Missouri Population 2024

6,215,144

The landlocked state of Missouri is situated in the United Statesā€™ Midwest, and according to figures from the 2010 Census, it was the 18th most populous state in the country at the time. The census revealed that the Missouri population in 2010 was 5,988,927, which represented an increase of 7% on the findings from the 2000 Census. It's not known if the population will reach 6.1 million in the very near future, as Missouri has a current growth rate of just 0.28%, which ranks 41st in the country.

Missouri Area and Population Density

Missouri is relatively sparsely populated, but not remarkably so. Its total land mass measures 69,704 square miles and for every square mile of land, there is an average of 87.1 people. This makes Missouri the 28th most densely populated state in the country, despite being 18th in terms of population and 21st in terms of land area.

The four largest cities in the state are St. Louis (315,685), Kansas City (475,378), Springfield (166,810) and Columbia (119,108), while the capital itself is Jefferson City. Most of the state's counties have a population density between 1 and 100 people per square mile, although the large urban areas have a population density that reaches over 5,000 people per square mile. Missouri does have a higher rural population than most of the country, with approximately one-third of Missourians living in a rural area.

Missouri Gender and Religion Statistics

The median age in Missouri is approximately 38.3 years of age. The ratio of females to males is approximately 50.9% female and 49.1% male.

In terms of preferred religions through the state's population, we can see 77% have an affiliation with a Christian based faith, 3% are involved in non-Christian based faiths, and 20% are unaffiliated with any faith in particular.

Missouri Boundary, Census, and Statehood History

Missouri was acquired as part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 and became part of Louisiana Territory, established in 1805 and comprising the whole of the Louisiana Purchase north of present-day Louisiana. This was renamed Missouri Territory in 1812. The southern portion (present-day Arkansas and most of Oklahoma) became Arkansas Territory in 1819. Missouri was admitted as a State on August 10, 1821; the northwestern corner (the Platte Purchase) was added in 1837, bringing the State to essentially its current boundaries.

In 1810, census coverage of Louisiana Territory was limited to portions of present-day Missouri and Arkansas, mainly close to the Mississippi River. The 1810 census was reported by districts (renamed counties in 1812); Arkansas District was entirely within present-day Arkansas and is shown under that State; New Madrid District also was partly within present-day Arkansas. In 1820, census coverage of Missouri Territory did not extend beyond present-day Missouri. After statehood in 1821, Missouri Territory, distinct from the State, continued to exist until 1854, but was almost entirely Indian lands and had virtually no census coverage.

Missouri Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Missouri was:

  • White: 80.28%
  • Black or African American: 11.33%
  • Two or more races: 4.55%
  • Asian: 2.01%
  • Other race: 1.37%
  • Native American: 0.32%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.14%

Missouri Population History

Back in 1810, it was revealed that 19,783 citizens lived in Missouri, but increasing migration throughout the 19th century helped to swell the numbers significantly. Just ten years later in 1820, the population of Missouri had climbed by 236.6% to 66,586, and a further increase of over 100% took those numbers to 140,455 in 1830.

Further significant increases throughout the 1800s meant that by the time the 20th century arrived, the Missouri population stood at 3,106,665. From this point, census by census increases began to slow down but the overall picture was one of sustained growth to the point where the population of Missouri in 2012 had climbed to over 6 million for the first time.

Missouri Population Growth

Natural growth figures released in 2007 showed that there had been an increase of 137,564 people since the 2000 census with 480,763 births, 343,199 deaths and a net migration increase of 88,088 in the seven year period.

The total population has been estimated to approach 6.8 million people by 2030, a 21% increase over the population in 2000. The population of senior citizens is expected to grow very quickly as well, and it's estimated that people over 65 will account for one-fifth of the state's population by 2030. Natural change is expected to add an average of 244,000 Missourians every decade.

Missouri Population Projections

The northern and southeastern areas of Missouri are expected to lose a great deal of their population in the coming decades, while the urban areas continue to grow. In many ways, statistics relating to the population of Missouri are fairly unremarkable but like much of the US, the overall picture is one of healthy and sustained growth. At the 2020 census, it will be interesting to see how far the numbers can stretch beyond 6 million toward the next milestone.

[The largest ancestry groups](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri) in Missouri are: German (27.4%), Irish (14.8%), English (10.2%), American (8.5%) and French (3.7%). A large percentage of Missourians are of German ancestry and present throughout the state. African Americans are also a large part of the population of Missouri's largest urban area, St. Louis, accounting for 56.6% of the state's total African American population.

Missouri's diversity range also has a population of Missouri Creoles of French ancestry around the Mississippi River Valley, and Kansas City is home to a large and growing community of Latin American immigrants, as well as immigrants from Africa, Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia. There is also a large population of Cherokee Indians in Missouri. Missouri has a rapidly rising population of Hispanics.

