I'll say from the start that I know this part of Illinois and I think the term "poor" is subjective and the very few people that live there would not consider themselves that. However, going purely by data, it is the poorest town in Illinois with only 32 people that call it home.
It's probably the most common question you'll hear someone ask when they're considering a move to Missouri. What's the cost of living there? Well, there's some good news for sure, but there's some bad news also.
Wealth is very much a subjective thing. What one person might consider a pittance would feel like a fortune to someone else. How much do people think (key word) they need to live comfortably in Illinois? The numbers are ridiculous.
There's a brand new list of the wealthiest people in the world and Missouri has a new (sort of) number one richest person. This guy is so wealthy, he could afford to buy 3 billion candy bars and that's even allowing for inflation on chocolate.
Missouri has a billion dollars in unclaimed property that is never spoken for. There's a one in ten chance that they have something meant for you based on statistics. There's an easy way to find out if you're one of the lucky ones.