Missouri Population Density
Missouri is a relatively sparsely populated state. Its land mass measures 69,704 square miles and has an average of 87.1 people per square mile. Missouri is the 28th most densely populated.
The four largest cities are St. Louis (315,685), Kansas City (475,378), Springfield (166,810) and Columbia (119,108). Most of the state's counties have a population density between 1 and 100 people per square mile. Missouri has a higher rural population than most of the country, with approximately one-third of Missourians in rural area.
Missouri Sex & Religions
The median age in Missouri is approximately 38.3 years of age. The ratio of females to males is approximately 50.9% female and 49.1% male.
77% have an affiliation with a Christian based faith, 3% are involved in non-Christian based faiths, and 20% are unaffiliated with any faith.
Missouri Boundary, Census, and Statehood History
Missouri was acquired as part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 and became part of Louisiana Territory, established in 1805 and comprising the whole of the Louisiana Purchase north of present-day Louisiana. This was renamed Missouri Territory in 1812. The southern portion (present-day Arkansas and most of Oklahoma) became Arkansas Territory in 1819. Missouri was admitted as a State on August 10, 1821.
Missouri Demographics
The racial composition of Missouri is:
- White: 82.16%
- Black or African American: 11.49%
- Two or more races: 2.63%
- Asian: 1.98%
- Other race: 1.17%
- Native American: 0.44%
- Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.13%
Missouri Population History
In 1810, 19,783 citizens lived in Missouri. Migration throughout the 19th century helped to increase the numbers drastically. Ten years later in 1820, the population of Missouri had climbed by 236.6% to 66,586, and a further increase by over 100% to 140,455 in 1830.
Further increases throughout the 1800s the Missouri population was 3,106,665. Then the population increases began to slow down.
Missouri Population Growth
Natural growth figures released in 2007 showed that there had been an increase of 137,564 people since the 2000 census with 480,763 births, 343,199 deaths and a net migration increase of 88,088 in the seven year period.
The total population has been estimated to approach 6.8 million people by 2030, a 21% increase over the population in 2000. The population of senior citizens is expected to grow very quickly as well, and it's estimated that people over 65 will account for one-fifth of the state's population by 2030. Natural change is expected to add an average of 244,000 Missourians every decade.
Missouri Population Projections
The northern and southeastern areas of Missouri are expected to lose a great deal of their population in the coming decades, while the urban areas continue to grow. In many ways, statistics relating to the population of Missouri are fairly unremarkable but like much of the US, the overall picture is one of healthy and sustained growth. At the 2020 census, it will be interesting to see how far the numbers can stretch beyond 6 million toward the next milestone.
The largest ancestry groups in Missouri are: German (27.4%), Irish (14.8%), English (10.2%), American (8.5%) and French (3.7%). A large percentage of Missourians are of German ancestry and present throughout the state. African Americans are also a large part of the population of Missouri's largest urban area, St. Louis, accounting for 56.6% of the state's total African American population.
Missouri's diversity range also has a population of Missouri Creoles of French ancestry around the Mississippi River Valley, and Kansas City is home to a large and growing community of Latin American immigrants, as well as immigrants from Africa, Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia. There is also a large population of Cherokee Indians in Missouri. Missouri has a rapidly rising population of Hispanics.
