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COUNTY

Buchanan County

Missouri · 83,540 residents (2025 est.) · 408 sq mi
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The short version

With 83,568 people, Buchanan County is a county in Missouri. About 24% of adults have finished a four-year degree. The typical home is worth $166,300, having more than doubled since 2000. The foreign-born share is 4%. The average commute runs 18 minutes. Median rent is $902 a month.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 38.9
US median: 38.9
Less educated
24% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 26%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
83,568
−3%since 2000
from 85,998 in 2000
83,540 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
205 / sq mi
−6%since 2009
from 217 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
38.9
+8%since 2000
from 36.1 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
408 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
82K84K86K88K90K19902000201020202024Buchanan County
202484K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.9%(4,911)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.1%(5,108)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.6%(5,481)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.5%(5,472)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.5%(5,459)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3412.9%(10,769)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4413.3%(11,073)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411.7%(9,759)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6413.1%(10,959)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7410.5%(8,754)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.1%(4,244)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.9%(1,579)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$62,158
−2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $34,704 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$33,965
+90%since 2000
from $17,882 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
39.9%
+18.8 ptssince 2009
from 21.0% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
16.0%
+3.8 ptssince 2000
from 12.2% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.473
+9%since 2010
from 0.433 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade20.7%
US avg: 9.9%
Information12%
US avg: 10.8%
Finance & insurance5.9%
US avg: 5.9%
Wholesale trade5.2%
US avg: 6.9%
Professional, scientific, technical5.1%
US avg: 5.1%
Other services5.1%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration3.8%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing1.7%
US avg: 2.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.1%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction1.1%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services0.8%
US avg: 0.9%
Arts, entertainment, food0.8%
US avg: 1.9%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$166,300
+26%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $72,500 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$902
+14%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $435 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
66.3%
−1.2 ptssince 2000
from 67.6% in 2000
33.7% rent
Vacancy rate
13.1%
+1.7 ptssince 2009
from 11.4% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.40 people
−6%since 2009
from 2.54 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
17.9%
−1.9 ptssince 2009
from 19.8% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
46.3%
+4.4 ptssince 2009
from 41.8% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.7
+6%since 2009
from 2.5 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
31
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic91.2%(78,406)
Black4.3%(3,714)
Hispanic / Latino2.4%(2,086)
Asian0.4%(384)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic79.7%(66,629)
Black5.6%(4,685)
Hispanic / Latino7.6%(6,318)
Asian1.1%(915)
Other6%(5,021)
Diversity Score
44
+82%since 2009
from 24 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
24
+7%since 2020
from 23 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican4.1%(3,403)
Puerto Rican0.9%(761)
Cuban0.8%(670)
Salvadoran0.6%(510)
Spaniard0.2%(160)
Guatemalan0.1%(106)
Argentine0.1%(86)
Nicaraguan0.1%(67)
Honduran0.1%(64)
+ 2 more hispanic origin groups with data
Asian origin
Vietnamese0.3%(272)
Asian Indian0.2%(184)
Burmese0.1%(100)
Chinese0.1%(85)
Filipino0.1%(79)
Japanese0.1%(70)
Bangladeshi0.1%(68)
Korean0%(28)
Cambodian0%(20)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0.1%(43)
Chamorro0%(31)
Ancestry
German22.5%(18,762)
English11.8%(9,834)
Irish11.3%(9,468)
American5.6%(4,673)
Scottish1.9%(1,583)
Polish1.9%(1,566)
French1.7%(1,413)
Italian1.6%(1,333)
Swedish1.2%(1,009)
Scotch-Irish0.9%(712)
Dutch0.8%(676)
Norwegian0.7%(568)
+ 35 more ancestry groups with data
British0.6%(468)
Welsh0.6%(460)
Swiss0.3%(240)
Ethiopian0.3%(222)
Czech0.3%(217)
Danish0.2%(201)
West Indian0.2%(181)
Romanian0.2%(172)
Ukrainian0.2%(148)
Russian0.2%(129)
Canadian0.1%(122)
Croatian0.1%(122)
Arab0.1%(103)
Haitian0.1%(94)
Jamaican0.1%(76)
Brazilian0.1%(58)
Ghanaian0.1%(56)
Hungarian0.1%(45)
Finnish0.1%(43)
Greek0.1%(43)
Austrian0%(39)
Moroccan0%(38)
Turkish0%(33)
Lebanese0%(32)
Armenian0%(27)
Belgian0%(23)
Syrian0%(17)
Iranian0%(12)
Nigerian0%(10)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
23.9%
+7.0 ptssince 2000
from 16.9% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
90.3%
+8.8 ptssince 2000
from 81.5% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
7.7%
+2.3 ptssince 2000
from 5.4% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
17.8 min
+34%since 2000
from 13.3 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
80.0%
−1.2 ptssince 2009
from 81.2% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
10.2%
−1.9 ptssince 2009
from 12.1% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.2%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 0.6% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
7.3%
+4.4 ptssince 2009
from 2.9% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.2%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 2.1% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.0%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.0% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
8.5%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 8.7% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.2%
−3.2 ptssince 2011
from 7.3% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
60.7%
−3.5 ptssince 2011
from 64.1% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
71.5%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 71.0% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
12.5%
+1.5 ptssince 2009
from 11.0% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
30.8%
+2.5 ptssince 2009
from 28.3% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.3%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 49.4% in 2009
Female
49.7%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 50.6% in 2009
Foreign born
4.0%
+2.1 ptssince 2009
from 1.9% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
7.3%
−5.0 ptssince 2009
from 12.3% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
18.3%
+3.3 ptssince 2012
from 15.0% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
11.2%
−3.0 ptssince 2013
from 14.2% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
86.0%
+14.8 ptssince 2017
from 71.2% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
94.1%
+6.7 ptssince 2020
from 87.4% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
86.8%
+3.4 ptssince 2020
from 83.3% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
93.8%
−0.3 ptssince 2016
from 94.1% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
4.0%
+0.3 ptssince 2016
from 3.7% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married37.6%(12,839)
Married45%(15,349)
Widowed2.7%(923)
Divorced14.7%(5,011)
Women 15+
Never married27.7%(9,394)
Married43.5%(14,757)
Widowed10.2%(3,472)
Divorced18.6%(6,323)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
11.2%
−3.0 ptssince 2013
from 14.2% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
47.6%
−0.7 ptssince 2020
from 48.3% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
17.1%
−1.1 ptssince 2020
from 18.2% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
20.3%
+1.3 ptssince 2020
from 19.0% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
20.2%
+2.5 ptssince 2020
from 17.7% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.7%
−0.4 ptssince 2020
from 3.1% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
63.9%
−2.1 ptssince 2020
from 66.0% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
37.9%
+3.4 ptssince 2020
from 34.5% 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)22.7%(1,067)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)21.3%(1,001)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era37.4%(1,753)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War6.9%(323)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.1%(50)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 4,693 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.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

