County profile

Hickory County

Missouri · ACS 2020–2024

Download data

Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
8,585
Median household income
$39,390
People below poverty
19.8%
Median home value
$176,100

Income

The median income of households in Hickory County, Missouri was $39,390. An estimated 12.4% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 1.9% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Hickory County, Missouri in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Less than $10,000 12.4
$10,000 to $14,999 6.1
$15,000 to $24,999 14.4
$25,000 to $34,999 12
$35,000 to $49,999 15.1
$50,000 to $74,999 18.7
$75,000 to $99,999 7.9
$100,000 to $149,999 9.2
$150,000 to $199,999 2.4
$200,000 or more 1.9

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

View Data Table ↓

Dollars
Male 54429
Female 34432

An estimated 50.8% of households received earnings. An estimated 56.6% of households received Social Security and an estimated 28.8 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $20,057. 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 Hickory County, Missouri in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Earnings 50.8
Social Security 56.6
Retirement income 28.8
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 8.4
Cash public assistance income 3.1

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 19.8 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 17.9% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 15.9% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 22.9% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Hickory County, Missouri in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
People in poverty 19.8
Children under 18 years below poverty 17.9
People 65 years old and over below poverty 15.9
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 22.9

In 2020-2024, 11.9 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 30.3% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 46.6% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 23.5% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Hickory County, Missouri in 2020-2024, 86.8% had health insurance coverage and 13.2% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 52.6% and public coverage was 57.2%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 20.7%.


In 2020-2024, Hickory County, Missouri had a total population of 8,585 - 4,280 (49.9%) females and 4,305 (50.1%) males. The median age was 55.2 years. An estimated 17.3% of the population was under 18 years, 20.6% was 19 to 44 years, 28.6% was 45 to 64 years, and 32.3 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Hickory County, Missouri in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 180 179
5 to 9 161 224
10 to 14 278 200
15 to 19 235 127
20 to 24 178 255
25 to 29 158 81
30 to 34 188 171
35 to 39 281 212
40 to 44 86 158
45 to 49 169 230
50 to 54 267 252
55 to 59 307 377
60 to 64 473 381
65 to 69 502 449
70 to 74 245 337
75 to 79 246 168
80 to 84 179 211
85 and over 172 268

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 94.4% were White; 0.2% were Black or African American; 18.1% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.5% were Asian; 0.1% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 4.7% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 1.8% of the people in Hickory County, Missouri were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 93.4% of the people in Hickory County, Missouri were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 3,601 households in Hickory County, Missouri. The average household size was 2.34 people.

Married-couple households made up 48.6% of the households in Hickory County, Missouri while cohabiting couple households made up 6.6% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 26% of all households, while 18.9% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 16% of households were male householders living alone, and 21% were female householders living alone, for a total of 37% of all households.

In Hickory County, Missouri, 16.1% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 51.8% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Hickory County, Missouri in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Married-couple households 48.6
Cohabiting Couples 6.6
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
18.9
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
26

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 55.3% of males and 51.8% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 23.5 17.3
Now married, except separated 55.3 51.8
Separated 1.6 1.1
Widowed 5.5 16.7
Divorced 14.1 13.1

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Hickory County, Missouri, 132 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 64.4% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 99.8% of the people living in Hickory County, Missouri were U.S. natives. 68.8% of the Hickory County, Missouri population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 0.2% of Hickory County, Missouri residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 100% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 69.2 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Hickory County, 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 Hickory County, Missouri.

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

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Latin America 0
Asia 46.2
Europe 53.8
Africa 0
Northern America 0
Oceania 0

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Hickory County, Missouri in 2020-2024, 3.6 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 0.3% of people at least five years old; 0.3% 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 Hickory County, Missouri in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Spanish 0.3
Other Indo-European languages 3.3
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0
Other languages 0

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 89.2 % of the people at least one year old living in Hickory County, Missouri were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Hickory County, Missouri in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Same house 89.2
Different house, same county 1.2
Different county, same state 7.5
Different state 1.9
Abroad 0.1

Education

In 2020-2024, 87.3 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 12.8% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 12.8% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Hickory County, Missouri was 1,286 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 26 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 1,055. College or graduate school enrollment was 205.

Educational Attainment of People in Hickory County, Missouri in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Less than high school diploma 12.8
High school diploma or equivalency 45.1
Some college, no degree 21
Associate's degree 8.4
Bachelor's degree 8.6
Graduate or professional degree 4.2

Disability

In Hickory County, Missouri, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 25 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 4.6% of people under 18 years old, to 21.3% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 42.2% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Hickory County, Missouri, 35.4 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 58.7% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 79.1% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 16.3% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 4.4 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 2,035 79.1
Federal, state, or local government workers 418 16.3
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 112 4.4

Industries

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

Percent by Industry in Hickory County, Missouri in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 3.7
Construction 8.4
Manufacturing 6.5
Wholesale trade 1.7
Retail trade 16.6
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 7.7
Information 3
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 7.3
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 4.5
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 23.2
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 9.7
Other Services, except public administration 3.1
Public administration 4.3

Occupations

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

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 728 28.3
Service occupations 594 23.1
Sales and office occupations 612 23.8
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 244 9.5
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 394 15.3

Commuting to Work

An estimated 77.2% of Hickory County, Missouri workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 14.5% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 30.7 minutes to get to work.

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

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 77.2
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 14.5
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0
Walked 1.2
Other means 1
Worked from home 6.1

In 2020-2024, Hickory County, Missouri had a total of 5,480 housing units. Of these housing units, 69.8% 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"). 3.1% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 26.8% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Hickory County, Missouri in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Single-family houses 69.8
Apartments in multi-unit structures 3.1
Mobile homes 26.8
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.4

10.1% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 7.3% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Hickory County, Missouri was 5.3 rooms, and of these housing units 58.6% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Hickory County, Missouri had 3,601 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 1,879 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 82.4% while renters occupied 17.6%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.4 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.08.

2% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 8.2% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 5.4% and another 27% had three or more vehicles available for use.

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

House Heating Fuel Used in Hickory County, Missouri in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Gas 31.4
Electricity 42.8
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 1.8
All other fuels 21.8
No fuel used 2.2

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Hickory County, Missouri was $176,100.

Of the owner-occupied households, 40.1 % had a mortgage. 59.9% 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 $1,072 and for owners without a mortgage it was $386.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Hickory County, Missouri was $648. 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.