State profile

Missouri

Population, economy, housing, and demographics · ACS 2020–2024

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At a glance

Total population
6,191,814
Median household income
$70,702
People below poverty
12.6%
Median home value
$230,300

Census Insights

  • Financial pressure eased as the poverty rate dropped 19.2% and median household income rose 11.5% over the decade.
  • Remote work became much more common, with the share of people working from home rising from 4.3% to 13.0%.
  • Housing costs stood out: median monthly owner costs with a mortgage were $1,524, the 9th lowest among states.
  • The share of people below the poverty level fell from 15.6% to 12.6% over the 10-year comparison period.
  • Health coverage improved as the share of people without insurance fell from 12.9% to 8.8%.
  • Detached single-unit housing made up 70.5% of all housing units, the 9th highest share among states.

Income

The median income of households in Missouri was $70,702. An estimated 4.9% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 8.7% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Missouri in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 4.9
$10,000 to $14,999 3.8
$15,000 to $24,999 7.1
$25,000 to $34,999 7.8
$35,000 to $49,999 11.9
$50,000 to $74,999 17.4
$75,000 to $99,999 13.2
$100,000 to $149,999 17.1
$150,000 to $199,999 8.2
$200,000 or more 8.7

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Missouri in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 61937
Female 49516

An estimated 76% of households received earnings. An estimated 32.8% of households received Social Security and an estimated 25.7 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $23,786. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Missouri in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 76
Social Security 32.8
Retirement income 25.7
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 5.1
Cash public assistance income 1.9

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 12.6 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 15.8% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 10.4% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 12% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Missouri in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 12.6
Children under 18 years below poverty 15.8
People 65 years old and over below poverty 10.4
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 12

In 2020-2024, 9.8 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 45.5% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 34.4% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 33.2% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Missouri in 2020-2024, 91.2% had health insurance coverage and 8.8% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 68.8% and public coverage was 34.2%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 6.2%.


In 2020-2024, Missouri had a total population of 6,191,814 - 3,139,370 (50.7%) females and 3,052,444 (49.3%) males. The median age was 39 years. An estimated 22.3% of the population was under 18 years, 32.5% was 19 to 44 years, 24.7% was 45 to 64 years, and 17.9 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Missouri in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 182530 174281
5 to 9 194628 184927
10 to 14 204608 194289
15 to 19 209119 198819
20 to 24 205953 199545
25 to 29 202314 198829
30 to 34 205694 208409
35 to 39 204985 202722
40 to 44 192850 193310
45 to 49 175689 176816
50 to 54 182585 185336
55 to 59 190421 196721
60 to 64 203852 214839
65 to 69 171942 187777
70 to 74 136511 159495
75 to 79 90026 108411
80 to 84 52622 76512
85 and over 46115 78332

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 77.5% were White; 11% were Black or African American; 10.7% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 2.1% were Asian; 4.7% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 7.1% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 5.2% of the people in Missouri were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 76.3% of the people in Missouri were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 2,508,227 households in Missouri. The average household size was 2.4 people.

Married-couple households made up 46.5% of the households in Missouri while cohabiting couple households made up 7.2% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 27.6% of all households, while 18.7% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 14% of households were male householders living alone, and 17.1% were female householders living alone, for a total of 31.1% of all households.

In Missouri, 28.5% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 31.5% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Missouri in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 46.5
Cohabiting Couples 7.2
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
18.7
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
27.6

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 50.2% of males and 47.1% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 34.7 28.9
Now married, except separated 50.2 47.1
Separated 1.4 1.7
Widowed 2.9 9.1
Divorced 10.8 13.1

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Missouri, 101,709 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 41.5% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 95.5% of the people living in Missouri were U.S. natives. 65.6% of the Missouri population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 4.5% of Missouri residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 50.6% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 61 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Missouri come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Missouri.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Missouri in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 31.9
Asia 37.5
Europe 16.3
Africa 10.5
Northern America 2
Oceania 1.8

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Missouri in 2020-2024, 6.7 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 2.9% of people at least five years old; 2.3% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Missouri in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 2.9
Other Indo-European languages 1.8
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 1.4
Other languages 0.6

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 87.4 % of the people at least one year old living in Missouri were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Missouri in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 87.4
Different house, same county 6.2
Different county, same state 3.6
Different state 2.5
Abroad 0.4

Education

In 2020-2024, 91.9 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 32.4% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 8.2% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Missouri was 1,440,482 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 90,891 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 999,501. College or graduate school enrollment was 350,090.

Educational Attainment of People in Missouri in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 8.2
High school diploma or equivalency 30.2
Some college, no degree 20.8
Associate's degree 8.4
Bachelor's degree 19.8
Graduate or professional degree 12.6

Disability

In Missouri, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 14.9 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 5.2% of people under 18 years old, to 12.9% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 34.3% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Missouri, 60.2 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 36.9% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 80.9% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 13.2% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 5.7 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 2,424,508 80.9
Federal, state, or local government workers 394,048 13.2
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 170,921 5.7

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Missouri worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Missouri in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 1.6
Construction 6.8
Manufacturing 11.3
Wholesale trade 2.3
Retail trade 11.3
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 5.9
Information 1.5
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 7.2
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 10.4
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 24.3
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 8.1
Other Services, except public administration 4.8
Public administration 4.3

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Missouri in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 1,227,954 41
Service occupations 470,073 15.7
Sales and office occupations 604,137 20.2
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 257,119 8.6
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 435,998 14.6

Commuting to Work

An estimated 74.8% of Missouri workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 8.1% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 23.5 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Missouri in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 74.8
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 8.1
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.8
Walked 1.8
Other means 1.4
Worked from home 13

In 2020-2024, Missouri had a total of 2,825,287 housing units. Of these housing units, 74.2% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 20.6% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 5.2% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Missouri in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 74.2
Apartments in multi-unit structures 20.6
Mobile homes 5.2
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.1

9.6% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 13.3% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Missouri was 5.7 rooms, and of these housing units 62.2% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Missouri had 2,508,227 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 317,060 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 68.1% while renters occupied 31.9%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.54 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.1.

4.5% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 9.2% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 6.6% and another 22.8% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Missouri:

House Heating Fuel Used in Missouri in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 57.7
Electricity 38.8
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0.2
All other fuels 2.9
No fuel used 0.4

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Missouri was $230,300.

Of the owner-occupied households, 60.2 % had a mortgage. 39.8% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,524 and for owners without a mortgage it was $546.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Missouri was $1,033. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.