In Pulaski County, Missouri, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Pulaski County, 23.8% 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 higher than in 76% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Pulaski County's score
In Pulaski County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 60.0. The typical household earns $59,368 a year (2024), less than in 72% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 56.0.
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.
Pulaski County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (12.1%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (83.6, 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Pulaski 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.
- 60.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line16.1% · 202445th percentile
- People with a disability17.7% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,368 · 202472nd percentile
- People below the poverty line14.7% · 202462nd percentile
- People without health insurance8.4% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
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- 56.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.4% · August 202537th percentile
- People with a credit card behind5.7% · August 202554th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.3% · Q4 202575th percentile
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- 48.0 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 income23.8% · fiscal year 202776th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent12.1% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
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- 47.4 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.2% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.1% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202654th percentile
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- 46.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.6% · August 202566th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people83.6 · 202527th 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 Pulaski 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
Pulaski County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Pulaski County in 2024, pay from work was 61 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 15 cents. Benefit checks were 25 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 2 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Pulaski County, benefit checks rose from 2 to 25 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Pulaski County, Missouri: 24.5% and 60.7% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 24.5% of all personal income in Pulaski 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 Pulaski County, 9.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Pulaski County has changed
The number of people living in Pulaski County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 54,214 to 53,964. The number of jobs located there grew by about 31% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 10.2% in 1990 to 4.1% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 54,214 | 2024 53,964 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 10,155 | 2024 13,323 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.2% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.7% | 2024 14.7% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $22,731 | 2024 $59,368 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 2.1% | 2024 24.5% |
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 Pulaski County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 53,955, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1833
Organized in 1833. Wikipedia
2010
Tornado: $90 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Flash flood: $5 million in property damage, two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
Flash flood: five deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
Flood: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Pulaski County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Pulaski County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Pulaski County, two score higher. Of the group, Pulaski County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Texas County gets the largest, at 36.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas County, MO | 75 | 19.3% | 36.5% |
| Laclede County, MO | 68 | 14.9% | 30.9% |
| Pulaski County, MO | 52 | 14.7% | 24.5% |
| Phelps County, MO | 51 | 17.1% | 29.2% |
| Miller County, MO | 47 | 13.1% | 27.5% |
| Camden County, MO | 35 | 11.6% | 30.6% |
| Maries County, MO | 32 | 11.5% | 31.4% |
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 Pulaski County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Pulaski County's poverty rate was 14.7% in 2024, 46th 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, Pulaski County ranks 51st of 115 in the state.
Pulaski County in photographs
Places in Pulaski County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Pulaski County, Missouri courthouse.
Bill Hardwick speaking to a group in Pulaski County, Missouri in 2023.
Pulaski County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Pulaski County, Missouri?
14.7% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 16.1%.
Is Pulaski County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Pulaski County's poverty rate was 14.7% in 2024, 46th 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, Pulaski County ranks 51st of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Pulaski County, Missouri?
About 53,964 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 53,955, 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 Pulaski 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 Pulaski 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 Pulaski County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.