Missouri Population 2024

The landlocked state of Missouri is situated in the United States’ 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 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.

• 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.