Missouri

Missouri by the Numbers:
Key Statistical Data and Facts

Key Details

• As of 2022, Missouri has a population of 6,177,957  
• Between 2000 and 2020, Missouri had three Republican and three Democratic governors. 
• In the 2020 US presidential elections, Donald Trump won 56.8% of the votes, while Joe Biden won 41.4%. 
• Mike Parson was elected the 57th governor of  Missouri in the summer of 2018. 
• As of 2022, there were 4,286,342 registered voters in the state. 
• 91% of persons aged 25 and over are high school graduates or higher; 30.7% have a bachelor's degree or higher; 41.9% have some college or associate’s degree. 

Missouri Population Demographics

According to the US Census Bureau, Missouri was home to 6,177,957 as of July 2022. The state’s population saw a 0.4% increase between 2020 and 2022. 5.8% of the population was under five years old, while 22.4% were under 18. Additionally, 17.6% of Missouri’s population was 65 and older. In 2022, Missouri’s male and female population was almost evenly split, with 50.6% women and 49.4% men.  

Missouri Housing

2,826,508 housing

According to US Census Bureau data, between 2017 and 2021, Missouri had an average of 2,826,508 housing units with 2.46 individuals per household.

67.6%

In the same four-year period, 67.6% of the housing units were owner-occupied.

$171,800

The median value of owner-occupied units was $171,800.

$1,343

Additionally, the median monthly owners' cost with a mortgage was $1,343, while those without a mortgage cost $472.

$1,163

Renters paid a median gross rent of $886, below the US median of $1,163

20,963 buildin

Missouri issued 20,963 building permits in 2022.

Missouri Racial Demographics

Elections in Missouri

Since 2000, Missouri has had three Republican governors and three Democratic governors. These governors are; Roger B. Wilson (2000 to 2001), Bob Holden (2001 to 2005), Matt Blunt (2005 to 2009), Jay Nixon (2009 to 2017), Eric Greitens (2017 to 2018), and Mike Parson (2018 to present).  

Republican Mike Parson, the 57th governor of  Missouri, was elected governor in the summer of 2018. Parson became governor once his predecessor, Eric Greitens, resigned from office on May 29, 2018. Before becoming governor, Parson was the lieutenant governor from 2017 to 2018, defeating Democrat Russ Carnahan in the 2016 general elections.  

As of 2023, Missouri’s two senate seats are occupied by Republicans—Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt. Hawley was first elected senator in 2019 after he defeated Democrat Claire McCaskill, winning 51% of the total votes. Before becoming senator, Hawley served as the 42nd Attorney General of Missouri from 2017 to 2019. Schmitt became a senator in 2023, succeeding Roy Blunt. He defeated the Democratic candidate, Trudy Busch Valentine, in the general elections with 55% of the votes. He was also Attorney General from 2019 to 2023.  

2020 Presidential Election 

Between 2000 and 2020, Missouri voted exclusively Republican in the US presidential elections. In the 2020 presidential elections, Donald Trump won 56.8% of the votes, while his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, won 41.4% of the votes in the state. According to the Missouri Secretary of State, the total number of votes cast was 3,025,962.  

Donald Trump

Joe Biden

Missouri Voting Statistics

According to the Missouri Secretary of State, there were a total of 4,286,342 registered voters in Missouri as of 2022. For the 2020 general elections, a total of 4,318,758 were registered. Of the total registered voters, there were 3,026,028 actual voters, which is a 70.07% voter turnout rate. This is a significant increase from the turnout rate of the 2018 general elections, which was 58.23%.

General Election

How Educated is Missouri

According to data from the US Census Bureau, 91% of people aged 25 and over between 2017 and 2021 were high school graduates or higher. This is slightly higher than the US figure of 88.9%. Meanwhile, within the same four-year period, 30.7% of the population 25 years and over had a bachelor's degree or higher.  

According to the American Community Survey data published by the US Census Bureau, 41.9% of Missouri’s population between the ages of 18 and 24 had some college or associate’s degree. The survey also showed that of Missouri’s total male population 25 and older, 7.4% had an associate’s degree. On the other hand, 9.1% of women aged 25 and older had an associate’s degree.   

Missouri Employment Rate

In 2020, the US Census Bureau estimated that 62.8% of Missouri’s population aged 16 and over were in the civilian labor force. 59.4% of Missouri’s population, 16 and over, were employed, while 2.9% were unemployed. 58.7% of the women aged 16 and over in Missouri were in the civilian labor force.

In 2020, the employment rate within the civilian labor force was 4.6%. As of March 2023, it had fallen to 2.5%. According to US Bureau of Labor Statisticsestimates, total nonfarm employment was 2,974,600, a 2.1% change from April of the previous year.