Places similar to Buchanan County

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Pop 83,904
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Pop 94,009
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Pop 86,949
Talladega County
Pop 81,603
Places similar to Buchanan County
Head to head

Compare Buchanan County to nearby counties

BUCHANAN COUNTY VS
Platte County
Income$96,227+55%
Home value$345,100+108%
Population114,400+37%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BUCHANAN COUNTY VS
Doniphan County
Income$74,028+19%
Home value$135,200−19%
Population7,594−91%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BUCHANAN COUNTY VS
Clinton County
Income$70,627+14%
Home value$226,800+36%
Population21,661−74%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BUCHANAN COUNTY VS
Andrew County
Income$75,625+22%
Home value$215,400+30%
Population18,241−78%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Buchanan County, Missouri?

Buchanan County, Missouri has about 83,568 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Buchanan County, Missouri?

The typical household in Buchanan County, Missouri earns about $62,158 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Buchanan County, Missouri expensive?

In Buchanan County, Missouri, the median home is worth about $166,300, and the typical rent is about $902 a month.

How educated are people in Buchanan County, Missouri?

About 23.9% of adults age 25 and over in Buchanan County, Missouri hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Buchanan County, Missouri?

About 16.0% of people in Buchanan County, Missouri live below the federal poverty line.

Has Buchanan County, Missouri grown since 1990?

Yes, Buchanan County, Missouri has grown since 1990. The population has added about 485 residents, a change of about 1 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

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