Missouri population, people and places

How many people live in Missouri

The Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025 is 6,270,541, which makes Missouri the 18th largest state, larger than Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska and Oklahoma; smaller than Illinois and Tennessee. That is the highest figure ever recorded for the state, by census or by annual estimate. Missourians make up 1.83%¹ of the US population.

The number moves slowly. The 2020 Census counted 6,154,913, and the 2010 Census 5,988,927. Growth between those two censuses was 2.8%, 4.6 percentage points below the US figure (7.4%)⁶. Since April 2020 the state has added 115,628 people, a gain of 1.88%: 1.2 percentage points below the US figure (3.10%)¹, faster than Illinois, Iowa and Kansas but slower than Arkansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Tennessee.

What percent of Missouri is rural

At the 2020 Census, 30.5% of Missourians lived in rural areas, 10.5 percentage points above the US figure (20.0%). Missouri had the 21st highest rural share in the country. Among its eight neighbors the split is wide: the rural share is higher than Illinois, Kansas and Nebraska; lower than Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Tennessee⁹. Missouri is more rural than Kansas and Nebraska to its west and Illinois to its east, and less rural than Iowa to the north and the four states to its south and southeast.

Arkansas44.5%

Kentucky41.3%

Iowa36.9%

Oklahoma35.4%

Tennessee33.8%

Missouri30.5%

Kansas27.7%

Nebraska27.0%

United States20.0%

Illinois13.1%

Source: Census Bureau, 2020 Census urban and rural population by state. Period: April 1, 2020.

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State	Rural population (%)
Arkansas	44.5%
Kentucky	41.3%
Iowa	36.9%
Oklahoma	35.4%
Tennessee	33.8%
Missouri	30.5%
Kansas	27.7%
Nebraska	27.0%
United States	20.0%
Illinois	13.1%

Density tells a quieter story. Missouri has 68,746 square miles¹⁰ of land and 91.2 people per square mile, which makes it the 23rd least densely populated state, 6% below the US figure (96.7 people per square mile)¹¹. The state's average is close to the national one; what differs is how the population is spread, with a larger share outside the Census Bureau's urban areas than in the country as a whole.

The Census Bureau's centers of population put the 2020 mean center of the US population in Missouri, nearest to the town of Hartville. It is a property of the national map rather than of Missouri's residents, but it matches how often the state lands near the middle of the tables on this page.

From fifth-largest state to eighteenth

Missouri's first census count, in 1810, was 19,783. It then climbed the rankings quickly: by 1870 it had 1,721,295 residents and ranked 5th of 48 among the states with a count that year. It held that place through 1900, when the census counted 3,106,665¹².

Source: Census Bureau, Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals by Race, 1790 to 1990; Census Bureau, 2020 Census apportionment results and historical resident population 1910-2020; Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Census counts every ten years (April 1); estimates for July 1 after 2020.

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Year	Missouri
1810	19,783
1820	66,586
1830	140,455
1840	383,702
1850	682,044
1860	1,182,012
1870	1,721,295
1880	2,168,380
1890	2,679,185
1900	3,106,665
1910	3,293,335
1920	3,404,055
1930	3,629,367
1940	3,784,664
1950	3,954,653
1960	4,319,813
1970	4,676,501
1980	4,916,686
1990	5,117,073
2000	5,595,211
2010	5,988,927
2020	6,154,913
2021	6,172,551
2022	6,179,285
2023	6,205,956
2024	6,243,544
2025	6,270,541

Growth slowed in the 20th century. Missouri's rank slipped to 11th of 51 in 1950 and 15th of 51¹² in 1990, while its population kept rising in every census. Today's population is 2.0 times the 1900 count and 1.6 times¹ the 1950 count. Other states grew faster over the same century, which is why the rank fell even as the count rose.

Births equal to deaths, growth from movers

In the year to June 2025 Missouri recorded 68,377 births and 68,200 deaths, a natural increase of just 177. Missouri is one of 20 states that recorded more deaths than births between April 2020 and June 2025; natural change over that period came to −12,000¹.

Births+359,248

Deaths−371,049

Net domestic migration+56,671

Net international migration+69,708

Residual (estimation adjustment)+1,050

Total change+115,628

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Each bar starts where the previous one ended. The residual is the part of the change the Census Bureau cannot assign to a component.

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Component	People
Births	359,248
Deaths	−371,049
Net domestic migration	56,671
Net international migration	69,708
Residual (estimation adjustment)	1,050
Total change	115,628

The state grew anyway, because more people arrived than left. Net migration since 2020 added 126,379: 56,671 from other states and 69,708 from abroad. In the latest year the two sources were almost equal. Of the 26,997 people added between July 2024 and July 2025, 52% came from domestic migration, 47% from international migration and 1%¹ from natural change.

