County profile

Pettis County

Missouri · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

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

Total population
43,397
Median household income
$60,430
People below poverty
15.6%
Median home value
$166,300

Income

The median income of households in Pettis County, Missouri was $60,430. An estimated 6% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 3.1% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Pettis County, Missouri in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 6
$10,000 to $14,999 4.5
$15,000 to $24,999 7
$25,000 to $34,999 8.4
$35,000 to $49,999 14.4
$50,000 to $74,999 21
$75,000 to $99,999 13
$100,000 to $149,999 16.4
$150,000 to $199,999 6.2
$200,000 or more 3.1

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

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Dollars
Male 54080
Female 40774

An estimated 75.9% of households received earnings. An estimated 33.8% of households received Social Security and an estimated 26.9 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $21,623. 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 Pettis County, Missouri in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 75.9
Social Security 33.8
Retirement income 26.9
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 6
Cash public assistance income 1.9

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 15.6 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 20.5% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 12.2% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 14.4% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Pettis County, Missouri in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 15.6
Children under 18 years below poverty 20.5
People 65 years old and over below poverty 12.2
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 14.4

In 2020-2024, 11.4 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 40.7% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 41% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 31% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Pettis County, Missouri in 2020-2024, 87.4% had health insurance coverage and 12.6% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 61.2% and public coverage was 40.6%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 8.8%.


In 2020-2024, Pettis County, Missouri had a total population of 43,397 - 21,534 (49.6%) females and 21,863 (50.4%) males. The median age was 38.2 years. An estimated 25.1% of the population was under 18 years, 31.3% was 19 to 44 years, 23.8% was 45 to 64 years, and 17.3 % was 65 years and older.

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

Male Female
Under 5 1621 1337
5 to 9 1544 1503
10 to 14 1654 1330
15 to 19 1601 1429
20 to 24 1288 1222
25 to 29 1285 1269
30 to 34 1320 1358
35 to 39 1729 1289
40 to 44 1239 1558
45 to 49 1122 1147
50 to 54 1235 1174
55 to 59 1304 1087
60 to 64 1539 1697
65 to 69 1291 1246
70 to 74 778 1055
75 to 79 687 734
80 to 84 306 523
85 and over 320 576

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 84.2% were White; 2.5% were Black or African American; 14.1% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.7% were Asian; 1% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 8% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 9.9% of the people in Pettis County, Missouri were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 82.1% of the people in Pettis County, Missouri were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 16,996 households in Pettis County, Missouri. The average household size was 2.5 people.

Married-couple households made up 48.3% of the households in Pettis County, Missouri while cohabiting couple households made up 8.6% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 25.8% of all households, while 17.3% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 13.7% of households were male householders living alone, and 15.5% were female householders living alone, for a total of 29.2% of all households.

In Pettis County, Missouri, 31% 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 Pettis County, Missouri in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 48.3
Cohabiting Couples 8.6
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
17.3
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
25.8

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 51.4% of males and 49% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 31.3 25.6
Now married, except separated 51.4 49
Separated 1.5 2.2
Widowed 3 9.6
Divorced 12.9 13.6

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Pettis County, Missouri, 831 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 38.5% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 92.8% of the people living in Pettis County, Missouri were U.S. natives. 68.2% of the Pettis County, Missouri population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 7.2% of Pettis County, Missouri residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 46.8% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 73.4 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Pettis 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 Pettis County, Missouri.

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

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Percent
Latin America 46.3
Asia 10.2
Europe 40.6
Africa 0.2
Northern America 0.4
Oceania 2.3

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Pettis County, Missouri in 2020-2024, 13.2 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 6.4% of people at least five years old; 5.8% 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 Pettis County, Missouri in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 6.4
Other Indo-European languages 6.4
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.3
Other languages 0

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 88.7 % of the people at least one year old living in Pettis County, Missouri were living in the same house one year earlier.

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

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Percent
Same house 88.7
Different house, same county 5.6
Different county, same state 3.3
Different state 2.1
Abroad 0.4

Education

In 2020-2024, 87.6 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 18.4% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 12.4% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Pettis County, Missouri was 9,927 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 743 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 7,601. College or graduate school enrollment was 1,583.

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

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 12.4
High school diploma or equivalency 36
Some college, no degree 21.8
Associate's degree 11.4
Bachelor's degree 11.2
Graduate or professional degree 7.3

Disability

In Pettis County, Missouri, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 17.4 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 5.3% of people under 18 years old, to 16.1% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 40% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Pettis County, Missouri, 59.4 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 37.9% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 79.1% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 11.7% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 9.1 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 15,899 79.1
Federal, state, or local government workers 2,348 11.7
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 1,835 9.1

Industries

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

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

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 3.6
Construction 7.1
Manufacturing 19.5
Wholesale trade 3.8
Retail trade 12
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 5.3
Information 1.2
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 3.2
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 6.8
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 21.8
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 7
Other Services, except public administration 5
Public administration 3.7

Occupations

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

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 5,725 28.5
Service occupations 3,709 18.4
Sales and office occupations 3,518 17.5
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 2,460 12.2
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 4,693 23.3

Commuting to Work

An estimated 76% of Pettis County, Missouri workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 12.8% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 18.7 minutes to get to work.

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

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 76
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 12.8
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.3
Walked 2.1
Other means 1.9
Worked from home 7

In 2020-2024, Pettis County, Missouri had a total of 18,673 housing units. Of these housing units, 80% 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"). 14.1% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 5.8% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

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

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Percent
Single-family houses 80
Apartments in multi-unit structures 14.1
Mobile homes 5.8
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.1

9.9% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 16.5% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Pettis County, Missouri was 5.9 rooms, and of these housing units 63% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Pettis County, Missouri had 16,996 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 1,677 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 69.1% while renters occupied 30.9%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.62 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.21.

5.7% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 9.5% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 7.3% and another 25.8% had three or more vehicles available for use.

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

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

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Percent
Gas 51.8
Electricity 44.7
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0
All other fuels 3.1
No fuel used 0.4

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Pettis County, Missouri was $166,300.

Of the owner-occupied households, 53.1 % had a mortgage. 46.9% 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 $1,211 and for owners without a mortgage it was $444.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Pettis County, Missouri was $885. 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.