Howard County, Missouri Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Howard 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.
-
B
Health Around averageHealthier than 82% of counties in Missouri
-
C
Income Below average
-
D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 84% of counties in Missouri
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Howard County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 10,147 | 6,186,340 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 21.5 | 88.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.00% | 0.28% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 37.0 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 3,585 | 2,507,647 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Howard County grew by 2.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 10,147 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Howard County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 24.7% of residents. That is 3.5 points above Missouri as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 2,507 24.7% +3.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,712 16.9% -4.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 1,989 19.6% on par
- Boomers 61–79 1,886 18.6% +0.7 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 50.3% of the people living in Howard County and men 49.7%.
- Women 50.3% Missouri 50.7%
- Men 49.7% Missouri 49.3%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Howard County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Howard County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Howard County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $64,914 | $70,801 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.51% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.7% | 4.0% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Howard County is about 8% lower than in Missouri.
Housing
| Metric | Howard County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $65,000 | $145,462 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $831 | $1,033 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 78.7% | 68.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Howard County is about 6.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $831 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Howard County spend about 51 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 213 hours, about 8.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Howard County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 25.6 | 21.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 51.1 | 41.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 213 | 175 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,606 | $5,415 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.8% | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 8,296 | 7,545 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 441 | 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 Howard County is 26 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
Howard County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Howard County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 23.3% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.61 | 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
Howard County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Howard County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.5 | 76.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.0% | 19.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.2% | 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).
Howard County, MO Compared With Nearby Counties
Howard County, MO is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 10,147 residents against a local median of 24,365. Howard County, MO's median home price, at $65,000, runs 74% below the $251,923 typical of the counties around it.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 25.6 min against a local median of 15.8 min, 62% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 62% above the local median it puts Howard County, MO at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves sit within $41,855 of each other on median home price, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Howard County, MO, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Howard County, MO has the 4th highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howard County, MO | 10,147 | $64,914 #2/4 | $65,000 #4/4 | 25.6 min #4/4 |
| Randolph County, MO | 24,365 | $53,637 | $251,923 | 15.8 min |
| Boone County, MO | 188,044 | $72,634 | $248,529 | 16.9 min |
| Saline County, MO | 23,231 | $58,602 | $290,384 | 11.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Howard County, Missouri.
How many people live in Howard County, Missouri?
About 10,147 people live in Howard County, Missouri, in 3,585 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 37.0, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Howard County, Missouri urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Howard County, Missouri has 22 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 25% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Howard County, Missouri an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 1.0 times the median household income ($65,000 against $64,914), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $831 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 Howard County, Missouri?
Unemployment in Howard County, Missouri is only 3.7%, 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 Howard County, Missouri?
23.3% of adults in Howard County, Missouri hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 4), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →