Buchanan County, Missouri Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Buchanan 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.
-
C
Health Below average
-
D
Income Well below average
-
D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 74% of counties in Missouri
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Buchanan County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 83,567 | 6,186,340 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 201.3 | 88.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.84% | 0.28% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 37.3 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 33,439 | 2,507,647 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Buchanan County declined by 5.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 83,567 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Buchanan County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 21.6% of residents. That is 0.4 points above Missouri as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 18,049 21.6% +0.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 17,363 20.8% -0.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 16,699 20.0% +0.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 14,550 17.4% -0.5 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 49.5% of the people living in Buchanan County and men 50.5%.
- Women 49.5% Missouri 50.7%
- Men 50.5% Missouri 49.3%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Buchanan County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Buchanan County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Buchanan County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $61,673 | $70,801 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.60% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.1% | 4.0% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Buchanan County is about 13% lower than in Missouri.
Housing
| Metric | Buchanan County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $175,212 | $145,462 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $902 | $1,033 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 66.3% | 68.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Buchanan County is about 16.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $902 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Buchanan County spend about 28 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 115 hours, about 4.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Buchanan County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 13.8 | 21.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 27.5 | 41.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 115 | 175 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $3,553 | $5,415 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.3% | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,755 | 7,545 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 922 | 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 Buchanan County is 14 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
Buchanan County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Buchanan County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 21.6% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.40 | 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
Buchanan County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Buchanan County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.3 | 76.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 18.2% | 19.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.5% | 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).
Buchanan County, MO Compared With Nearby Counties
How Buchanan County, MO compares with the 2 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buchanan County, MO | 83,567 | $61,673 #3/3 | $175,212 #1/3 | 13.8 min #1/3 |
| Platte County, MO | 110,371 | $96,388 | $67,499 | 22.1 min |
| Clinton County, MO | 21,414 | $71,052 | $61,709 | 27.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Buchanan County, Missouri.
How many people live in Buchanan County, Missouri?
About 83,567 people live in Buchanan County, Missouri, in 33,439 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 37.3, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
How densely populated is Buchanan County, Missouri?
Averaged over its land area, Buchanan County, Missouri has 201 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 2.3 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Buchanan County, Missouri?
The median home costs 2.8 times the median household income ($175,212 against $61,673), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $902 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Buchanan County, Missouri?
Unemployment in Buchanan County, Missouri is only 4.1%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How common is a college degree in Buchanan County, Missouri?
21.6% of adults in Buchanan County, Missouri hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →