Bates County, Missouri Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Bates 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 average
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C
Income Below averageWealthier than 77% of counties in Missouri
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F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Bates County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 16,186 | 6,186,340 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 19.0 | 88.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.25% | 0.28% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.0 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 6,158 | 2,507,647 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Bates County declined by 4.3% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 16,186 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Bates County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 20.6% of residents. That is 1.0 points above Missouri as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,139 19.4% -1.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,009 18.6% -2.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 3,340 20.6% +1.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,170 19.6% +1.7 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 50.2% of the people living in Bates County and men 49.8%.
- Women 50.2% Missouri 50.7%
- Men 49.8% Missouri 49.3%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Bates County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Bates County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Bates County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $60,821 | $70,801 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.03% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.9% | 4.0% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Bates County is about 14% lower than in Missouri.
Housing
| Metric | Bates County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $95,813 | $145,462 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $786 | $1,033 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 74.9% | 68.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Bates County is about 10.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $786 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Bates County spend about 56 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 232 hours, about 9.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Bates County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 27.9 | 21.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 55.7 | 41.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 232 | 175 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,195 | $5,415 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.8% | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,033 | 7,545 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 405 | 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 Bates County is 28 minutes, longer 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
Bates County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Bates County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 12.7% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.57 | 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
Bates County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Bates County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.9 | 76.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 18.8% | 19.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.7% | 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).
Bates County, MO Compared With Nearby Counties
Bates County, MO is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 16,186 residents against a local median of 34,938. The measure that sets Bates County, MO apart most is median household income: $60,821, 31% below the local median of $88,254. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread $31,530 on median household income, so Bates County, MO sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Bates County, MO has the 3rd highest median household income of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bates County, MO | 16,186 | $60,821 #3/4 | $95,813 #3/4 | 27.9 min #3/4 |
| Cass County, MO | 110,772 | $88,254 | $92,808 | 26.8 min |
| Henry County, MO | 22,328 | $57,861 | $162,215 | 15.3 min |
| Miami County, KS | 34,938 | $89,392 | $111,141 | 30.8 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Bates County, Missouri.
How many people live in Bates County, Missouri?
About 16,186 people live in Bates County, Missouri, in 6,158 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 42.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Bates County, Missouri mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Bates County, Missouri has 19 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 22% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Bates County, Missouri?
The median home costs 1.6 times the median household income ($95,813 against $60,821), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $786 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Bates County, Missouri?
12.7% of adults in Bates County, Missouri hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 8), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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