Dallas County, Missouri Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Dallas 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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C
Health Below averageLess healthy than 74% of counties in Missouri
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D
Income Well below average
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 80% of counties in Missouri
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Dallas County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 17,551 | 6,186,340 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 32.4 | 88.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.77% | 0.28% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 43.7 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 6,768 | 2,507,647 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Dallas County grew by 5.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 17,551 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Dallas County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 21.2% of residents. That is 3.2 points above Missouri as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,216 18.3% -2.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,229 18.4% -2.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 3,469 19.8% +0.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,713 21.2% +3.2 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 51.0% of the people living in Dallas County and men 49.0%.
- Women 51.0% Missouri 50.7%
- Men 49.0% Missouri 49.3%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Dallas County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Dallas County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Dallas County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $52,964 | $70,801 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.52% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.9% | 4.0% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Dallas County is about 25% lower than in Missouri.
Housing
| Metric | Dallas County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $350,000 | $145,462 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $641 | $1,033 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 75.9% | 68.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Dallas County is about 45.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $641 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Dallas County spend about 62 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 258 hours, about 10.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Dallas County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 31.0 | 21.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 61.9 | 41.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 258 | 175 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,996 | $5,415 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 6.0% | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,770 | 7,545 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 405 | 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 Dallas County is 31 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.
Education & Households
Dallas County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Dallas County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 12.3% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.56 | 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
Dallas County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Dallas County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.1 | 76.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 21.0% | 19.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 24.8% | 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).
Dallas County, MO Compared With Nearby Counties
Dallas County, MO is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 17,551 residents against a local median of 38,445. Dallas County, MO's median home price, at $350,000, runs 71% above the $204,554 typical of the counties around it.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 31.0 min against a local median of 21.1 min, 46% above it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, and it is the wrong way: Dallas County, MO reads weaker than its neighbours on all of them. The counties themselves spread $480,250 on median home price, so Dallas County, MO sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Dallas County, MO has the 2nd highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas County, MO | 17,551 | $52,964 #5/5 | $350,000 #2/5 | 31.0 min #5/5 |
| Polk County, MO | 32,444 | $59,586 | $512,500 | 23.5 min |
| Webster County, MO | 40,500 | $70,671 | $260,776 | 27.0 min |
| Camden County, MO | 43,667 | $67,395 | $148,332 | 18.8 min |
| Laclede County, MO | 36,390 | $53,754 | $32,250 | 16.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Dallas County, Missouri.
What is the population of Dallas County, Missouri?
About 17,551 people live in Dallas County, Missouri, in 6,768 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 43.7, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
How densely populated is Dallas County, Missouri?
Averaged over its land area, Dallas County, Missouri has 32 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 37% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Dallas County, Missouri an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 6.6 times the median household income ($350,000 against $52,964), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $641 a month takes about 15% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in Dallas County, Missouri?
Unemployment in Dallas County, Missouri is only 3.9%, 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 Dallas County, Missouri?
12.3% of adults in Dallas 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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