Big Prairie, New Madrid County, Missouri Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Big Prairie, 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 Big Prairie, Missouri. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Big Prairie, Missouri. The estimated population of Big Prairie, Missouri is 3,377 people, with a median age of 38.4.

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

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
3,377
-10.31% -4.77%
2020
3,765
+8.07%
-
2019
3,484
-0.85% -
2018
3,514
-0.9% -
2017
3,546
- -

Population of Big Prairie, 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
87.6%
88.5%
-1.02%
Black/African American
9.7%
7%
+38.57%
Native
0%
0%
0.00%
Hispanic
0.8%
2.1%
-61.90%
Asian
0%
0%
0.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
0.00%
Two Or More Races
1.9%
2.5%
-24.00%
Other
0%
0%
0.00%

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 Big Prairie, 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 38.4 +2.95% 44.1 +10.8% 35.3 -2.22%
2020 37.3 -6.98% 39.8 -5.69% 36.1 -5.74%
2019 40.1 -3.14% 42.2 -2.76% 38.3 -5.2%
2018 41.4 -4.39% 43.4 0% 40.4 -5.61%
2017 43.3 - 43.4 - 42.8 -

The median age of Big Prairie, 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 9 224 -26.08% 191 +40.6% 159 270
10 to 19 248 -18.26% 223 +25.16% 201 282
20 to 29 103 +105.53% 163 +30.47% 207 201
30 to 39 207 -14.71% 243 +3.99% 175 246
40 to 49 241 -33.49% 282 -54.61% 165 156
50 to 59 264 -24.62% 246 -24.98% 201 188
60 to 69 204 0.24% 274 -30.56% 191 199
70+ 214 +18.29% 219 +35.46% 248 288

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Big Prairie, Missouri is $55,066.00.

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 Big Prairie.

  • Under 25
    $0.00
  • 25 to 44
    $70,167.00
  • 45 to 64
    $51,071.00
  • 65 and over
    $54,821.00

Average Household Income

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

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Big Prairie, 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 Big Prairie, Missouri is currently $65,417.00.

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.

0.75% of households in Big Prairie 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 Big Prairie against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    17.48%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    27.86%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    19.04%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    14.49%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    17.18%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    3.21%
  • $200,000 or more
    0.75%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Big Prairie is $26,257.00.

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

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

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Big Prairie 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
    10.07%
  • Bachelor's degree
    15.93%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    10.48%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    59.93%
  • Less than high school diploma
    3.59%

Employment

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

The total population of Big Prairie over the age of 16 is 2,634.

Of those people, a total of 56.50% 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 Big Prairie is 53.40%.

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 169 44.40% 38.70%
20 to 24 years 138 68.80% 14.70%
25 to 29 years 270 83.70% 0.00%
30 to 34 years 238 81.90% 0.00%
35 to 44 years 300 82.70% 10.10%
45 to 54 years 390 77.70% 0.00%
55 to 59 years 203 64.50% 0.00%
60 to 64 years 190 16.30% 0.00%
65 to 74 years 370 25.90% 0.00%
75 years and over 366 24.00% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Big Prairie. 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 2,295 58.20% 5.10%
Black or African American 282 44.70% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1 100.00% 0.00%
Asian 0 0.00% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.00% 0.00%
Other 0 0.00% 0.00%
Two or more races 56 44.60% 0.00%
Hispanic or Latino 26 42.30% 0.00%
Not Hispanic or Latino 2,269 58.40% 5.20%

Occupations

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

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Big Prairie is 1,406, with median earnings of $37,008.00.

Women in Big Prairie, Missouri earning approximately 79.70% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 1,406 $37,008.00
Male 773 $40,216.00
Female 633 $32,067.00

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 61 $21,705.00
Business and Financial 49 $78,264.00
Computer and Mathematical 0 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 0 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 30 $0.00
Community and Social Service 24 $36,364.00
Legal 0 $0.00
Educational and Library 53 $33,750.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 35 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 87 $61,010.00
Healthcare Support 79 $37,604.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 0 $0.00
Law Enforcement 11 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 36 $16,250.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 23 $20,809.00
Personal Care and Service 53 $9,954.00
Sales 205 $41,042.00
Office and Administrative Support 221 $40,250.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 26 $32,813.00
Construction and Extraction 44 $44,000.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 72 $35,625.00
Production 103 $40,703.00
Transportation and Material Moving 81 $35,750.00

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 46 $57,833.00 15 $21,250.00
Business and Financial 22 $78,472.00 27 $0.00
Computer and Mathematical 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 13 $0.00 17 $0.00
Community and Social Service 11 $0.00 13 $0.00
Legal 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Educational and Library 0 $0.00 53 $33,750.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 7 $0.00 28 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 8 $0.00 79 $61,394.00
Healthcare Support 36 $0.00 43 $28,942.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Law Enforcement 11 $0.00 0 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 0 $0.00 36 $16,250.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 12 $0.00 11 $0.00
Personal Care and Service 12 $0.00 41 $9,398.00
Sales 145 $52,739.00 60 $21,413.00
Office and Administrative Support 47 $34,306.00 174 $42,778.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 20 $33,750.00 6 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 44 $44,000.00 0 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 72 $35,625.00 0 $0.00
Production 92 $40,938.00 11 $39,063.00
Transportation and Material Moving 75 $35,450.00 6 $0.00

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 1,339 households in Big Prairie, with an average household size of 2.45 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 875 families in Big Prairie with an average family size of 3.08 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 665 68 142 464
Average Household Size 3.07 3.01 3.63 1.13
Total Families 665 68 142 0
Average Household Size 3.06 2.72 3.32 0

Poverty

Of the 875 families in Big Prairie, 10.50% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Big Prairie:

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 1,422 housing units in Big Prairie, Missouri.

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

Total Percentage
Occupied 1,339 94.16%
Vacant 83 5.84%

23.77% of the total 1,422 housing units in Big Prairie are rental units. This is approximately 338 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 970 are occupied by the owner - or 68.21% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Big Prairie is $848.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Big Prairie 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
    31
  • Less than $500
    20
  • $500 to $999
    229
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    89
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    0
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    0
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    0

Property Value

The median value of a property in Big Prairie is $148,700.00.

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

  • Less than $50,000
    66
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    240
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    185
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    282
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    175
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    17
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    0
  • $1,000,000 or more
    5

Property Age

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

  • 1939 or earlier
    59
  • 1940 to 1949
    12
  • 1950 to 1959
    85
  • 1960 to 1969
    121
  • 1970 to 1979
    217
  • 1980 to 1989
    260
  • 1990 to 1999
    239
  • 2000 to 2009
    283
  • 2010 to 2013
    146
  • 2014 or later
    0

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 Big Prairie that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    104
  • 1 vehicle available
    379
  • 2 vehicles available
    614
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    242

Commuting to Work

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

20.9 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Big Prairie.

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
    132
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    260
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    298
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    224
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    55
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    57
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    163
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    11
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    15
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    56
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    40
  • 90 or more minutes
    58

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Big Prairie, 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.