About one in 13 people in Warren County, Missouri, lives below the poverty line
In Warren County, 8.0% of people lived below the poverty line (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 71% of U.S. counties.
What drives Warren County's score
In Warren County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 53.8. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 23.1. About one in 13 people (8.0%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a lower share than in 91% 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.
Warren 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 Warren 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
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.2% · August 202543rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people164 · 202564th percentile
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- 49.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.5% · August 202555th percentile
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score23.5% · Q4 202550th percentile
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- 35.2 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.2% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.6% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202635th percentile
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- 27.2 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 202730th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent13.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
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- 23.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line9.8% · 202412th percentile
- People with a disability14.5% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$85,698 · 202413th percentile
- People below the poverty line8.0% · 20248th percentile
- People without health insurance7.4% · 2020 to 202445th 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 Warren 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
Warren County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Warren County in 2024, pay from work was 64 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 14 cents. Benefit checks were 23 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 9 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Warren County, benefit checks rose from 9 to 23 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Warren County, Missouri: 22.9% and 63.6% 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 Warren County, 18.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Warren County has changed
The number of people living in Warren County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 9,728 to 38,478. The number of jobs located there grew by about 68% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 7.4% in 1990 to 3.7% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 9,728 | 2024 38,478 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 4,899 | 2024 8,212 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.4% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.4% | 2024 8.0% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $27,913 | 2024 $85,698 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 8.6% | 2024 22.9% |
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 Warren County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 35,532, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1981
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
1983
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Warren County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Warren County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Warren County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Warren County ranks 4th of the six; Gasconade County is highest, at 32.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, MO | 39 | 12.2% | 27.6% |
| Franklin County, MO | 32 | 9.0% | 24.0% |
| Lincoln County, MO | 32 | 7.9% | 21.2% |
| Gasconade County, MO | 30 | 12.1% | 32.0% |
| Warren County, MO | 28 | 8.0% | 22.9% |
| St. Charles County, MO | 8 | 6.3% | 15.6% |
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 Warren County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Warren County's poverty rate was 8.0% in 2024, 108th 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, Warren County ranks 93rd of 115 in the state.
Warren County in photographs
Places in Warren County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Warren County Courthouse in Warrenton, Missouri.
Index to Aerial Photography of Warren County, Missouri 3 - DPLA - e14e30e881fdeb9bd5720168dfebb3bd.jpg.
Warren County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Warren County, Missouri?
8.0% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 13 people. Among children it was 9.8%.
Is Warren County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Warren County's poverty rate was 8.0% in 2024, 108th 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, Warren County ranks 93rd of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Warren County, Missouri?
About 38,478 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 35,532, 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 Warren 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 Eastern 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.
Download the CSV for Warren 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 Warren County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.