According to the Bureau, the nonfarm sector with the most jobs was the Trade, Transportation, and Utilities sector, with 561,600 jobs. This was followed by the Education & Health Services, Government, and Professional & Businesses Services sectors. The Mining and Logging industry had the least number of jobs, with 4,500 jobs.

Average Income in Missouri

The US Census Bureau published estimates showing that, in Missouri, the median household income between 2017 and 2021 was $61,043 (2021 dollars), while the annual per-capita income was $33,770.  

According to the US Department of Justice, households in Missouri with just one earner have a median income of $53,547. Meanwhile, two- to three-earner households have a median income of $69,614 and $80,022, respectively. Finally, four-earner households were reported to have a median income of $94,774.

Families in Missouri

Missouri Marriage Rates

The community survey also showed that 48.0% of women 15 years and over were married. Also, 45 to 54 years was the age group with the highest percentage of married women, at 64.7%. Women in the 35 to 44 age group followed closely, with 62.3% being married.

Missouri Divorce Rates

The divorce rate in Missouri, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, was 2.9 divorces per 1,000 persons. In 2020 and 2019, the divorce rate was 2.7 and 2.9, respectively. Similar to its marriage rate, Missouri’s divorce rate has been declining since 1990. For instance, in 1990, the divorce rate was 5.1 per 1,000 persons, and it had fallen to 3.9 per 1,000 persons. Finally, in 2022, it dropped to 2.9 per 1,000 persons.  

According to the American Community Survey conducted by the US Census Bureau in 2020, 11.8% of Missouri’s total population aged 15 and over were divorced. 10.8% of men within that age range were divorced. On the other hand, 12.8% of women 15 and older had been divorced.  

The age group with the highest percentage of divorced men in Missouri was 55 to 64, at 17.8%. The case was the same for women, as the age group 55 to 64 had the highest percentage of divorced women, at 20.2%. 

Life Expectancy in Missouri

The life expectancy in Missouri as of 2020 was 75.1 years, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. It marked a decline from the life expectancy in 2019, which was 76.9. The female life expectancy in Missouri as of 2020 was 78.1, which was significantly higher than the male life expectancy at 72.1.

The leading cause of death in Missouri in 2020 was heart disease. Heart disease caused 202.4 deaths per 100,000 persons. This was followed by cancer, which caused 164.2 deaths per 100,000 people. Missouri is also among one the states that have felt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. In 2021, the state had a COVID-19 death rate of 100.5 deaths per 100,000 persons, one of the highest rates in the US.

Missouri Crime Rates

According to the Federal Investigation Bureau’s Uniform Crime Report, a total of 156,375 arrests were made in Missouri in 2019. Of these arrests, 10,435 were made against persons under 18.  

According to the data in the report, 7,184 of the total arrests were made for violent crimes. The class of crime with the highest number of arrests was property crime, at 18,331. Arson had the least number of arrests at 86 arrests. In 2019, the county with the highest number of violent offenses was St. Louis County, with 1,821 violent crimes. Jefferson County was the county that had the highest number of property crimes known to law enforcement. 

Missouri Incarceration Rate

424 per 100,000 persons

According to the National Institute of Corrections, Missouri has an incarceration rate of 424 per 100,000 persons.

909

The state also had a probation rate of 909 probationers per 100,000 persons and a parole rate of 450 parolees per 100,000 persons.

117 jails

There were 117 jails and 22 state prisons in 115 Missouri counties as of 2019.

26,004

The Halawa Correctional Facility (HCF), Waiawa Correctional Facility (WCF), Kulani Correctional Facility (KCF), and Women's Community Correctional Center (WCCC) are the state's prisons.  Three of the jails are on the Missourian island of Oahu.  Kulani Correctional Facility is located on Missouri's Big Island.

11,232

In the same year, there were 11,232 employees in Missouri’s state-run facilities.

$778,431,128

These facilities also received a budget of $778,431,128.

Missouri Bankruptcy Rate

2022

8,584 bankruptcy cases

According to statistics published by the American Bankruptcy Institute, there were 8,584 bankruptcy filings in 2022. Since the year 2000, bankruptcy filings have fallen significantly. For example, in 2000, it was 26,020, and in 2010 and 2020, it was 33,297 and 12,568, respectively. No year has seen more bankruptcy filings than 2005 (52,498) since 2000.  

Between 2005 and 2022, bankruptcy filings in Missouri fell by 83.6%. Additionally, the state’s total filings relative to population between 2000 and 2022 was 19% above the National average.

Weird Laws in Missouri

Missouri is no stranger to strange laws as it has its fair share of them. The following are weird laws in Missouri.