Missouri Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Missouri, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Missouri. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Missouri. The estimated population of Missouri is 6,141,534 people, with a median age of 38.8.

We can look at the total population in Missouri over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
6,141,534
+0.28%
+1.09%
2020
6,124,160
+0.32%
-
2019
6,104,910
+0.24%
-
2018
6,090,062
+0.24%
-
2017
6,075,300
 - -

Population of Missouri by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
78.2%
79.8%
 -2.01%
Black/African American
11.2%
11.5%
 -2.61%
Native
0.2%
0.4%
 -50.00%
Hispanic
4.4%
4%
 +10.00%
Asian
2%
1.8%
 +11.11%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.1%
0.1%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
3.5%
2.2%
 +59.09%
Other
0.3%
0.1%
 +200.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Missouri by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 38.8 +0.26% 37.6 +0.53% 40 -0.5%
2020 38.7 +0.26% 37.4 +0.54% 40.2 +0.25%
2019 38.6 +0.26% 37.2 +0.27% 40.1 +0.25%
2018 38.5 +0.26% 37.1 +0.27% 40 +0.5%
2017 38.4 - 37 - 39.8 -

The median age of Missouri gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 386,842 -0.56% 370,783 -2.23% 384,679 362,575
10 to 19 406,824 +1.25% 384,955 +2.32% 411,906 393,913
20 to 29 421,431 -2.82% 411,507 -2.14% 409,619 402,760
30 to 39 384,785 +4.12% 385,124 +3.59% 400,879 399,135
40 to 49 364,808 -0.39% 373,305 -2.03% 363,266 365,741
50 to 59 414,265 -4.73% 436,833 -7.17% 394,982 406,308
60 to 69 329,778 +9.67% 358,507 +8.4% 362,802 389,561
70+ 272,599 +9.58% 372,954 +5.53% 299,608 393,800

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Missouri is $61,043.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Missouri.

  • Under 25
    $33,312.00
  • 25 to 44
    $69,318.00
  • 45 to 64
    $72,907.00
  • 65 and over
    $45,364.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Missouri, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Missouri, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Missouri is currently $83,152.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

6.03% of households in Missouri are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Missouri against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    18.75%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    22.52%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    18.24%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    13.25%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    15.12%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    6.07%
  • $200,000 or more
    6.03%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Missouri is $33,770.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Missouri by the total population of Missouri.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Missouri, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Missouri to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    13.95%
  • Bachelor's degree
    30.35%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    11.61%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    41.64%
  • Less than high school diploma
    2.44%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Missouri that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Missouri over the age of 16 is 4,910,777.

Of those people, a total of 63.20% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Missouri is 60.00%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 322,316 45.00% 12.40%
20 to 24 years 400,642 77.40% 7.70%
25 to 29 years 411,737 84.80% 5.00%
30 to 34 years 402,614 84.30% 4.50%
35 to 44 years 763,084 84.00% 3.60%
45 to 54 years 744,131 81.30% 3.50%
55 to 59 years 420,482 71.60% 3.30%
60 to 64 years 411,935 55.80% 2.70%
65 to 74 years 611,609 25.50% 3.10%
75 years and over 422,227 6.70% 3.10%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Missouri. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 4,018,782 62.90% 3.90%
Black or African American 535,276 63.60% 8.20%
American Indian and Alaska Native 16,570 61.20% 5.30%
Asian 101,636 67.30% 2.90%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 6,133 65.20% 6.90%
Other 59,001 71.20% 6.50%
Two or more races 173,379 65.40% 7.00%
Hispanic or Latino 183,165 71.80% 5.20%
Not Hispanic or Latino 3,931,448 62.70% 3.90%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Missouri as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Missouri is 2,945,966, with median earnings of $39,022.00.

