Lafayette County, Missouri Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Lafayette 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 average
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C
Income Below averageWealthier than 84% of counties in Missouri
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D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 72% of counties in Missouri
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Lafayette County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 33,096 | 6,186,340 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 51.8 | 88.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.12% | 0.28% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.5 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 12,576 | 2,507,647 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Lafayette County grew by 1.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 33,096 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Lafayette County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.0% of residents. That is 2.4 points above Missouri as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 6,468 19.5% -1.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 6,492 19.6% -1.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 7,281 22.0% +2.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 6,003 18.1% +0.2 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 49.9% of the people living in Lafayette County and men 50.1%.
- Women 49.9% Missouri 50.7%
- Men 50.1% Missouri 49.3%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Lafayette County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Lafayette County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Lafayette County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $80,512 | $70,801 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.89% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.0% | 4.0% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Lafayette County is about 14% higher than in Missouri.
Housing
| Metric | Lafayette County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $150,171 | $145,462 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $928 | $1,033 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 75.7% | 68.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Lafayette County is about 13.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $928 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Lafayette County spend about 46 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 193 hours, about 8.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Lafayette County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.2 | 21.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 46.4 | 41.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 193 | 175 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,997 | $5,415 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.0% | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,578 | 7,545 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 486 | 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 Lafayette County is 23 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
Lafayette County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Lafayette County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 21.0% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.58 | 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
Lafayette County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Lafayette County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.1 | 76.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.9% | 19.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 21.3% | 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).
Lafayette County, MO Compared With Nearby Counties
Lafayette County, MO is the 3rd largest of the 5 counties compared here, 33,096 residents against a local median of 38,981. Where Lafayette County, MO breaks from the counties next to it is median household income, sitting 18% above the local median of $68,050 at $80,512. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 23.2 min against a local median of 19.9 min, 17% above it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: median household income runs ahead of the neighbourhood while commute runs behind it, so Lafayette County, MO is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread $16,005 on median household income, so Lafayette County, MO sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Lafayette County, MO has the highest median household income of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette County, MO | 33,096 | $80,512 #1/5 | $150,171 #3/5 | 23.2 min #4/5 |
| Johnson County, MO | 54,730 | $67,212 | $213,334 | 17.8 min |
| Ray County, MO | 23,145 | $74,607 | $23,721 | 32.2 min |
| Jackson County, MO | 719,648 | $68,888 | $119,553 | 22.0 min |
| Saline County, MO | 23,231 | $58,602 | $290,384 | 11.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Lafayette County, Missouri.
How many people live in Lafayette County, Missouri?
About 33,096 people live in Lafayette County, Missouri, in 12,576 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 41.5, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
How densely populated is Lafayette County, Missouri?
Averaged over its land area, Lafayette County, Missouri has 52 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 60% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Lafayette County, Missouri?
The median home costs 1.9 times the median household income ($150,171 against $80,512), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $928 a month takes about 14% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Lafayette County, Missouri?
Unemployment in Lafayette County, Missouri is only 3.0%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
What share of adults in Lafayette County, Missouri have a college degree?
21.0% of adults in Lafayette County, Missouri hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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