Missouri Growth Rate

Missouri Population Rank

Missouri Population 2024

  • The first permanent settlement in Missouri was St. Genevieve, which was established in 1735.
  • The state was named after a tribe of Sioux Indians that inhabited the state and were known as Missouris. The name translates to "wooden canoe people."
  • The most destructive tornado in US history, the Tri-State tornado of 1925, touched down in Missouri, destroying 90% of Annapolis and killing 695 people.
  • Adolphus Busch and Eberhard Anheuser were two of the earliest St. Louis immigrants. The Anheuser-Busch brewery is located in St. Louis today and is the largest beer-producer in the United States.
  • St. Louis is home to the St. Louis Arch, the tallest US monument that stands at 630 feet.
  • Missouri leads the nation in lead production.

Missouri Facts

Population

100K

200K

300K

400K

500K

600K

700K

800K

900K

Data from the 2010 Census and 2015 Census Bureau estimates break down the population counts for the counties of Missouri, and this data shows that there have been areas with significant growth, as well as areas that have shown declines during the 5-year period. Boone County, located in the central region of the state, reflected the most growth at 7.21%. Other counties that showed growth of greater than 5% include St. Charles, Platte, Clay, Christian, and Taney.

As would be expected, some counties saw declining populations during the same time period between 2010 and 2015. The highest decline was reported to be in Holt County at 8.56%. Neighboring county Atchinson posted 6.02% decrease, while Sullivan and Knox Counties had population declines of greater than 5%.

Missouri Population by County

Population by Race

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Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White4,930,46680.28%
Black or African American695,67811.33%
Two or more races279,5284.55%
Asian123,4062.01%
Other race84,0841.37%
Native American19,9040.32%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander8,4680.14%

White

Black or African American

Two or more races

Asian

Other race

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Missouri Population by Race

Missouri Population Pyramid 2024

Missouri Median Age

38.8

Total

37.6

Male

40

Female

Missouri Adults

There are 4,749,159 adults, (1,033,836 of whom are seniors) in Missouri.

Missouri Age Dependency

65.3

Age Dependency Ratio

27.8

Old Age Dependency Ratio

37.5

Child Dependency Ratio

Missouri Sex Ratio

Female3,113,79350.7%
Male3,027,74149.3%

Missouri Population by Age

Missouri Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All2,433,8192.4667.632.4
Married1,160,9473.1284.915.1
Non Family892,1521.2451.948.1
Female272,1543.348.651.4
Male108,5663.2559.440.6

3.07

Average Family Size

2.46

Average Household Size

67.6%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Missouri Households and Families

Male

Female

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Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Missouri Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Missouri Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

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The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 92%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 61.79%.

Missouri Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

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$41,659

Average Earnings

$49,047

Average Male

$35,215

Average Female

Missouri Earnings by Educational Attainment

Missouri Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Missouri Language

93.77% of Missouri residents speak only English, while 6.23% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 2.6% of the population.

Missouri Language

Missouri Poverty by Race

rate

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Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
White4,677,250499,91610.69%
Black663,873155,84423.47%
Hispanic263,46948,17318.28%
Multiple272,35947,28117.36%
Other82,25615,11818.38%
Asian120,08814,81012.33%
Native18,7123,87820.72%
Islander8,1721,91023.37%

12.77%

Overall Poverty Rate

11.57%

Male Poverty Rate

13.93%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Missouri

The race most likely to be in poverty in Missouri is Black, with 23.47% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Missouri is White, with 10.69% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 2.59%. Among those working part-time, it was 16.69%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 20.78%.

Missouri Poverty

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade25.86%
High School13.46%
Some College9.48%
Bachelors or Greater3.82%

Missouri Poverty Rate by Education

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed34.29%
Male Unemployed25.81%
Female Employed7.1%
Male Employed5.11%

Missouri Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Missouri Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

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mean

median

Income by Household Type

Missouri Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

49.2%

Overall Marriage Rate

50.6%

Male Marriage Rate

47.8%

Female Marriage Rate

Missouri Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Missouri Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.

Missouri Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Missouri Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

377,127

Number of Veterans

346,497

Male Veterans

30,630

Female Veterans

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Missouri Veterans by War

count

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Missouri Veterans by Age

count

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Missouri Veterans by Race

Missouri Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

7%

Veteran Poverty Rate

31.96%

Veteran Disability Rate

Missouri Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

63.2%

Labor Force Participation

60%

Employment Rate

4.5%

Unemployment Rate

Missouri Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Missouri Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Missouri Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

66.14%

Born in Missouri

95.82%

Native Born

4.18%

Foreign Born

2.06%

Non Citizen

2.13%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

95.82% of Missouri residents were born in the United States, with 66.14% having been born in Missouri. 2.06% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.

Missouri Place of Birth

  1. Missouri Census Data Center
  2. US Census State Population Estimates - Most recent state estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  3. US Census County Population Estimates - Most recent county estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  4. American Community Survey (2009 - 2013)
  5. Census QuickFacts
  6. Historical Populations of States and Counties (1790 - 1990)

Sources