Women in Missouri earning approximately 73.30% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 2,945,966 $39,022.00
Male 1,523,859 $45,267.00
Female 1,422,107 $33,192.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 301,540 $65,449.00
Business and Financial 161,805 $62,079.00
Computer and Mathematical 91,086 $75,464.00
Architecture and Engineering 47,662 $76,105.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 27,579 $54,780.00
Community and Social Service 52,804 $39,660.00
Legal 29,378 $72,079.00
Educational and Library 181,036 $39,726.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 49,418 $39,842.00
Healthcare Practitioners 201,867 $54,911.00
Healthcare Support 95,683 $23,017.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 28,016 $35,623.00
Law Enforcement 28,195 $46,200.00
Food Preparation and Serving 158,709 $14,037.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 95,932 $22,789.00
Personal Care and Service 73,763 $17,966.00
Sales 290,018 $32,652.00
Office and Administrative Support 341,876 $32,854.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 15,131 $26,019.00
Construction and Extraction 147,903 $43,153.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 91,585 $47,261.00
Production 195,705 $38,277.00
Transportation and Material Moving 115,690 $39,231.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 176,255 $74,744.00 125,285 $55,125.00
Business and Financial 70,243 $73,322.00 91,562 $55,188.00
Computer and Mathematical 66,094 $79,615.00 24,992 $64,309.00
Architecture and Engineering 40,599 $78,317.00 7,063 $65,609.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 14,908 $58,240.00 12,671 $53,040.00
Community and Social Service 18,768 $41,094.00 34,036 $39,137.00
Legal 13,180 $106,121.00 16,198 $58,622.00
Educational and Library 47,960 $49,406.00 133,076 $37,072.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 23,305 $44,319.00 26,113 $34,110.00
Healthcare Practitioners 45,301 $72,072.00 156,566 $52,070.00
Healthcare Support 12,511 $25,037.00 83,172 $22,775.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 20,949 $39,556.00 7,067 $24,893.00
Law Enforcement 22,981 $49,266.00 5,214 $39,138.00
Food Preparation and Serving 69,575 $15,053.00 89,134 $13,297.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 60,959 $26,940.00 34,973 $17,026.00
Personal Care and Service 16,827 $22,139.00 56,936 $16,840.00
Sales 148,612 $45,227.00 141,406 $22,043.00
Office and Administrative Support 80,812 $37,649.00 261,064 $32,029.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 12,640 $27,248.00 2,491 $20,748.00
Construction and Extraction 143,017 $43,478.00 4,886 $32,567.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 87,776 $47,486.00 3,809 $37,423.00
Production 141,939 $41,561.00 53,766 $30,871.00
Transportation and Material Moving 98,421 $43,046.00 17,269 $22,811.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 2,433,819 households in Missouri, with an average household size of 2.46 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 1,541,667 families in Missouri with an average family size of 3.07 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 1,160,947 108,566 272,154 892,152
Average Household Size 3.12 3.25 3.3 1.24
Total Families 1,160,947 108,566 272,154 0
Average Household Size 3.09 2.83 3.07 0

Poverty

Of the 1,541,667 families in Missouri, 8.50% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Missouri:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 2,782,081 housing units in Missouri.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 2,433,819 87.48%
Vacant 348,262 12.52%

26.66% of the total 2,782,081 housing units in Missouri are rental units. This is approximately 741,771 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 1,645,433 are occupied by the owner - or 59.14% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Missouri is $886.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Missouri that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    46,615
  • Less than $500
    79,838
  • $500 to $999
    386,185
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    210,586
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    45,505
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    12,235
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    2,924
  • $3,000 or more
    4,498

Property Value

The median value of a property in Missouri is $171,800.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Missouri that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    135,182
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    251,416
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    287,354
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    291,510
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    343,478
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    242,239
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    78,212
  • $1,000,000 or more
    16,042

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Missouri. The chart below shows the number of properties in Missouri that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    376,751
  • 1940 to 1949
    128,191
  • 1950 to 1959
    277,119
  • 1960 to 1969
    318,014
  • 1970 to 1979
    423,647
  • 1980 to 1989
    332,844
  • 1990 to 1999
    390,890
  • 2000 to 2009
    358,795
  • 2010 to 2013
    171,343
  • 2014 or later
    4,487

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Missouri that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    157,937
  • 1 vehicle available
    789,524
  • 2 vehicles available
    926,101
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    560,257

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Missouri get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Missouri that commute to work in a particular way.

23.8 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Missouri.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    91,549
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    306,419
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    373,920
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    437,086
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    408,709
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    191,764
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    357,045
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    88,358
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    94,156
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    174,883
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    93,316
  • 90 or more minutes
    49,608

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Missouri in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.

Counties in Missouri

We have data for 115 counties in Missouri. Click on a county below to see more information about the demographics of that county, with links to cities and towns within that county.

Zip Codes in Missouri

If you want to find out more about the population and demographics of specific zip codes in Missouri, click on the links below.