Cape Girardeau County, Missouri Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Cape Girardeau 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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B
Health Around averageHealthier than 80% of counties in Missouri
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C
Income Below averageWealthier than 78% of counties in Missouri
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C
Education Below averageBetter educated than 92% of counties in Missouri
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Cape Girardeau County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 82,735 | 6,186,340 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 141.0 | 88.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.88% | 0.28% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.2 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 32,454 | 2,507,647 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Cape Girardeau County grew by 13.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 82,735 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Cape Girardeau County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 25.6% of residents. That is 4.4 points above Missouri as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 21,151 25.6% +4.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 16,015 19.4% -1.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 15,666 18.9% -0.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 13,566 16.4% -1.5 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 51.7% of the people living in Cape Girardeau County and men 48.3%.
- Women 51.7% Missouri 50.7%
- Men 48.3% Missouri 49.3%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Cape Girardeau County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Cape Girardeau County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Cape Girardeau County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $67,617 | $70,801 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.23% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.3% | 4.0% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Cape Girardeau County is about 4% lower than in Missouri.
Housing
| Metric | Cape Girardeau County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $214,661 | $145,462 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $880 | $1,033 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 66.8% | 68.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Cape Girardeau County is about 20.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $880 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Cape Girardeau County spend about 34 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 141 hours, about 5.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Cape Girardeau County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.0 | 21.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 33.9 | 41.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 141 | 175 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,383 | $5,415 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.0% | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 6,579 | 7,545 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,374 | 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 Cape Girardeau County is 17 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 County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Cape Girardeau County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 30.0% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.44 | 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
Cape Girardeau County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Cape Girardeau County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.5 | 76.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.5% | 19.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.4% | 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).
Cape Girardeau County, MO Compared With Nearby Counties
How Cape Girardeau County, MO compares with the 1 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Girardeau County, MO | 82,735 | $67,617 #1/2 | $214,661 #1/2 | 17.0 min #2/2 |
| Scott County, MO | 37,932 | $61,714 | $179,554 | 16.3 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Cape Girardeau County, Missouri.
How big is Cape Girardeau County, Missouri by population?
About 82,735 people live in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, in 32,454 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 38.2, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Cape Girardeau County, Missouri mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Cape Girardeau County, Missouri has 141 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 1.6 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Cape Girardeau County, Missouri an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 3.2 times the median household income ($214,661 against $67,617), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $880 a month takes about 16% 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 County, Missouri?
Unemployment in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri is only 2.3%, 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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