About one in seven people in Webster County, Missouri, has a disability
In Webster County, 13.4% of people reported a disability (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is lower than in 74% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 50% 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 37.9. Bankruptcy filings ran at 91.6 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 68% 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, 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).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Webster 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.
- 62.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line23.5% · 202477th percentile
- People with a disability13.4% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,325 · 202454th percentile
- People below the poverty line15.0% · 202464th percentile
- People without health insurance15.5% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
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- 56.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.4% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.1% · August 202559th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score25.1% · Q4 202557th percentile
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- 50.4 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.8% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202638th percentile
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- 41.3 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 income20.5% · fiscal year 202747th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent15.6% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
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- 37.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.5% · August 202544th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people91.6 · 202531st 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 Webster 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
Webster County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Webster County in 2024, pay from work was 59 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 13 cents. Benefit checks were 27 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 14 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Webster County, benefit checks rose from 14 to 27 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Webster County, Missouri: 27.3% and 59.3% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 27.3% of all personal income in Webster 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 Webster County, 15.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Webster County has changed
The number of people living in Webster County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 15,692 to 42,041. The number of jobs located there grew by about 81% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 8.3% in 1990 to 3.9% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 15,692 | 2024 42,041 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 4,729 | 2024 8,569 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.3% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.2% | 2024 15.0% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $20,834 | 2024 $65,325 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 14.1% | 2024 27.3% |
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 Webster County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 39,085, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2008
Tornado: $10 million in property damage, two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
Hail: $12.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2026
Hail: $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
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas County, MO | 74 | 17.0% | 33.3% |
| Douglas County, MO | 73 | 17.8% | 38.6% |
| Laclede County, MO | 68 | 14.9% | 30.9% |
| Wright County, MO | 68 | 19.0% | 37.4% |
| Webster County, MO | 49 | 15.0% | 27.3% |
| Greene County, MO | 47 | 10.5% | 22.1% |
| Christian County, MO | 17 | 8.0% | 20.5% |
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 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.
Webster County in photographs
Places in Webster County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
County Courthouse ( Webster County ), Marshfield, Missouri.
Webster County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Webster County, Missouri?
15.0% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 23.5%.
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.
What is the population of Webster County, Missouri?
About 42,041 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 39,085, 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 Webster 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 Webster 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 Webster County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.