St. Louis, Missouri Population 2024

272,673

St. Louis is a city located in St. Louis City Missouri. St. Louis has a 2024 population of 272,673. St. Louis is currently declining at a rate of -2.49% annually and its population has decreased by -9.26% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 300,483 in 2020.

The average household income in St. Louis is $74,579 with a poverty rate of 20.18%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to - per month, and the median house value is -. The median age in St. Louis is 36.5 years, 36.1 years for males, and 36.9 years for females.

St. Louis enjoyed its highest population during the 1950s, when it was home to 857,000 people and ranked 8th in the country. The city was still the largest in Missouri in 1980, but Kansas City has since dwarfed it. St. Louis has now fallen to its lowest population in more than 100 years, despite signs that the negative growth had been reversed.

St Louis Diversity

The African American population of St. Louis is heavily concentrated in the northern area of the city, with the area north of Delmar being 94% black compared to 26% in the south side. The largest Asian ethnic groups include Vietnamese (0.9%), Chinese (0.6%) and Asian Indians (0.5%), with the Vietnamese community concentrated in the Dutchtown neighborhood and the Chinese community in the Central West End.

The largest Latino group comes from Mexico and accounts for 2.2% of the total population of the city. The Mexican community is concentrated most heavily in the Dutchtown, Gravois Park and Benton Park West neighborhoods.

It's estimated that St. Louis is home to about 70,000 Bosnians, which is the largest population outside of Bosnia. St. Louis is also home to the only Bosnian-language newspaper in the country.

St Louis Population Growth

The population growth of St. Louis has fallen flat and even gone negative over the last few years. From 2012 to 2013, the city's population grew just 0.2%, but the metropolitan area lost about 100,000 residents. As of 2017, the area has lost about 3.4% of the population. It won't be surprising if the population even drops below 300,000 by the next census in 2020.

St Louis Population History

The area that eventually became St. Louis was a center for Native American Mississippian culture and home to several earthwork mounds, hence the city's early nickname, the Mound City. European exploration was first documented in 1673, and the area was claimed for France 5 years later by La Salle as part of New France.

The earliest European settlements were built in the 1690s through the early 1700s, and migrants from French villages became moving to the area. When France lost to the British in North America in 1764, St. Louis was founded based on a fur trade economy.

St. Louis was transferred to the Republic of France in 1800 before being sold to the US three years later in the Lousiana Purchase. Steamboats began arriving in the city in 1818, which improved its connection with other markets. Missouri was admitted to the Union in 1821, at which time slavery was legal here, and St. Louis was incorporated a year later.

The population of St. Louis grew fairly quickly from the 1840s through the 1860s when immigrants from Germany and Ireland began arriving in large numbers. By 1850, the city was more populous than New Orleans.

St. Louis was a slowly growing city until the Civil War when immigration and industrialization sparked a significant population boom. The city continued growing rapidly until it reached a peak of 856,000 in 1950, at which point it was 82% White and 17.9% African American.

After World War II ended, the city began losing people to the suburbs thanks to increasing demands for housing and easier commutes and then white flight. St. Louis has now lost over 63% of its population since 1950, which is the highest percentage of any major US city.

St. Louis Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of St. Louis was:

  • White: 46.27%
  • Black or African American: 43.87%
  • Two or more races: 4.71%
  • Asian: 3.5%
  • Other race: 1.37%
  • Native American: 0.21%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.07%
Land Area (mi²)
61.7 sq mi
Density (mi²)
4,416.20/sq mi
Growth Since 2020
-9.26% (-27,810)
The current population of St. Louis, Missouri is 272,673 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates.The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 300,483.

St. Louis, Missouri Population 2024

Population by Race

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White137,89746.27%
Black or African American130,75343.87%
Two or more races14,0394.71%
Asian10,4333.5%
Other race4,0771.37%
Native American6160.21%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander2030.07%

White

Black or African American

Two or more races

Asian

Other race

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

St. Louis Population by Race

St. Louis Population Pyramid 2024

St. Louis Median Age

36.5

Total

36.1

Male

36.9

Female

St. Louis Adults

There are 242,828 adults, (43,123 of whom are seniors) in St. Louis.

