Douglas County, Missouri Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Douglas 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 90% of counties in Missouri
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 87% of counties in Missouri
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 92% of counties in Missouri
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Douglas County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 11,965 | 6,186,340 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 14.7 | 88.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -1.39% | 0.28% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 45.8 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 4,654 | 2,507,647 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Douglas County declined by 11.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 11,965 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Douglas County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 23.6% of residents. That is 5.7 points above Missouri as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 2,105 17.6% -3.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,929 16.1% -5.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,605 21.8% +2.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,828 23.6% +5.7 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 49.4% of the people living in Douglas County and men 50.6%.
- Women 49.4% Missouri 50.7%
- Men 50.6% Missouri 49.3%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Douglas County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Douglas County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Douglas County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $46,040 | $70,801 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.92% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.1% | 4.0% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Douglas County is about 35% lower than in Missouri.
Housing
| Metric | Douglas County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $316,667 | $145,462 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $699 | $1,033 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 80.6% | 68.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Douglas County is about 37.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $699 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Douglas County spend about 42 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 173 hours, about 7.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Douglas County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.8 | 21.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.6 | 41.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 173 | 175 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,374 | $5,415 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.0% | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,564 | 7,545 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 504 | 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 Douglas County is about the same as 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
Douglas County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Douglas County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 14.6% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.54 | 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
Douglas County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Douglas County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 74.8 | 76.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 23.7% | 19.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 26.7% | 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).
Douglas County, MO Compared With Nearby Counties
Douglas County, MO is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 11,965 residents against a local median of 40,500. The measure that sets Douglas County, MO apart most is median home price: $316,667, 110% above the local median of $151,138.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $46,040 against a local median of $57,745, 20% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is median household income, and at 20% below the local median it puts Douglas County, MO at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $184,777 on median home price, so Douglas County, MO sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Douglas County, MO has the highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas County, MO | 11,965 | $46,040 #4/4 | $316,667 #1/4 | 20.8 min #3/4 |
| Webster County, MO | 40,500 | $70,671 | $260,776 | 27.0 min |
| Taney County, MO | 56,523 | $57,745 | $151,138 | 18.6 min |
| Howell County, MO | 40,383 | $51,550 | $75,999 | 16.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Douglas County, Missouri.
How big is Douglas County, Missouri by population?
About 11,965 people live in Douglas County, Missouri, in 4,654 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 45.8, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 9 years.
How densely populated is Douglas County, Missouri?
Averaged over its land area, Douglas County, Missouri has 15 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 17% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Douglas County, Missouri?
The median home costs 6.9 times the median household income ($316,667 against $46,040), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $699 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Douglas County, Missouri?
14.6% of adults in Douglas County, Missouri hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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