Hickory County, Missouri Income Statistics
Hickory County Wealth Score
The wealth index reflects the overall economic prosperity and financial well-being of a county's residents based on income levels, employment rates, and income inequality metrics.
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D
Hickory County Well below averageLess wealthy than 93% of counties in Missouri
Source: Map AI Methodology
Income Statistics Overview
| Metric | Hickory County | Missouri Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Household Income | $39,283 | $70,801 | $80,455 |
| Median Personal Income | $40,352 | $54,686 | $60,758 |
| Average Yearly Income Growth | 2.5% | 4.6% | 4.8% |
| Six-Figure Earners | 3.2% | 10.5% | 13.9% |
| $200k+ Households | 1.9% | 8.7% | 13.2% |
The median household income in Hickory County is about 45% lower than in Missouri. Income has been growing slower in Hickory County (2.5%/yr) than in Missouri (4.6%/yr).
About 3% of adults in Hickory County earn six figures ($100,000 or more) a year, lower than the Missouri average of 11%.
Median Household Income 2009–2024 Trend
Median Household Income Over Time
Median household income in Hickory County, Missouri grew by 35.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching $39,283 in 2024. That's an average of about 2.5% per year.
Income Inequality and the Gender Pay Gap in Hickory County
| Metric | Hickory County | Missouri Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gini Coefficient | 0.553 | 0.532 | 0.552 |
| Male Median Income | $54,266 | $64,288 | $69,667 |
| Female Median Income | $35,888 | $51,060 | $56,850 |
| Gender Pay Gap | 33.9% | 20.6% | 18.4% |
The Gini coefficient measures how evenly income is shared between richer and poorer households, from 0 (everyone earns the same) to 1 (one household earns nearly everything). The lower the number, the more equally income is distributed. In Hickory County, it is 0.553, higher than Missouri's 0.532, so income is less evenly distributed here than there, and about the same as the US's 0.552, so income here is about as evenly distributed as there.
Men's income is about 51% more than women's income in Hickory County, Missouri. Over a 35-year career, a 51% wage gap accumulates to roughly $643,230 in unearned income for female workers in the area.
Income by Sex Over Time
Since 2009, the income gap between men and women in Hickory County, Missouri has widened from about 31% to 34% in 2024. Over that period the gap was widest at 35% in 2019, and was narrowest at 19% in 2015. In dollar terms, the gap has widened by $8,735 since 2009.
Sharply against the trend: the pay gap in Hickory County widened by 2.9 points while Missouri's narrowed by 4.5 points.
Employment
| Metric | Hickory County | Missouri Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment Rate | 13.7% | 4.0% | 5.2% |
| Working from Home | 6.1% | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| Commute time (minutes) | 21 | 20 | 22 |
Approximately 412 people are unemployed in Hickory County, Missouri.
The average commute time in Hickory County is 21 minutes, longer than the 20 minutes in Missouri.
Unemployment Rate Over Time
Since 2011, the unemployment rate in Hickory County, Missouri has risen from 11.6% to 13.7% in 2024. Over that period the rate peaked at 15.7% in 2013 and fell as low as 6.4% in 2019.
Hickory County, MO Wealth Compared With Nearby Counties
Hickory County, MO is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 8,585 residents against a local median of 20,151. Hickory County, MO's unemployment, at 13.7%, runs 252% above the 3.9% typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Income growth tells the same story from another angle: 2.5%/yr against a local median of 4.8%/yr, 47% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, and it is the wrong way: Hickory County, MO reads weaker than its neighbours on all of them. The counties themselves sit within 1.0% of each other on unemployment, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Hickory County, MO, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Hickory County, MO has the 6th lowest unemployment of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Income growthAverage yearly change in median household income since 2016. Each year is measured in its own dollars, so this is growth before inflation. | Unemployment | Income inequalityGini coefficient: 0 would mean every household earns the same, 1 that a single household earns everything. The lower the number, the more equally income is shared here. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hickory County, MO | 8,585 | $39,283 #6/6 | 2.5%/yr #6/6 | 13.7% #6/6 | 0.553 #6/6 |
| Polk County, MO | 32,444 | $59,586 | 4.3%/yr | 4.0% | 0.552 |
| Benton County, MO | 20,151 | $52,808 | 6.0%/yr | 3.8% | 0.532 |
| Dallas County, MO | 17,551 | $52,964 | 4.5%/yr | 3.9% | 0.538 |
| St. Clair County, MO | 9,587 | $52,864 | 5.9%/yr | 3.3% | 0.506 |
| Camden County, MO | 43,667 | $67,395 | 4.8%/yr | 4.3% | 0.529 |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Hickory County, Missouri has an overall wealth index grade of D, making it somewhat worse than Missouri, and somewhat worse than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about income and wealth in Hickory County, Missouri.
How Rich Is Hickory County, Missouri?
Hickory County has a wealth index grade of D. The wealth index grades areas from A+ (best) to F- by combining income levels, employment rates, and income inequality; a D grade means residents are somewhat worse off than the U.S. average. The median household income is $39,283, about 45% lower than the Missouri average of $70,801.
Are incomes growing in Hickory County, Missouri?
Between 2009 and 2024, the median household income in Hickory County, Missouri rose 36%, from $28,914 to $39,283. Over the same years, income here lagged behind Missouri as a whole: +36% against +54%.
What was the median household income in Hickory County in 2023?
In 2023, the median household income in Hickory County, Missouri was $35,081, up 6% from $33,114 in 2022. The Missouri median that year was $69,047.
What was the median household income in Hickory County in 2020?
In 2020, the median household income in Hickory County, Missouri was $33,848. By 2024 it had risen 16% to $39,283.
Is it hard to find a job in Hickory County, Missouri?
Unemployment in Hickory County, Missouri is 13.7%, well above the Missouri rate of 4.0%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
What is the Gini coefficient in Hickory County, Missouri?
The Gini coefficient in Hickory County is 0.553. It measures income inequality on a scale from 0 (everyone earns the same) to 1 (one household earns everything). That is almost the same as the US average of 0.552, so income is distributed about as equally as in the country overall.
How has the income gap between men and women changed in Hickory County, Missouri?
Since 2009, the income gap between men and women in Hickory County, Missouri has widened from about 31% to 34% in 2024. Over that period the gap was widest at 35% in 2019, and was narrowest at 19% in 2015. In dollar terms, the gap has widened by $8,735 since 2009.
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