Domestic migration fell sharply after 2021 and has risen every year since. The net gain from other states was 17,735 in the year to June 2021, 3,624 in 2022, 9,682 in 2023, 12,385 in 2024 and 14,028 in 2025, the 13th highest gain of any state that year. Net international migration fell from 24,076 to 12,665, a drop also seen nationally, where the figure went from 2,734,468 to 1,262,202. Measured per resident, arrivals from abroad were 2.0 per 1,000 residents, 45% below the US figure (3.7 per 1,000 residents)¹.

Who moves in and who stays

Most Missourians are from Missouri. In 2025, 64.3% of residents had been born in the state, 7.9 percentage points above the US figure (56.4%), the 14th highest share. Of those born in another state, the Midwest is the largest source: 13.9% of all residents were born elsewhere in the region, 7.0 percentage points above the US figure (6.9%). The share born in the Northeast is small, at 2.2%¹³.

The Census Bureau's 2024 survey of movers counted 140,000 people who moved to Missouri from another state and 132,000 who moved the other way. Kansas and Illinois were the largest sources, with almost identical numbers; Kansas was also the largest destination, ahead of Texas and Illinois. The difference between arrivals and departures, 7,971 (±13,223¹⁴), is smaller than its margin of error, so the survey alone cannot say whether Missouri gained or lost movers that year; the population estimates above, which use administrative records, show a gain.

Moved to Missouri from

Kansas18,446 ±3,129

Illinois18,362 ±3,110

Texas12,723 ±2,888

California8,786 ±2,191

Colorado7,388 ±2,551

Florida6,623 ±1,785

Arkansas5,767 ±1,955

New York4,973 ±2,533

Left Missouri for

Kansas21,660 ±3,165

Texas15,134 ±4,365

Illinois10,892 ±2,510

Florida8,080 ±2,426

California5,144 ±1,672

Arkansas4,434 ±1,780

North Carolina4,136 ±2,215

Oklahoma4,054 ±1,228

Source: Census Bureau, State-to-State Migration Flows, 2024. People aged 1 and over who lived in another state a year earlier (and the reverse). Survey estimates: whiskers show the 90% margin of error.

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State	Moved in from	Moved out to
Kansas	18,446 ±3,129	21,660 ±3,165
Illinois	18,362 ±3,110	10,892 ±2,510
Texas	12,723 ±2,888	15,134 ±4,365
California	8,786 ±2,191	5,144 ±1,672
Colorado	7,388 ±2,551	3,746 ±1,516
Florida	6,623 ±1,785	8,080 ±2,426
Arkansas	5,767 ±1,955	4,434 ±1,780
New York	4,973 ±2,533	–
North Carolina	–	4,136 ±2,215
Oklahoma	–	4,054 ±1,228

Tax records point the same way. Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, returns showed 125,000 people moving in and 116,000 moving out, a net gain of 8,839. The income moved in the other direction: $5.0 billion left, $4.8 billion arrived, a net −$215 million¹⁵.

Race and ethnicity: a small Hispanic population

On July 1, 2025, 75.4% of Missourians were white and not Hispanic, the 13th highest share and 19.3 percentage points above the US figure (56.1%). The share has edged down, down from 76.8% in 2020¹⁶.

Single group (adds to 100%)Alone or in combination with other races

White, not Hispanic74.3% 83.8%

Black, not Hispanic10.7% 13.0%

Two or more races, not Hispanic5.9%

Hispanic or Latino (any race)5.8%

Asian, not Hispanic2.3% 3.3%

American Indian and Alaska Native, not Hispanic0.4% 3.3%

Some other race, not Hispanic0.3%

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, not Hispanic0.1% 0.3%

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B03002; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B02009. The dark bars are mutually exclusive and add to 100%. The light bars count everyone who reported the race, alone or with another race and of any ethnicity, so they overlap and add to more than 100%.

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Group	Share (single group)	MOE	Alone or in combination
White, not Hispanic	74.3%	±0.1	83.8%
Black, not Hispanic	10.7%	±0.1	13.0%
Two or more races, not Hispanic	5.9%	±0.2	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	5.8%		–
Asian, not Hispanic	2.3%	±0.1	3.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native, not Hispanic	0.4%	±0.1	3.3%
Some other race, not Hispanic	0.3%	±0.1	–
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, not Hispanic	0.1%		0.3%

Black residents are 11.5% of the population counting those who report Black as their only race, the 22nd highest¹⁶ share, and 13.0% (±0.1 percentage points¹⁷) counting those who report Black alone or with another race. Both figures are below the national ones.

