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 typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 76% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 50% 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 50.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Pulaski 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.
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).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 60.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.7% · 202462nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.1% · 202445th percentile
- People with a disability17.7% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- People without health insurance8.4% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,368 · 202472nd percentile
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- 50.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.7% · August 202554th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.4% · August 202537th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.9% · second quarter of 202659th percentile
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- 48.0 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent12.1% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.8% · fiscal year 202776th percentile
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- 47.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202654th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.2% · 2020 to 202440th 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: 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 Pulaski 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 Pulaski County, 9.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Pulaski County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Pulaski County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to more than ten times its 1969 level, reaching 24.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Pulaski County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income grew to more than ten times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 24.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Pulaski County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 12.2% in 2016 to 9.8% in 2017.
The share of households in Pulaski County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 8.4%
Low on the chart: 7.8% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Pulaski County, Missouri.
How Pulaski County has changed
Pulaski County's population had its largest drop, from 54,214 in 1969 to 44,635 in 1974.
Pulaski County's population was about the same in 2024 as in 1969, after reaching its lowest on the chart in 1999
Low on the chart: 38,967 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Pulaski County, Missouri.
The number of jobs located in Pulaski County had its largest rise, from 10,472 in 2000 to 12,614 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Pulaski County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 14,576 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Pulaski County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.2% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.7% | 2024 14.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,731 | 2024 $59,368 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Pulaski County's history
1833
Organized in 1833. Wikipedia
2010
A tornado in December 2010 did $90 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flash flood in August 2013 did $5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flash flood in December 2015 killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 53,955, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2024
A flood in November 2024 killed two people. 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
Pulaski County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Pulaski County, three 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 | 77 | 19.3% | 36.5% |
| Laclede County, MO | 68 | 14.9% | 30.9% |
| Phelps County, MO | 52 | 17.1% | 29.2% |
| Pulaski County, MO | 50 | 14.7% | 24.5% |
| Miller County, MO | 47 | 13.1% | 27.5% |
| Camden County, MO | 36 | 11.6% | 30.6% |
| Maries County, MO | 34 | 11.5% | 31.4% |
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 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 56th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Pulaski 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 Services of Southern 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 Pulaski 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 Pulaski County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.