| County | Rank | Change (2020) ↓ | 2026 Pop. | 2020 Pop. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County | 1 | 14.02% | 68,250 | 59,857 |
| Warren County | 2 | 11.37% | 39,804 | 35,740 |
| Christian County | 3 | 11.09% | 99,197 | 89,294 |
| Morgan County | 4 | 10.81% | 23,271 | 21,001 |
| Webster County | 5 | 10.65% | 43,161 | 39,008 |
| Cedar County | 6 | 10.15% | 15,657 | 14,214 |
| Cass County | 7 | 9.31% | 118,229 | 108,162 |
| Ozark County | 8 | 8.91% | 9,278 | 8,519 |
| Wright County | 9 | 8.54% | 19,769 | 18,214 |
| Platte County | 10 | 7.66% | 115,397 | 107,190 |
| St. Clair County | 11 | 7.62% | 10,058 | 9,346 |
| Newton County | 12 | 7.21% | 62,931 | 58,699 |
| St. Charles County | 13 | 7.1% | 435,262 | 406,423 |
| Douglas County | 14 | 7.09% | 12,422 | 11,600 |
| Hickory County | 15 | 6.87% | 8,868 | 8,298 |
| Benton County | 16 | 6.68% | 20,722 | 19,425 |
| Texas County | 17 | 6.62% | 25,933 | 24,323 |
| Boone County | 18 | 6.59% | 196,186 | 184,050 |
| Johnson County | 19 | 6.27% | 57,426 | 54,039 |
| Polk County | 20 | 6.19% | 33,574 | 31,616 |
| Clay County | 21 | 6.16% | 269,810 | 254,145 |
| Monroe County | 22 | 5.92% | 9,208 | 8,693 |
| Livingston County | 23 | 5.68% | 14,784 | 13,990 |
| Dallas County | 24 | 5.33% | 18,045 | 17,132 |
| Cooper County | 25 | 5.21% | 17,514 | 16,647 |
| Jasper County | 26 | 5.13% | 129,203 | 122,896 |
| Adair County | 27 | 4.93% | 26,518 | 25,272 |
| Barry County | 28 | 4.9% | 36,234 | 34,542 |
| Greene County | 29 | 4.76% | 313,566 | 299,332 |
| Lawrence County | 30 | 4.47% | 39,695 | 37,998 |
| Miller County | 31 | 4.42% | 25,872 | 24,778 |
| Stone County | 32 | 4.25% | 32,530 | 31,205 |
| Bates County | 33 | 4.22% | 16,730 | 16,053 |
| Carter County | 34 | 4.11% | 5,419 | 5,205 |
| Shannon County | 35 | 4.01% | 7,317 | 7,035 |
| Franklin County | 36 | 3.83% | 108,880 | 104,867 |
| Clinton County | 37 | 3.8% | 22,025 | 21,218 |
| Henry County | 38 | 3.77% | 22,811 | 21,982 |
| Madison County | 39 | 3.59% | 13,078 | 12,625 |
| Cape Girardeau County | 40 | 3.58% | 84,754 | 81,824 |
| Pike County | 41 | 3.54% | 18,029 | 17,413 |
| Montgomery County | 42 | 3.43% | 11,673 | 11,286 |
| Jackson County | 43 | 3.32% | 741,520 | 717,662 |
| Camden County | 44 | 3.27% | 44,207 | 42,807 |
| Dent County | 45 | 3.24% | 14,855 | 14,389 |
| Phelps County | 46 | 3.17% | 45,982 | 44,568 |
| Callaway County | 47 | 3.15% | 45,742 | 44,346 |
| Lafayette County | 48 | 3.01% | 34,045 | 33,050 |
| Jefferson County | 49 | 2.82% | 233,354 | 226,947 |
| St. Francois County | 50 | 2.82% | 68,321 | 66,446 |
| McDonald County | 51 | 2.79% | 23,928 | 23,278 |
| Pettis County | 52 | 2.76% | 44,191 | 43,004 |
| Howell County | 53 | 2.68% | 40,872 | 39,806 |
| Caldwell County | 54 | 2.57% | 9,048 | 8,821 |
| Laclede County | 55 | 2.27% | 36,866 | 36,046 |
| Perry County | 56 | 2.26% | 19,400 | 18,971 |
| Gentry County | 57 | 2.22% | 6,272 | 6,136 |
| Maries County | 58 | 2.19% | 8,636 | 8,451 |
| Linn County | 59 | 2.17% | 12,114 | 11,857 |
| Cole County | 60 | 2.11% | 78,239 | 76,624 |
| Bollinger County | 61 | 1.92% | 10,758 | 10,555 |
| Osage County | 62 | 1.67% | 13,476 | 13,255 |