The Hispanic or Latino share, 5.9%, is the 9th lowest of any state and lower than every bordering state (Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Tennessee). It has grown, up from 5.0% in 2020. Most Hispanic Missourians are of Mexican origin: 3.2%¹⁸ of all residents in 2020–2024. Asian residents are 2.6% of the population, up from 2.2% in 2020¹⁶. On the Census Bureau's diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen residents belong to different groups, Missouri scores 42.9 against 63.5 nationally, the 13th least diverse¹⁹ state.

At the 2020 Census, the largest American Indian group reported in Missouri, alone or in combination with other groups, was Cherokee, with 57,143²⁰ people; most of them also reported another race.

German, Irish and English roots

Ancestry is a self-reported answer about origins, and many people give more than one. In the 2025 survey, 1,245,642 Missourians, or 19.9%, reported German ancestry, the largest group by a wide margin. Irish (11.3%) and English (11.1%) follow, and 8.0%²¹ described their ancestry simply as American.

Immigrants are a small group. The 295,000 foreign-born residents (±13,286) are 4.7% of the population, a share tied for 7th lowest. Compared with immigrants nationally, more were born in Asia and Africa: 39.6% of them were born in Asia, 7.7 percentage points above the US figure (31.9%), and 11.8% in Africa, while 30.2% came from Latin America, 20.1 percentage points below the US figure (50.3%)¹³. Only 6.9% of residents aged 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, and 2.2% speak English less than "very well", the 6th lowest²² share.

Age and sex: the national profile

Missouri's median age is 39.8 years (±0.2 years), 0.3 years above the US figure (39.5 years); the state is tied for 24th oldest³. Children under 18 make up 21.7% of residents and people 65 and older 19.6%¹⁶, both within a percentage point of the US shares.

The direction of change is the same as nationally. There were 1.4 million children in 2025, down from 1,386,326 in 2020, and 1.2 million residents 65 and older, up from 1,082,103 in 2020¹⁶. The median age has risen, up from 37.4 years in 2005²⁴.

Females outnumber males by 127,000 (±8,204²⁵). The survey sex ratio is 96.0 men per 100 women, not statistically different from the US figure (96.4)²³.

Shorter lives than the national average

Missouri's birth rate, 10.9 per 1,000 residents, is 3% above the US figure (10.6 per 1,000 residents). Its death rate is the same 10.9 per 1,000 residents, which is 20% above the US figure (9.1 per 1,000 residents) and the 9th highest¹ in the country.

Life expectancy, which is not affected by a state's age mix, shows a similar gap. Life expectancy at birth in Missouri was 75.2 years in 2022, 2.3 years below the US figure (77.5 years), the 11th shortest figure and shortest in the Midwest. For men it was 72.5 years, for women 78.1 years²⁶.

United States77.5

Indiana75.4

Missouri75.2

South Carolina75.1

New Mexico74.5

Arkansas73.9

Alabama73.8

Louisiana73.8

Oklahoma73.8

Tennessee73.8

Kentucky73.6

Mississippi72.6

West Virginia72.2

Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, U.S. State Life Tables, 2022. Period: 2022.

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State	Life expectancy
United States	77.5
Indiana	75.4
Missouri	75.2
South Carolina	75.1
New Mexico	74.5
Arkansas	73.9
Alabama	73.8
Louisiana	73.8
Oklahoma	73.8
Tennessee	73.8
Kentucky	73.6
Mississippi	72.6
West Virginia	72.2

Several related measures are also above the US level. The infant mortality rate is 6.4 per 1,000 live births, 17% above the US figure (5.5 per 1,000 live births)²⁷. The share of adults who smoked in 2024 was 14.7%, 3.1 percentage points above the US figure (11.6%)²⁸, and 15.2% of residents report a disability, 1.5 percentage points above the US figure (13.7%)²⁹. These measures describe the population; they do not by themselves explain the gap.

Health coverage is close to the national level: 7.9% of residents were uninsured in 2025, 0.5 percentage points below the US figure (8.4%)³⁰, down from 13.0%²⁴ in 2008. Medicaid and CHIP covered 1.3 million people in June 2026, 20.1% of the population. Enrollment rose 0.6% over the previous year, the 2nd highest³¹ change of any state, while it fell nationally.

Lower incomes, lower prices

The median household income in 2025 was $75,485 (±$937), $9,295 (11%) below the US figure ($84,780) and the 12th lowest of any state. It rose in real terms, up from $73,473 in 2024 (in 2025 dollars)⁴. Fewer households sit at the top of the distribution: 10.3% had incomes of $200,000 or more, against 14.8% nationally, while 30.7% were in the band from $50,000 up to $100,000, 2.9 percentage points above the US figure (27.8%)³².

MissouriUnited States

Under $25,00014.7% 14.0%

$25,000–$49,99918.0% 15.4%

$50,000–$99,99930.7% 27.8%

$100,000–$199,99926.3% 28.0%

$200,000 or more10.3% 14.8%

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B19001. Share of households in each band of income in the past 12 months, in 2025 dollars.

