About one in seven people in Webster County, Missouri, has a disability
In Webster County, 13.4% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 74% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 51% of U.S. counties.
What drives Webster County's score
In Webster County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 62.5. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 37.8. Bankruptcy filings ran at 91.6 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 68% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Webster 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.
Even so, Webster County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (15.5%, 2020 to 2024) and children below the poverty line (23.5%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 62.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.0% · 202464th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.5% · 202477th percentile
- People with a disability13.4% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- People without health insurance15.5% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,325 · 202454th percentile
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- 55.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.1% · August 202559th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.4% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.6% · second quarter of 202651st percentile
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- 50.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202638th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.8% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
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- 41.3 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 rent15.6% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.5% · fiscal year 202747th percentile
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- 37.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.5% · August 202543rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people91.6 · 202531st 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 Webster 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 Webster County, 15.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Webster County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Webster County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 27.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Webster County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Webster County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 12.5% in 2019 to 10.1% in 2020.
The share of households in Webster County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 9.8%
Low on the chart: 9.6% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Webster County, Missouri.
How Webster County has changed
Webster County's population had its largest rise, from 26,248 in 1994 to 30,463 in 1999.
Webster County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 42,041, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 36,751. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Webster County, Missouri.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Webster County doubled to 8,630, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 5,741. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Webster County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.3% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.2% | 2024 15.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,834 | 2024 $65,325 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Webster County's history
2008
A tornado in January 2008 did $10 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flash flood in February 2008 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 39,085, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2024
Hail in May 2024 did $12.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2026
Hail in April 2026 did $65.1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
33 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Webster County, 25 of them for flooding. FEMA
Webster County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Webster County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Webster County ranks 5th of the seven; Douglas County is highest, at 38.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas County, MO | 74 | 17.8% | 38.6% |
| Dallas County, MO | 73 | 17.0% | 33.3% |
| Wright County, MO | 70 | 19.0% | 37.4% |
| Laclede County, MO | 68 | 14.9% | 30.9% |
| Webster County, MO | 48 | 15.0% | 27.3% |
| Greene County, MO | 46 | 10.5% | 22.1% |
| Christian County, MO | 16 | 8.0% | 20.5% |
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 Webster County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Webster County's poverty rate was 15.0% in 2024, 40th 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, Webster County ranks 58th of 115 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Webster 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 Webster 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 Webster County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.