| County | Rank | Change (2020) ↓ | 2026 Pop. | 2020 Pop. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County | 1 | 12.92% | 67,574 | 59,842 |
| Webster County | 2 | 12.85% | 44,024 | 39,012 |
| Hickory County | 3 | 10.75% | 9,199 | 8,306 |
| Warren County | 4 | 10.53% | 39,505 | 35,740 |
| Christian County | 5 | 9.1% | 97,414 | 89,291 |
| Cass County | 6 | 8.89% | 117,774 | 108,160 |
| Wright County | 7 | 8.79% | 19,810 | 18,209 |
| Ozark County | 8 | 8.53% | 9,245 | 8,518 |
| St. Clair County | 9 | 8.12% | 10,109 | 9,350 |
| Texas County | 10 | 8.06% | 26,284 | 24,324 |
| Platte County | 11 | 8.01% | 115,773 | 107,187 |
| Polk County | 12 | 7.53% | 33,997 | 31,615 |
| Newton County | 13 | 7.18% | 62,918 | 58,702 |
| Morgan County | 14 | 7.04% | 22,475 | 20,997 |
| Douglas County | 15 | 6.93% | 12,408 | 11,604 |
| Johnson County | 16 | 6.47% | 57,516 | 54,023 |
| Dallas County | 17 | 6.18% | 18,192 | 17,133 |
| Barry County | 18 | 6.14% | 36,670 | 34,549 |
| St. Charles County | 19 | 5.91% | 430,408 | 406,407 |
| Benton County | 20 | 5.69% | 20,536 | 19,431 |
| Gentry County | 21 | 5.37% | 6,458 | 6,129 |
| Carter County | 22 | 5.23% | 5,473 | 5,201 |
| Clay County | 23 | 5.22% | 267,390 | 254,121 |
| Dade County | 24 | 5.06% | 7,969 | 7,585 |
| Schuyler County | 25 | 5.02% | 4,207 | 4,006 |
| Miller County | 26 | 4.76% | 25,951 | 24,772 |
| Scotland County | 27 | 4.64% | 4,916 | 4,698 |
| Boone County | 28 | 4.64% | 192,595 | 184,060 |
| Cedar County | 29 | 4.49% | 14,848 | 14,210 |
| Jasper County | 30 | 4.48% | 128,387 | 122,885 |
| Callaway County | 31 | 4.4% | 46,291 | 44,339 |
| Monroe County | 32 | 4.25% | 9,061 | 8,692 |
| Lawrence County | 33 | 4.22% | 39,593 | 37,990 |
| Greene County | 34 | 4.03% | 311,398 | 299,328 |
| Stone County | 35 | 3.92% | 32,436 | 31,212 |
| Osage County | 36 | 3.8% | 13,753 | 13,250 |
| McDonald County | 37 | 3.77% | 24,159 | 23,281 |
| Franklin County | 38 | 3.76% | 108,793 | 104,852 |
| Pettis County | 39 | 3.73% | 44,614 | 43,011 |
| Henry County | 40 | 3.64% | 22,777 | 21,976 |
| Shannon County | 41 | 3.58% | 7,286 | 7,034 |
| Cape Girardeau County | 42 | 3.34% | 84,541 | 81,811 |
| Bates County | 43 | 3.26% | 16,576 | 16,052 |
| Laclede County | 44 | 3.19% | 37,197 | 36,046 |
| Jefferson County | 45 | 3.17% | 234,130 | 226,944 |
| Cooper County | 46 | 2.96% | 17,136 | 16,643 |
| Montgomery County | 47 | 2.93% | 11,624 | 11,293 |
| Pike County | 48 | 2.69% | 17,879 | 17,411 |
| Jackson County | 49 | 2.68% | 736,865 | 717,643 |
| St. Francois County | 50 | 2.61% | 68,169 | 66,433 |
| Caldwell County | 51 | 2.57% | 9,053 | 8,826 |
| Camden County | 52 | 2.56% | 43,899 | 42,804 |
| Washington County | 53 | 2.46% | 24,009 | 23,432 |
| Vernon County | 54 | 2.31% | 20,114 | 19,659 |
| Howell County | 55 | 2.29% | 40,712 | 39,800 |
| Harrison County | 56 | 2.06% | 8,326 | 8,158 |
| Daviess County | 57 | 2.05% | 8,608 | 8,435 |
| Madison County | 58 | 1.97% | 12,872 | 12,623 |
| Clinton County | 59 | 1.96% | 21,630 | 21,214 |
| Taney County | 60 | 1.9% | 57,120 | 56,053 |
| Cole County | 61 | 1.89% | 78,053 | 76,608 |
| Adair County | 62 | 1.88% | 25,751 | 25,276 |
