Dunklin County, Missouri Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Dunklin 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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D
Health Well below averageAmong the 5 least healthy counties in Missouri
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 89% of counties in Missouri
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 84% of counties in Missouri
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Dunklin County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 23,538 | 6,186,340 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 43.0 | 88.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -1.61% | 0.28% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.3 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 11,257 | 2,507,647 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Dunklin County declined by 25.3% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 23,538 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Dunklin County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 20.2% of residents. That is 0.5 points above Missouri as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 4,705 20.0% -1.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 4,339 18.4% -2.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,744 20.2% +0.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,441 18.9% +1.0 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 52.0% of the people living in Dunklin County and men 48.0%.
- Women 52.0% Missouri 50.7%
- Men 48.0% Missouri 49.3%
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100% of everyone living in Dunklin County
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Economy
Dunklin County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Dunklin County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $48,339 | $70,801 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.60% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.8% | 4.0% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Dunklin County is about 32% lower than in Missouri.
Housing
| Metric | Dunklin County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $157,211 | $145,462 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $647 | $1,033 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 62.3% | 68.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Dunklin County is about 20.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $647 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Dunklin County spend about 37 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 153 hours, about 6.4 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Dunklin County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.4 | 21.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 36.8 | 41.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 153 | 175 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,754 | $5,415 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 3.0% | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,566 | 7,545 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 720 | 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 Dunklin County is 18 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
Dunklin County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Dunklin County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 12.4% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.38 | 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
Dunklin County has a health index of D, which means it is barely healthy.
| Metric | Dunklin County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 73.2 | 76.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 25.2% | 19.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 28.1% | 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).
Dunklin County, MO Compared With Nearby Counties
How Dunklin County, MO compares with the 2 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dunklin County, MO | 23,538 | $48,339 #3/3 | $157,211 #1/3 | 18.4 min #3/3 |
| Greene County, AR | 46,432 | $58,818 | $137,502 | 17.3 min |
| Mississippi County, AR | 39,080 | $52,315 | $51,419 | 16.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Dunklin County, Missouri.
What is the population of Dunklin County, Missouri?
About 23,538 people live in Dunklin County, Missouri, in 11,257 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 40.3, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
How densely populated is Dunklin County, Missouri?
Averaged over its land area, Dunklin County, Missouri has 43 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 50% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Dunklin County, Missouri an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 3.3 times the median household income ($157,211 against $48,339), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $647 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Dunklin County, Missouri?
12.4% of adults in Dunklin 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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