| Ralls County | 63 | 1.36% | 10,495 | 10,354 |
| Schuyler County | 64 | 1.27% | 4,061 | 4,010 |
| Moniteau County | 65 | 1.16% | 15,392 | 15,216 |
| Taney County | 66 | 1.05% | 56,652 | 56,064 |
| Washington County | 67 | 0.99% | 23,665 | 23,432 |
| Daviess County | 68 | 0.97% | 8,515 | 8,433 |
| Saline County | 69 | 0.91% | 23,551 | 23,339 |
| Vernon County | 70 | 0.76% | 19,825 | 19,675 |
| Howard County | 71 | 0.6% | 10,218 | 10,157 |
| Oregon County | 72 | 0.56% | 8,659 | 8,611 |
| Marion County | 73 | 0.55% | 28,651 | 28,493 |
| Carroll County | 74 | 0.52% | 8,508 | 8,464 |
| Ray County | 75 | 0.46% | 23,241 | 23,135 |
| Barton County | 76 | 0.36% | 11,665 | 11,623 |
| Pulaski County | 77 | 0.36% | 54,234 | 54,039 |
| Knox County | 78 | 0.24% | 3,748 | 3,739 |
| Crawford County | 79 | 0.03% | 23,042 | 23,036 |
| Scott County | 80 | 0.01% | 38,025 | 38,022 |
| Holt County | 81 | 0% | 4,191 | 4,191 |
| Chariton County | 82 | -0.07% | 7,385 | 7,390 |
| Macon County | 83 | -0.09% | 15,185 | 15,199 |
| Scotland County | 84 | -0.15% | 4,698 | 4,705 |
| Buchanan County | 85 | -0.18% | 84,320 | 84,472 |
| Andrew County | 86 | -0.26% | 18,055 | 18,102 |
| Stoddard County | 87 | -0.28% | 28,570 | 28,650 |
| Harrison County | 88 | -0.38% | 8,126 | 8,157 |
| St. Louis County | 89 | -0.63% | 997,037 | 1,003,376 |
| Ste. Genevieve County | 90 | -0.65% | 18,358 | 18,478 |
| Grundy County | 91 | -0.75% | 9,684 | 9,757 |
| Butler County | 92 | -1.05% | 41,622 | 42,063 |
| Wayne County | 93 | -1.14% | 10,810 | 10,935 |
| Clark County | 94 | -1.28% | 6,573 | 6,658 |
| Ripley County | 95 | -1.34% | 10,527 | 10,670 |
| Lewis County | 96 | -1.62% | 9,876 | 10,039 |
| Iron County | 97 | -1.69% | 9,352 | 9,513 |
| Gasconade County | 98 | -1.76% | 14,503 | 14,763 |
| Randolph County | 99 | -1.78% | 24,021 | 24,457 |
| Dade County | 100 | -2.08% | 7,428 | 7,586 |
| Audrain County | 101 | -2.23% | 24,228 | 24,781 |
| Atchison County | 102 | -2.26% | 5,185 | 5,305 |
| Shelby County | 103 | -2.9% | 5,918 | 6,095 |
| Reynolds County | 104 | -3.75% | 5,851 | 6,079 |
| Nodaway County | 105 | -4.17% | 20,123 | 20,999 |
| Mercer County | 106 | -4.38% | 3,358 | 3,512 |
| Mississippi County | 107 | -4.74% | 11,546 | 12,121 |
| Dunklin County | 108 | -4.76% | 26,874 | 28,216 |
| Sullivan County | 109 | -6.83% | 5,568 | 5,976 |
| Putnam County | 110 | -7.39% | 4,339 | 4,685 |
| Worth County | 111 | -8.03% | 1,810 | 1,968 |
| St. Louis city | 112 | -8.92% | 273,541 | 300,315 |
| New Madrid County | 113 | -9% | 14,860 | 16,329 |
| Pemiscot County | 114 | -10.94% | 13,883 | 15,589 |
| DeKalb County | 115 | -15.02% | 9,854 | 11,596 |
Missouri's counties show varied growth patterns from 2020 to 2026. Lincoln County leads with 2.21% annualized growth, followed by Warren County (1.81%) and Christian County (1.77%). The largest counties are St. Louis County (997,037), Jackson County (741,520), and St. Charles County (435,262). Of the 115 counties in Missouri, 81 are growing while 34 have experienced population decline. Overall, counties averaged 0.3% annualized growth, with total population growing by 0.44% annually.
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