St. Louis Age Dependency

49.2

Age Dependency Ratio

21.6

Old Age Dependency Ratio

27.6

Child Dependency Ratio

St. Louis Sex Ratio

Female153,12551.38%
Male144,89348.62%

St. Louis Population by Age

St. Louis Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All143,0592.0144.955.1
Non Family81,7561.213466
Married34,6982.9675.524.5
Female20,8623.2635.764.3
Male5,7433.1347.552.5

2.99

Average Family Size

2.01

Average Household Size

44.9%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

St. Louis Households and Families

Male

Female

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

St. Louis Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

St. Louis Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 97.78%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 62.05%.

St. Louis Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

$45,617

Average Earnings

$50,963

Average Male

$41,107

Average Female

St. Louis Earnings by Educational Attainment

St. Louis Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

St. Louis Language

90.84% of St. Louis residents speak only English, while 9.16% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 2.71% of the population.

St. Louis Language

St. Louis Poverty by Race

rate

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
Black127,52736,41728.56%
White128,73315,42711.98%
Hispanic12,3222,58520.98%
Multiple13,7372,39217.41%
Asian9,7922,03220.75%
Other3,97266916.84%
Native52718434.91%
Islander20320.99%

20.18%

Overall Poverty Rate

18.57%

Male Poverty Rate

21.7%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in St. Louis

The race most likely to be in poverty in St. Louis is Native, with 34.91% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in St. Louis is Islander, with 0.99% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 3.12%. Among those working part-time, it was 24.78%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 37.21%.

St. Louis Poverty

rate

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade35.85%
High School23.72%
Some College17.77%
Bachelors or Greater7.08%

St. Louis Poverty Rate by Education

rate

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed40.48%
Male Unemployed35.73%
Female Employed9.52%
Male Employed7.37%

St. Louis Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

St. Louis Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

mean

median

Income by Household Type

St. Louis Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

30.2%

Overall Marriage Rate

31.9%

Male Marriage Rate

28.7%

Female Marriage Rate

St. Louis Married by Age and Sex

male

female

St. Louis 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 35-44.

St. Louis Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

St. Louis Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

14,364

Number of Veterans

12,822

Male Veterans

1,542

Female Veterans

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

St. Louis Veterans by War

count

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

St. Louis Veterans by Age

count

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

St. Louis Veterans by Race

St. Louis Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

15.98%

Veteran Poverty Rate

31.52%

Veteran Disability Rate

St. Louis Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

66.2%

Labor Force Participation

62.3%

Employment Rate

5.4%

Unemployment Rate

St. Louis Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

St. Louis Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

St. Louis 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

66.21%

Born in St. Louis

93.67%

Native Born

6.33%

Foreign Born

3.47%

Non Citizen

2.87%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

93.67% of St. Louis residents were born in the United States, with 66.21% having been born in Missouri. 3.47% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.

St. Louis Place of Birth

Note: data after 2022 is projected based on recent change

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Year
Population
Growth
Growth Rate
2029237,910-6,953-2.84%
2028244,863-6,952-2.76%
2027251,815-6,953-2.69%
2026258,768-6,952-2.62%
2025265,720-6,953-2.55%
2024272,673-6,952-2.49%
2023279,625-6,953-2.43%
2022286,578-6,984-2.38%
2021293,562-6,921-2.3%
2020300,483-404-0.13%
2019300,887-2,774-0.91%
2018303,661-4,763-1.54%
2017308,424-4,502-1.44%
2016312,926-3,342-1.06%
2015316,268-1,331-0.42%
2014317,599-1,025-0.32%
2013318,624-910-0.28%
2012319,5341170.04%
2011319,417500.02%
2010319,367
2000348,189-48,496-12.23%
1990396,685-56,116-12.39%
1980452,801-169,435-27.23%
1970622,236-127,790-17.04%
1960750,026-106,770-12.46%
1950856,79640,7484.99%
1940816,048-5,912-0.72%
1930821,96049,0636.35%
1920772,89785,86812.5%
1910687,029111,79119.43%
1900575,238123,46827.33%
1890451,770101,25228.89%
1880350,51839,65412.76%
1870310,864150,09193.36%
1860160,77382,913106.49%
185077,86061,391372.77%
184016,46911,492230.9%
18304,977-232,933-97.91%
showing: 38 rows

St. Louis Population by Year