Cole County, Missouri Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Cole 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 93% of counties in Missouri
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C
Income Below averageWealthier than 86% of counties in Missouri
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B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Cole County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 77,032 | 6,186,340 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 193.2 | 88.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.07% | 0.28% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.8 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 31,086 | 2,507,647 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Cole County grew by 4.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 77,032 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Cole County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 21.4% of residents. That is 0.1 points above Missouri as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 16,431 21.3% +0.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 16,486 21.4% +0.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 15,354 19.9% +0.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 13,442 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 49.9% of the people living in Cole County and men 50.1%.
- Women 49.9% Missouri 50.7%
- Men 50.1% Missouri 49.3%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Cole County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Cole County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Cole County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $74,830 | $70,801 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.96% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.9% | 4.0% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Cole County is about 6% higher than in Missouri.
Housing
| Metric | Cole County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $233,853 | $145,462 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $834 | $1,033 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 67.9% | 68.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Cole County is about 23.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $834 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Cole County spend about 32 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 134 hours, about 5.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Cole County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 16.1 | 21.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 32.2 | 41.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 134 | 175 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,163 | $5,415 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.2% | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 6,045 | 7,545 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 811 | 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 Cole County is 16 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
Cole County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Cole County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 33.8% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.35 | 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
Cole County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Cole County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.6 | 76.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 14.3% | 19.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 18.3% | 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).
Cole County, MO Compared With Nearby Counties
Cole County, MO is the 2nd largest of the 4 counties compared here, 77,032 residents against a local median of 44,740. Where Cole County, MO breaks from the counties next to it is commute, sitting 24% below the local median of 21.2 min at 16.1 min. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 11.3 min on commute, so Cole County, MO sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Cole County, MO has the lowest commute of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cole County, MO | 77,032 | $74,830 #1/4 | $233,853 #2/4 | 16.1 min #1/4 |
| Miller County, MO | 25,269 | $57,595 | $169,696 | 28.2 min |
| Callaway County, MO | 44,740 | $73,833 | $217,592 | 21.2 min |
| Boone County, MO | 188,044 | $72,634 | $248,529 | 16.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Cole County, Missouri.
How many people live in Cole County, Missouri?
About 77,032 people live in Cole County, Missouri, in 31,086 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 38.8, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
Is Cole County, Missouri urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Cole County, Missouri has 193 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 2.2 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Cole County, Missouri?
The median home costs 3.1 times the median household income ($233,853 against $74,830), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $834 a month takes about 13% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Cole County, Missouri?
Unemployment in Cole County, Missouri is only 2.9%, 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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