Carter County, Missouri Demographics

Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.

Carter 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
    Less healthy than 73% of counties in Missouri
  • D
    Income Well below average
  • F
    Education Well below average

Source: Map AI Methodology

Carter County
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Population density, people per sq mi

Population: density and quick facts

Metric Carter County Missouri Avg U.S. Average
Population 5,297 6,186,340 337,468,954
Population density (per sq mi) 10.4 88.8 86.4
Population growth (%/yr) -1.97% 0.28% 0.59%
Median age 38.0 37.5 37.3
Households 2,038 2,507,647 130,235,071

Population in Carter County declined by 10.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 5,297 in 2024.

Population Growth 2009–2024

Year Carter County

Race & Ethnicity

Group Share

Age & Sex

The largest generation in Carter County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.6% of residents. That is 1.9 points above Missouri as a whole.

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 51.0% of the people living in Carter County and men 49.0%.

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5,297

100% of everyone living in Carter County

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Economy

Carter County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.

Metric Carter County Missouri Avg U.S. Average
Median household income $50,000 $70,801 $80,455
Income growth (%/yr) 3.53% 4.56% 4.80%
Unemployment rate 3.8% 4.0% 5.2%

The median household income in Carter County is about 29% lower than in Missouri.

Detailed wealth and income breakdown →

Housing

Metric Carter County Missouri Avg U.S. Average
Median home price $183,088 $145,462 $248,835
Median rent $656 $1,033 $1,407
Homeownership rate 60.7% 68.1% 65.2%

The median home price in Carter County is about 23.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $656 per month for that long.

Full housing market analysis →

Commute Time & Mobility

Commuters in Carter County spend about 46 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 191 hours, about 8.0 full days, spent commuting.

Metric Carter County Missouri Avg U.S. Average
One-way commute (min) 22.9 21.0 22.4
Round-trip commute (min) 45.8 41.9 44.8
Yearly time spent (hours) 191 175 187
Estimated yearly cost $5,916 $5,415 $5,790
Work from home 11.4% 13.0% 15.0%
Highway traffic (vehicles/day) 1,757 7,545 8,813
Local road traffic (vehicles/day) 165 923 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 Carter County is 23 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.

Commute and transport details →

Education & Households

Carter County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.

Metric Carter County Missouri Avg U.S. Average
Bachelor's degree or higher 13.2% 28.8% 31.6%
Average household size 2.58 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

Carter County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.

Metric Carter County Missouri Avg U.S. Average
Life expectancy (years) 75.9 76.9 78.3
Self-rated poor health 18.8% 19.0% 16.3%
Smokers 23.2% 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).

Full health data →

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Carter County, Missouri.

What is the population of Carter County, Missouri?

About 5,297 people live in Carter County, Missouri, in 2,038 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 38.0, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.

Is Carter County, Missouri urban or rural?

Averaged over its land area, Carter County, Missouri has 10 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 12% of the U.S. average of 86.

How affordable is housing in Carter County, Missouri?

The median home costs 3.7 times the median household income ($183,088 against $50,000), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $656 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.

Is unemployment high in Carter County, Missouri?

Unemployment in Carter County, Missouri is only 3.8%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.

What share of adults in Carter County, Missouri have a college degree?

13.2% of adults in Carter 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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