Howell County, Missouri Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Howell 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 70% of counties in Missouri
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 81% of counties in Missouri
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Howell County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 40,383 | 6,186,340 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 43.5 | 88.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.04% | 0.28% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.4 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 15,964 | 2,507,647 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Howell County grew by 4.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 40,383 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Howell County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 20.0% of residents. That is 0.4 points above Missouri as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 7,851 19.4% -1.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 7,654 19.0% -2.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 8,074 20.0% +0.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 7,854 19.4% +1.5 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 51.3% of the people living in Howell County and men 48.7%.
- Women 51.3% Missouri 50.7%
- Men 48.7% Missouri 49.3%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Howell County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Howell County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Howell County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $51,550 | $70,801 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.36% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.0% | 4.0% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Howell County is about 27% lower than in Missouri.
Housing
| Metric | Howell County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $75,999 | $145,462 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $732 | $1,033 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 70.3% | 68.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Howell County is about 8.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $732 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Howell County spend about 33 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 139 hours, about 5.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Howell County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 16.7 | 21.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 33.4 | 41.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 139 | 175 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,317 | $5,415 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 6.0% | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,184 | 7,545 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 589 | 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 Howell County is 17 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
Howell County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Howell County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16.3% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.49 | 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
Howell County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Howell County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.6 | 76.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 20.4% | 19.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.4% | 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).
Howell County, MO Compared With Nearby Counties
How Howell County, MO compares with the 1 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howell County, MO | 40,383 | $51,550 #1/2 | $75,999 #2/2 | 16.7 min #1/2 |
| Texas County, MO | 25,161 | $50,042 | $205,000 | 20.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Howell County, Missouri.
How many people live in Howell County, Missouri?
About 40,383 people live in Howell County, Missouri, in 15,964 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 40.4, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
How densely populated is Howell County, Missouri?
Averaged over its land area, Howell County, Missouri has 44 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 50% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Howell County, Missouri?
The median home costs 1.5 times the median household income ($75,999 against $51,550), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $732 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Howell County, Missouri have a college degree?
16.3% of adults in Howell County, Missouri hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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