Barry County, Missouri Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Barry County, MO Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below averageLess healthy than 75% of counties in Missouri
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D
Income Well below average
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 73% of counties in Missouri
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Barry County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 35,028 | 6,186,340 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 44.3 | 88.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.24% | 0.28% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.4 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 13,333 | 2,507,647 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Barry County declined by 2.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 35,028 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Barry County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 21.0% of residents. That is 3.1 points above Missouri as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 6,396 18.3% -2.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 6,376 18.2% -3.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 7,308 20.9% +1.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 7,370 21.0% +3.1 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Missouri, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.0% of the people living in Barry County and men 50.0%.
- Women 50.0% Missouri 50.7%
- Men 50.0% Missouri 49.3%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Barry County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Barry County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Barry County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $58,172 | $70,801 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.34% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.6% | 4.0% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Barry County is about 18% lower than in Missouri.
Housing
| Metric | Barry County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $112,503 | $145,462 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $766 | $1,033 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 77.3% | 68.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Barry County is about 12.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $766 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Barry County spend about 35 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 147 hours, about 6.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Barry County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.7 | 21.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 35.3 | 41.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 147 | 175 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,561 | $5,415 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.5% | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 10,118 | 7,545 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 755 | 923 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Missouri:
Saline County (11.9 min), Adair County (12.0 min), Nodaway County (12.1 min).
Slowest:
Bollinger County (33.1 min), Ray County (32.2 min), Maries County (31.9 min).
The average commute time in Barry County is 18 minutes, shorter than the 21 minutes in Missouri.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Barry County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Barry County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 14.3% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.61 | 2.40 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Missouri:
St. Louis County (0.4), Platte County (0.4), Boone County (0.4).
Lowest:
Bollinger County (0.2), Wayne County (0.2), Ripley County (0.2).
Health
Barry County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Barry County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.8 | 76.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 20.7% | 19.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 24.1% | 22.8% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Missouri:
St. Charles County (0.8), Platte County (0.8), Boone County (0.8).
Lowest:
Scotland County (0.7), Ripley County (0.7), Pemiscot County (0.8).
Barry County, MO Compared With Nearby Counties
Barry County, MO is typical in size for this group, 35,028 residents against a local median of 32,050, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. Barry County, MO's commute, at 17.7 min, runs 15% below the 20.8 min typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 8.9 min on commute, so Barry County, MO sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Barry County, MO has the 2nd lowest commute of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barry County, MO | 35,028 | $58,172 #4/6 | $112,503 #2/6 | 17.7 min #2/6 |
| Stone County, MO | 32,050 | $64,442 | $136,931 | 25.6 min |
| Lawrence County, MO | 38,593 | $61,185 | $100,595 | 20.8 min |
| Carroll County, AR | 28,630 | $55,547 | $71,928 | 16.6 min |
| McDonald County, MO | 23,701 | $53,681 | $109,091 | 23.8 min |
| Newton County, MO | 60,118 | $65,823 | $70,854 | 20.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Barry County, Missouri.
How many people live in Barry County, Missouri?
About 35,028 people live in Barry County, Missouri, in 13,333 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 41.4, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Barry County, Missouri urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Barry County, Missouri has 44 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 51% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Barry County, Missouri an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 1.9 times the median household income ($112,503 against $58,172), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $766 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Barry County, Missouri?
14.3% of adults in Barry County, Missouri hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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