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Missouri brings to mind images of Jefferson City, beautiful landscapes, and some of the best people you'll find in the good ole US of A.
However, like all states, Missouri has certain places that are going on hard times. These places have an above average percent of people that are living in poverty, out of work, or not making as much as they should be.
With all the talk about income inequality going on around the country, we thought it prudent to take a look at the places in each state that are struggling to make it even as the economy continues to improve. So we set our sites on bringing attention to the places in Missouri that could use a helping hand.
To do so, we analyzed the newest Census data from the American Community Survey for the 129 places in Missouri with more than 5,000 people.
Here are the ten poorest places in Missouri for 2020:
Again, this isn't a commentary on the people that live there or the vibrant culture and traditions of these places. Instead, it's just a look at the facts.
What's the poorst city in Missouri? According to the facts, Caruthersville is the poorest place in Missouri for 2020.
Rich people more your cup of tea? Feel free to check out the richest places in Missouri or the most dangerous.
For more on how we calculated the top ten, and for more information about these places, read on.
If you're looking for something more national, check out the poorest states in America or the poorest cities in America.
For more Missouri reading, check out:
- 10 Best Places To Live In Missouri
- 10 Cheapest Places To Live In Missouri
- 10 Most Dangerous Cities in Missouri
The 10 Poorest Cities In Missouri For 2020
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Caruthersville, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in Missouri thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.
The city of 5,760 people averages the 2nd lowest median household income in Missouri and the 4th highest poverty rate. At the very least, the cost of living ranks in the bottom 15% of place in the state, so things like housing are relatively affordable.
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The second poorest city in Missouri is Charleston.
The city ranks as having the 5th highest incidence of poverty and 4th lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate 'only' ranks as the 3rd highest in the Show Me State.
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Placing as the third poorest city, Kirksville's median income ranks as the 1st lowest.
And that's a sign that there's a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. The poverty rate is 34.14733139416898% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state.
But what makes up for the relatively low incomes of the city is its low cost of living. The income you do make here goes further than in most parts of the Show Me State.
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Poplar Bluff ranks as the fourth poorest place in Missouri.
The town ranks as having the 3rd lowest median household income and the 9th highest incidence of poverty in the state.
That being said, there's still a ton of cultural diversity in the city as it hosts many events throughout the year.
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The fifth poorest city in Missouri is Jennings.
The city ranks as having the 5th lowest median income in the state. However, an extremely low cost of living prevents a good number of folks from living in poverty as the poverty rate only ranks as the 29th highest in Missouri.
Still not the best news for Jennings.
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Kennett ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Show Me State.
It ranks as having the 6th highest incidence of poverty and the 29th highest unemployment rate.
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Park Hills places as the seventh poorest city in Missouri.
The city of over 8,568 ranks as having the 8th highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.
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Clinton ranks as the eighth poorest city in Missouri.
The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as the 21st highest in the state.
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Sedalia couldn't stay out of the top ten poorest places in Missouri; it ranks number 9.
While the median income is the 18th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Sedalia ranks as having the 26th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Missouri.
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Population: 6,390
Rank Last Year: 14 (Up 4)
Median Income: $38,585 (21st lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 9.6% (8th highest)
Poverty Rate: 21.2% (27th highest)
More on De Soto: Data
And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Missouri is De Soto.
The city of 6,390 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Show Me State.
How We Determined The Poorest Places In Missouri for 2020
The first thing that comes to most people's minds when they think about determining the poorest places is to simply the poverty rate. That is, the number of people living below a federally established level of income for a household of a certain size.
However, we don't think that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the "poorest places". So we looked at this set of criteria from the newly released 2014-2018 American Community Survey:
- Poverty Level
- Median Household Income adjusted for the cost of living
- Unemployment Rate
The "median household income adjusted for the cost of living" attempts to gauge how expensive it is to live in a place and how that impacts the quality of life. For example, a town might have fewer people living below the official poverty line, but the cost of living is so high they'd still feel poor.
The unemployment rate tries to capture the prospects for improvement in the city or town. If more people are employed, the brighter the future looks and vice versa.
After we collected the data for all 129 places with more than 5,000 people in Missouri, we ranked each place from 1 to 129 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the poorest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a "Poor Score" with the place having the lowest overall Poor Score, Caruthersville, crowned the "Poorest Place In Missouri For 2020". You can download the data here.
