk County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
W:Polk County, Missouri courthouse in w:Bolivar, Missouri.
Photo: en:User:Wroller ; retouched by Kbh3rd via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Polk county missouri.
Polk County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Polk County, Missouri?
15.2% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 18.1%.
Is Polk County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Polk County's poverty rate was 15.2% in 2024, 37th 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, Polk County ranks 61st of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Polk County, Missouri?
About 33,070 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 31,519, the most of any census.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of household finances and the economy, 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 Polk 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 Services of Southern Missouri
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,298 approved agencies by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
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 Polk County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.