Poverty

New data on crime, poverty and unemployment reveal the 10 worst Missouri cities to live in right now.

There are a lot of ways to measure wealth. If you're looking purely at dollars and economies, Missouri is sadly again ranked among the poorest states in America for 2025, but there's some good news, too.

Wealth can be a subjective term. What is rich to one person might seem like a pittance to someone else. Do you actually know what Missouri's poverty level is? Do you know that you might be poor (by state standards) and not even know it?

I want to be clear that I love the people of Kentucky and I don't want anyone there to misunderstand what I'm about to share. But, the poorest county in Illinois based on new data really should just be a part of Kentucky. I'll explain why.

I think it goes without saying (but I will say it) that I'm not a fancy fellow. That's one of the reasons I am quite pleased to report that Missouri has been ranked as one of the least expensive states to live in based on science. Yay for cheap.

If you have enough food to eat and a roof over your head, you are blessed. Many in Missouri do not have that assurance. There's one place in particular where the poverty rate is higher than anyplace else and it's a city where more than half of the people there suffer.

Project Community Connect (PCC) will be offering health services and resources to struggling families and individuals in Warrensburg, Mo on Oct. 18 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. in the University of Central Missouri's (UCM) Recreation Center. These services include free medical care, dental work, employment affairs and even haircuts.