There You Have It - The Poorest Places In Missouri For 2020
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the poorest places in Missouri, we weren't sure what we'd encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Missouri.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very bottom of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you're curious enough, here are the richest cities in Missouri, according to data:
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Richest: Ladue
2nd Richest: Des Peres
3rd Richest: Glendale
For more Missouri reading, check out:
- These Are The 10 Richest Cities In Missouri
- 10 Safest Places In Missouri
- 10 Worst Places To Live In Missouri
- Most Expensive Places To Live In Missouri
Detailed List Of The Poorest Places To Live In Missouri
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caruthersville | 5,760 |
| 2 | Charleston | 5,704 |
| 3 | Kirksville | 17,483 |
| 4 | Poplar Bluff | 17,107 |
| 5 | Jennings | 14,794 |
| 6 | Kennett | 10,225 |
| 7 | Park Hills | 8,568 |
| 8 | Clinton | 9,107 |
| 9 | Sedalia | 21,642 |
| 10 | De Soto | 6,390 |
| 11 | Berkeley | 8,991 |
| 12 | Carthage | 14,690 |
| 13 | St. Louis | 311,273 |
| 14 | Rolla | 20,117 |
| 15 | Springfield | 166,633 |
| 16 | Ferguson | 20,931 |
| 17 | Mexico | 11,544 |
| 18 | Waynesville | 5,262 |
| 19 | Lebanon | 14,637 |
| 20 | Sikeston | 16,366 |
| 21 | Maryville | 11,771 |
| 22 | Hannibal | 17,575 |
| 23 | Harrisonville | 10,023 |
| 24 | Sullivan | 6,496 |
| 25 | Dexter | 7,885 |
| 26 | Aurora | 7,435 |
| 27 | Branson | 11,345 |
| 28 | Bellefontaine Neighbors | 10,613 |
| 29 | Warrensburg | 20,025 |
| 30 | Macon | 5,379 |
| 31 | Marshfield | 7,226 |
| 32 | Moberly | 13,762 |
| 33 | Cape Girardeau | 39,323 |
| 34 | Monett | 8,917 |
| 35 | Neosho | 12,009 |
| 36 | Fulton | 12,799 |
| 37 | Joplin | 50,073 |
| 38 | St. Ann | 12,853 |
| 39 | Webb City | 11,572 |
| 40 | Boonville | 8,410 |
| 41 | St. Joseph | 76,465 |
| 42 | West Plains | 12,222 |
| 43 | Warrenton | 8,129 |
| 44 | Columbia | 120,248 |
| 45 | Grandview | 25,174 |
| 46 | Cameron | 9,665 |
| 47 | Richmond | 5,606 |
| 48 | Chillicothe | 9,136 |
| 49 | Overland | 15,787 |
| 50 | Nevada | 8,252 |
| 51 | Bowling Green | 5,501 |
| 52 | St. John | 6,432 |
| 53 | Kansas City | 481,417 |
| 54 | Independence | 117,207 |
| 55 | Pacific | 6,329 |
| 56 | Marshall | 13,001 |
| 57 | Festus | 11,970 |
| 58 | Bolivar | 10,760 |
| 59 | Bonne Terre | 7,110 |
| 60 | Pleasant Hill | 8,418 |
| 61 | Florissant | 51,744 |
| 62 | Trenton | 5,846 |
| 63 | Republic | 16,044 |
| 64 | Jackson | 14,826 |
| 65 | Bridgeton | 11,690 |
| 66 | Excelsior Springs | 11,575 |
| 67 | Hazelwood | 25,399 |
| 68 | University City | 34,653 |
| 69 | Black Jack | 6,943 |
| 70 | Gladstone | 26,995 |
| 71 | Odessa | 5,189 |
| 72 | Farmington | 18,269 |
| 73 | St. Robert | 5,767 |
| 74 | Raytown | 29,216 |
| 75 | Jefferson City | 43,013 |
| 76 | Nixa | 21,113 |
| 77 | Maplewood | 8,008 |
| 78 | Maryland Heights | 27,128 |
| 79 | Ozark | 19,418 |
| 80 | Peculiar | 5,006 |
| 81 | Pevely | 5,784 |
| 82 | Arnold | 21,107 |
| 83 | Perryville | 8,403 |
| 84 | Smithville | 9,541 |
| 85 | Union | 11,274 |
| 86 | Belton | 23,348 |
| 87 | Savannah | 5,124 |
| 88 | Troy | 11,771 |
| 89 | Oak Grove | 8,008 |
| 90 | Manchester | 18,189 |
| 91 | Valley Park | 6,832 |
| 92 | St. Charles | 69,576 |
| 93 | Blue Springs | 54,370 |
| 94 | Richmond Heights | 8,457 |
| 95 | Ellisville | 9,581 |
| 96 | Crestwood | 11,881 |
| 97 | St. Peters | 56,838 |
| 98 | Battlefield | 6,104 |
| 99 | Grain Valley | 13,715 |
| 100 | Willard | 5,453 |
No wonder Eldon is ranked 10th; it lost all of it’s industry thinking it was a tourist town???????