| Barton County | 63 | 1.86% | 11,840 | 11,624 |
| Pulaski County | 64 | 1.83% | 54,992 | 54,005 |
| Oregon County | 65 | 1.73% | 8,754 | 8,605 |
| Lafayette County | 66 | 1.73% | 33,630 | 33,059 |
| Ray County | 67 | 1.71% | 23,531 | 23,136 |
| Phelps County | 68 | 1.65% | 45,288 | 44,553 |
| Ste. Genevieve County | 69 | 1.6% | 18,776 | 18,480 |
| Bollinger County | 70 | 1.57% | 10,722 | 10,556 |
| Andrew County | 71 | 1.42% | 18,367 | 18,109 |
| Moniteau County | 72 | 1.35% | 15,429 | 15,223 |
| Livingston County | 73 | 1.2% | 14,730 | 14,555 |
| Ralls County | 74 | 0.82% | 10,437 | 10,352 |
| Dent County | 75 | 0.8% | 14,507 | 14,392 |
| Randolph County | 76 | 0.76% | 24,647 | 24,462 |
| Howard County | 77 | 0.74% | 10,229 | 10,154 |
| Gasconade County | 78 | 0.65% | 14,859 | 14,763 |
| Marion County | 79 | 0.57% | 28,642 | 28,480 |
| Perry County | 80 | 0.54% | 19,073 | 18,971 |
| Ripley County | 81 | 0.45% | 10,718 | 10,670 |
| Knox County | 82 | 0.4% | 3,748 | 3,733 |
| Macon County | 83 | -0.01% | 15,197 | 15,199 |
| Scott County | 84 | -0.02% | 38,013 | 38,021 |
| Holt County | 85 | -0.02% | 4,182 | 4,183 |
| Crawford County | 86 | -0.05% | 23,019 | 23,030 |
| Saline County | 87 | -0.07% | 23,317 | 23,334 |
| Reynolds County | 88 | -0.21% | 6,064 | 6,077 |
| Grundy County | 89 | -0.26% | 9,739 | 9,764 |
| Audrain County | 90 | -0.27% | 24,712 | 24,778 |
| Chariton County | 91 | -0.3% | 7,364 | 7,386 |
| Butler County | 92 | -0.37% | 41,909 | 42,064 |
| Carroll County | 93 | -0.53% | 8,421 | 8,466 |
| Mississippi County | 94 | -0.62% | 12,058 | 12,133 |
| Linn County | 95 | -0.83% | 11,756 | 11,854 |
| Buchanan County | 96 | -1.17% | 83,482 | 84,471 |
| St. Louis County | 97 | -1.32% | 990,156 | 1,003,365 |
| Lewis County | 98 | -1.36% | 9,905 | 10,042 |
| Stoddard County | 99 | -1.65% | 28,184 | 28,656 |
| Maries County | 100 | -1.83% | 8,300 | 8,455 |
| Wayne County | 101 | -2.05% | 10,713 | 10,937 |
| Atchison County | 102 | -2.34% | 5,183 | 5,307 |
| Worth County | 103 | -2.49% | 1,916 | 1,965 |
| Iron County | 104 | -3.04% | 9,223 | 9,512 |
| Putnam County | 105 | -3.33% | 4,530 | 4,686 |
| Mercer County | 106 | -3.47% | 3,394 | 3,516 |
| Clark County | 107 | -4.47% | 6,366 | 6,664 |
| Sullivan County | 108 | -4.53% | 5,714 | 5,985 |
| Nodaway County | 109 | -4.61% | 20,052 | 21,021 |
| Shelby County | 110 | -5.52% | 5,754 | 6,090 |
| Dunklin County | 111 | -5.54% | 26,653 | 28,216 |
| Pemiscot County | 112 | -7.26% | 14,451 | 15,583 |
| St. Louis city | 113 | -8.14% | 275,843 | 300,302 |
| New Madrid County | 114 | -8.81% | 14,891 | 16,329 |
| DeKalb County | 115 | -16.35% | 9,708 | 11,605 |
Missouri's counties show varied growth patterns from 2020 to 2026. Lincoln County leads with 2.05% annualized growth, followed by Webster County (2.03%) and Hickory County (1.72%). The largest counties are St. Louis County (990,156), Jackson County (736,865), and St. Charles County (430,408). Of the 115 counties in Missouri, 82 are growing while 33 have experienced population decline. Overall, counties averaged 0.33% annualized growth, with total population growing by 0.38% annually.
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