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.
