Data report · 2026

Missouri Water Damage Risk Index

Where in Missouri is a house most likely to take on water? We combined Census housing age with ten years of daily weather for 114 of Missouri's 114 counties to rank them.

Highest index

Carroll

Score 70 of 100

Most pipe-freeze nights

Putnam

50 nights ≤ 20°F a year

Oldest housing

Atchison

54% built before 1960

Most heavy-rain days

Ripley

15.2 days ≥ 1 inch a year

< 4040–4747–5353–60≥ 60 index (0–100)

Key findings

The five highest-scoring counties are Carroll, Livingston, Buchanan, Jackson, Harrison. Each combines old housing with harsher-than-average winters or frequent downpours.
Atchison County has the oldest housing in the state, with 54% of homes built before 1960, against a county median of 25%.
Putnam County averaged 50 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the most of any county in the data. The county median is 28.
Christian County has the newest housing, with 48% of homes built since 2000, which pulls its index down even where winters are cold.

Weather: NOAA nClimGrid-Daily county averages, 2015–2024. Housing: ACS 2020-2024.

All counties

Select a column header to sort.

Rank	County	Index	Freeze nights	Pre-1960 homes	Heavy-rain days	Muggy nights
1	Carroll	70	35	49%	10	62
2	Livingston	68	39	40%	10.1	59
3	Buchanan	67	38	45%	9.4	59
4	Jackson	65	30	37%	9.4	73
5	Harrison	64	47	44%	8.7	47
6	Grundy	63	43	46%	8.6	54
7	Holt	63	44	43%	8.5	57
8	Knox	63	44	43%	9	46
9	Linn	63	39	43%	8.9	58
10	Saline	63	32	36%	9.2	68
11	Worth	63	49	49%	8.2	46
12	Barton	62	22	35%	12	73
13	Dade	62	22	36%	12.1	72
14	Lafayette	62	32	32%	10.5	66
15	Schuyler	62	47	45%	8.5	43
16	Shelby	62	42	39%	9	51
17	Atchison	61	47	54%	7.4	50
18	Bates	61	26	30%	11.8	72
19	Caldwell	61	39	34%	10.2	54
20	Chariton	60	35	40%	8.4	66
21	Daviess	60	44	31%	9.8	51
22	Gentry	60	46	34%	9.1	49
23	Pettis	60	31	34%	9.3	67
24	Vernon	60	22	34%	11.8	75
25	Cooper	59	30	35%	8.8	70
26	Marion	59	37	39%	8.6	59
27	St. Louis	59	24	34%	9.9	82
28	Sullivan	59	45	44%	8.1	46
29	Dunklin	58	10	30%	13.6	102
30	Henry	58	27	28%	10.5	74
31	Howard	57	31	36%	8.3	70
32	Macon	57	40	33%	9	55
33	Mississippi	57	13	28%	13.7	89
34	Pemiscot	57	9	32%	12.9	104
35	Iron	56	30	28%	12.3	42
36	Randolph	56	34	34%	8.6	63
37	Scotland	56	45	38%	8.1	46
38	Nodaway	55	47	31%	8.6	49
39	Pike	55	32	35%	8.9	59
40	Adair	54	44	31%	8.9	46
41	Clark	54	42	36%	8.1	54
42	Madison	54	25	26%	12.6	56
43	Mercer	54	48	35%	8	42
44	Ray	54	35	31%	8.7	60
45	Stoddard	54	14	25%	13.3	89
46	Audrain	53	33	37%	7.7	60
47	DeKalb	53	44	25%	9.9	48
48	Gasconade	53	28	32%	10.2	58
49	Lewis	53	41	33%	8.4	55
50	Oregon	53	18	26%	13.2	71
51	St. Clair	53	23	24%	12.2	74
52	Perry	52	22	25%	12.3	71
53	Reynolds	52	28	26%	12.6	45
54	St. Francois	52	28	26%	11.8	54
55	Andrew	51	43	25%	9.2	54
56	Lawrence	51	21	27%	12.2	67
57	Monroe	51	36	33%	8.2	58
58	Scott	51	14	25%	12.8	86
