Cape Girardeau, Missouri Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Cape Girardeau, 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.
-
B
Health Around average
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D
Income Well below average
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B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Cape Girardeau | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 33,043 | 6,186,340 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1126.9 | 88.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 3.51% | 0.28% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 30.2 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 13,252 | 2,507,647 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Cape Girardeau grew by 10.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 33,043 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Cape Girardeau is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 33.6% of residents. That is 12.5 points above Missouri as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 11,118 33.6% +12.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 5,774 17.5% -3.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 5,438 16.5% -3.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,739 14.3% -3.6 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 52.5% of the people living in Cape Girardeau and men 47.5%.
- Women 52.5% Missouri 50.7%
- Men 47.5% Missouri 49.3%
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Economy
Cape Girardeau has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Cape Girardeau | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $56,543 | $70,801 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.56% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.6% | 4.0% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Cape Girardeau is about 20% lower than in Missouri.
Housing
| Metric | Cape Girardeau | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $221,800 | $145,462 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $870 | $1,033 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 53.5% | 68.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Cape Girardeau is about 21.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $870 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Cape Girardeau spend about 25 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 106 hours, about 4.4 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Cape Girardeau | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 12.7 | 21.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 25.4 | 41.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 106 | 175 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $3,282 | $5,415 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.2% | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 7,365 | 7,545 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,411 | 923 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Cape Girardeau is 13 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
Cape Girardeau has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Cape Girardeau | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 30.7% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.29 | 2.40 | 2.53 |
Health
Cape Girardeau has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Cape Girardeau | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.6 | 76.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.2% | 19.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.5% | 22.8% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
How big is Cape Girardeau, Missouri by population?
About 33,043 people live in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, in 13,252 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 30.2, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 7 years.
Is Cape Girardeau, Missouri mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Cape Girardeau, Missouri has 1,127 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 13 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Cape Girardeau, Missouri an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 3.9 times the median household income ($221,800 against $56,543), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $870 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 Cape Girardeau, Missouri?
Unemployment in Cape Girardeau, Missouri is only 2.6%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
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