United States › Missouri › Cape Girardeau CITY · 2010 ACS
Cape Girardeau Missouri · 37,941 residents · 29.3 sq mi
Time machine
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The short version
Cape Girardeau is a city of 37,941 people in Missouri. This skews young, with a median age of 32.1. 53% of homes are owner-occupied. Getting to work takes 15 minutes on average. The foreign-born share is 3%. The typical home is worth $127,100.
At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $52,703
Younger
median age 32.1
US median: 37.2
Average education
30% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 28%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $225,659
Section 01
Population & growth from 33.6 in 2000
US average: 37.2
Population, 1990 – 2024
34K 36K 37K 39K 41K 1990 2000 2010 2020 2024 Cape Girardeau Age distribution, 2010
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Section 02
Income & economy $39,284
−4%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $32,452 in 2000
US average: $52,703
from $18,918 in 2000
US average: $27,286
Households earning $100K+
from 21.3% in 2009
US average: 33.3%
from 15.2% in 2000
US average: 13.8%
Workforce by industry, 2010
Public administration 4.1%
Transportation & warehousing 3.3%
Professional, scientific, technical 3.2%
Arts, entertainment, food 3.1%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 0.6%
Education & health services 0.4%
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$127,100
+13%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $88,800 in 2000
US average: $225,659
$596
+8%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $436 in 2000
US average: $853
from 57.3% in 2000
46.6% rent
from 7.7% in 2009
US average: 12.1%
2.28 people
Unchangedsince 2009
from 2.28 people in 2009
US average: 2.60
from 20.5% in 2009
US average: 30.9%
from 44.3% in 2009
US average: 46.8%
from 3.3 in 2009
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04
Race & ethnicity 2000
White, non-Hispanic 86.7%(30,650)
Hispanic / Latino 1.1%(388)
2010
White, non-Hispanic 80.2%(30,432)
Hispanic / Latino 2.8%(1,046)
No data for the years selected.
Section 04 · Origins
Detailed origins & ancestry Ancestry
+ 24 more ancestry groups with data from 29.3% in 2000
US average: 27.9%
High school or higher
from 81.6% in 2000
US average: 84.9%
from 9.9% in 2000
US average: 10.2%
Section 06
Commute & transportation from 11.0 min in 2000
US average: 25.2
from 80.2% in 2009
US average: 76.2%
from 11.4% in 2009
US average: 10.4%
from 0.3% in 2009
US average: 4.7%
from 2.7% in 2009
US average: 4.1%
from 4.9% in 2009
US average: 2.8%
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 0.5%
from 6.9% in 2009
US average: 8.7%
Section 07
Work & employment from 13.4% in 2009
US average: 12.9%
from 32.2% in 2009
US average: 35.2%
Section 08
People & community from 2.1% in 2009
US average: 12.8%
from 11.5% in 2009
US average: 9.9%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married 45.9%(7,313)
Women 15+
Never married 41.1%(7,591)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09
Health coverage Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).
from 12.5% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
from 55.9% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
from 15.9% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
from 19.7% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
from 14.7% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
from 2.2% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
from 71.4% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
from 32.0% in 2020
US average: 36.7%
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later) 24.1%(514)
Gulf War (1990s) 16.6%(355)
Share of the 2,135 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
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Drill deeper
Places similar to Cape Girardeau Head to head
Compare Cape Girardeau to nearby cities CAPE GIRARDEAU VS
Jackson
Income $77,105 +96%
Home value $240,000 +89%
Population 16,033 −61%
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CAPE GIRARDEAU VS
Sikeston
Income $58,915 +50%
Home value $168,800 +33%
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CAPE GIRARDEAU VS
Perryville
Income $51,897 +32%
Home value $179,700 +41%
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CAPE GIRARDEAU VS
Carbondale
Income $32,128 −18%
Home value $127,900 +1%
Population 21,811 −47%
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Frequently asked
How many people live in Cape Girardeau, Missouri? Cape Girardeau, Missouri has about 37,941 residents according to the 2010 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in Cape Girardeau, Missouri? The typical household in Cape Girardeau, Missouri earns about $39,284 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is Cape Girardeau, Missouri expensive? In Cape Girardeau, Missouri, the median home is worth about $127,100, and the typical rent is about $596 a month.
How educated are people in Cape Girardeau, Missouri? About 30.4% of adults age 25 and over in Cape Girardeau, Missouri hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in Cape Girardeau, Missouri? About 19.8% of people in Cape Girardeau, Missouri live below the federal poverty line.
Has Cape Girardeau, Missouri grown since 1990? Yes, Cape Girardeau, Missouri has grown since 1990. The population has added about 3,503 residents, a change of about 10 percent over that period.
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