59	Bollinger	50	20	23%	12.9	71
60	Jasper	50	20	25%	11.9	77
61	New Madrid	50	12	24%	13	95
62	Washington	50	30	21%	12.7	46
63	Wright	50	24	29%	11.9	55
64	Greene	49	24	21%	12.6	65
65	Putnam	49	50	30%	7.6	38
66	Cape Girardeau	48	18	21%	13	77
67	Ripley	48	16	19%	15.2	78
68	Wayne	48	20	21%	13.4	68
69	Osage	47	26	25%	9.6	70
70	Butler	46	13	18%	14.5	88
71	Clinton	46	39	27%	8.4	52
72	Johnson	46	29	17%	10.3	71
73	Laclede	46	24	23%	11.6	64
74	Montgomery	46	31	26%	8.6	61
75	Cedar	45	21	20%	12	75
76	Dallas	45	26	21%	11.7	62
77	Dent	45	29	22%	11.7	46
78	Texas	45	23	26%	11.6	60
79	Barry	43	19	19%	13.5	66
80	Cass	43	28	11%	10.4	72
81	Newton	43	17	22%	11.2	78
82	Ste. Genevieve	43	24	19%	11	68
83	Franklin	42	28	21%	10.1	57
84	Moniteau	42	26	25%	8.5	70
85	Ozark	42	19	20%	13.1	64
86	Polk	42	23	17%	12.4	67
87	Shannon	42	22	21%	12	61
88	Benton	41	27	15%	10.9	66
89	Cole	41	24	20%	9.4	75
90	Crawford	41	30	18%	11.7	42
91	Howell	40	19	22%	11.7	67
92	Jefferson	40	24	15%	10.6	71
93	Maries	40	24	21%	9.7	68
94	Platte	40	33	11%	9	68
95	McDonald	39	17	18%	11.7	78
96	Morgan	39	27	18%	9.7	66
97	Callaway	38	29	18%	8.7	68
98	Clay	38	34	18%	8.1	66
99	Hickory	38	24	14%	11.2	68
100	Ralls	38	33	21%	7.8	60
101	St. Charles	38	25	7%	10.5	72
102	Stone	38	20	8%	13.1	67
103	Webster	38	25	14%	12.2	54
104	Carter	37	20	12%	12.8	66
105	Phelps	37	25	17%	10.6	60
106	Taney	37	20	7%	14	64
107	Boone	36	29	11%	8.7	70
108	Douglas	35	21	17%	12.2	58
109	Christian	34	23	7%	12.4	59
110	Miller	34	23	14%	9.3	75
111	Warren	34	29	8%	9.7	60
112	Pulaski	33	23	11%	10.3	68
113	Camden	31	23	5%	9.7	72
114	Lincoln	31	31	10%	8.4	63

Methodology

For each county with weather data, we convert four factors to a percentile rank among those counties (0 = lowest, 100 = highest), then take a weighted average:

Pipe-freeze nights (nights ≤ 20°F / yr), weight 30%
Homes built before 1960 (% of homes), weight 30%
Heavy-rain days (days ≥ 1 in / yr), weight 25%
Muggy nights (nights ≥ 65°F / yr), weight 15%

Freezing weather and old plumbing get the most weight because burst and failing supply lines are among the most common causes of household water damage. Heavy rain drives basement flooding and sewer backups, and warm, muggy nights mark the humid air that lets mold follow. The index is relative: a low score means lower risk than other Missouri counties, not no risk.

Limits: weather values are county-wide averages, so hollows, ridges and lakeshores can differ; ACS housing figures are survey estimates; the index doesn't account for floodplains, soil, or local sewer systems. Full details on our data sources page.

Cite this data

You're welcome to use these figures with attribution. Suggested citation:

Local Water & Mold, "Missouri Water Damage Risk Index 2026," https://localwatermold.com/missouri/missouri-water-damage-risk/. Data: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024; NOAA nClimGrid-Daily 2015–2024.