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Household income	Missouri	MOE	United States
Under $25,000	14.7%	±0.5	14.0%
$25,000–$49,999	18.0%	±0.5	15.4%
$50,000–$99,999	30.7%	±0.6	27.8%
$100,000–$199,999	26.3%	±0.5	28.0%
$200,000 or more	10.3%	±0.3	14.8%

Prices offset much of the gap. The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Missouri's overall price level for 2024 at 90.8 (US = 100), 9% below the US figure (100.0); for housing rents the index is 69.9, 31% below the US figure (100.6). Personal income per person in 2025 was $69,836, $7,192 (9%) below the US figure ($77,028)³⁴. Adjusted for prices, the 2024 figure was $57,850, only $1,345 (2%) below the US figure ($59,195)³³.

The poverty rate was 11.5% (±0.4 percentage points), not statistically different from the US figure (11.8%), and down from 12.3% in 2024. Child poverty, 13.7%, fell too, down from 15.4% in 2024⁵. The Supplemental Poverty Measure, which accounts for housing costs and benefits, averaged 9.4% over 2023–2025, 3.6 percentage points below the US figure (13.0%)³⁷. A larger group lives on modest incomes: 28.0% of residents had incomes below twice the poverty line, 1.5 percentage points above the US figure (26.5%)³⁸.

Catholic and Baptist Missouri

Missouri's two largest religious bodies are almost the same size. In the 2020 U.S. Religion Census the Catholic Church was the largest single body, with 12.5% of residents, and the Southern Baptist Convention a close second (10.3%) with four times as many congregations: 1,957, against 494 parishes. As a tradition, Evangelical Protestant churches are the largest (24.1%³⁹).

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints counted 72,525 members (1.2%), and Christian congregations together 46.8% of the population. Missouri's overall adherence rate, 48.4%, is close to the national figure and higher than Iowa and Kansas; lower than Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Tennessee³⁹. The counts are congregations' own records; see religion across the states.

Homes: owned, single-family and less costly

69.1% of occupied homes are owned by the people living in them, 3.8 percentage points above the US figure (65.3%)⁴⁰. 70.6% of housing units are detached single-family houses, 9.7 percentage points above the US figure (60.9%)⁴¹. The median home value, $271,400, is $99,700 (27%) below the US figure ($371,100)³⁵, and the median gross rent, $1,142, is $415 (27%) below the US figure ($1,557)³⁶.

Lower costs show up in housing burdens. 45.4% of renters are cost-burdened, spending at least three-tenths of their income on housing, 6.4 percentage points below the US figure (51.8%) and the 8th lowest⁴² share. Among homeowners with a mortgage the share is 24.1%, 6.6 percentage points below the US figure (30.7%)⁴³.

Households are small. The average household has 2.34 people, 6% below the US figure (2.49)⁴⁴, and 31.1%⁴⁵ of households consist of one person living alone. One figure stands out: of grandparents who live with their grandchildren, 38.8% (±3.6 percentage points) are responsible for them, 8.8 percentage points above the US figure (30.0%)⁴⁶.

High school completion near the top

Missouri's public high schools graduated 90% of students within four years in the 2021–22 school year, tied for 2nd highest among the states and 3.0 percentage points above the US figure (87%). Allowing for the close values of other states, its rank lies between 2nd and 8th⁴⁷.

West Virginia91%

Iowa90%

Kentucky90%

Massachusetts90%

Missouri90%

Tennessee90%

Texas90%

Wisconsin90%

Connecticut89%

Kansas89%

United States87%

Source: Department of Education, NCES, Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 219.46. Period: 2021-22.

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State	Graduation rate
West Virginia	91%
Iowa	90%
Kentucky	90%
Massachusetts	90%
Missouri	90%
Tennessee	90%
Texas	90%
Wisconsin	90%
Connecticut	89%
Kansas	89%
United States	87%

Among adults 25 and older, 92.4% have at least a high school diploma, 1.8 percentage points above the US figure (90.6%). The share with a bachelor's degree or higher is 33.7% (±0.5 percentage points), 3.7 percentage points below the US figure (37.4%)⁴⁸, after rising up from 24.0% in 2005²⁴.

Work and veterans

63.6% of residents 16 and older were in the labor force in 2025, 1.2 percentage points above the US figure (62.4%), and the unemployment rate averaged 4.0%⁴⁹. Commutes are shorter than average, at 24.2 minutes⁵⁰ one way, and 75.3% of workers drive alone. 11.5%⁵¹ worked from home in 2025.

Missouri is home to 334,000 veterans, 6.8% of civilian adults, 0.9 percentage points above the US figure (5.9%) and 2nd highest in the Midwest⁵².