Pettis County, Missouri Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Pettis 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.
-
C
Health Below average
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D
Income Well below average
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Pettis County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 43,397 | 6,186,340 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 63.3 | 88.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.35% | 0.28% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 35.6 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 16,996 | 2,507,647 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Pettis County grew by 6.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 43,397 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Pettis County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 20.7% of residents. That is 0.4 points below Missouri as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 9,003 20.7% -0.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 8,606 19.8% -1.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 8,355 19.3% -0.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 7,694 17.7% -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 50.1% of the people living in Pettis County and men 49.9%.
- Women 50.1% Missouri 50.7%
- Men 49.9% Missouri 49.3%
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100% of everyone living in Pettis County
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Economy
Pettis County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Pettis County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $60,475 | $70,801 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.18% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.8% | 4.0% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Pettis County is about 15% lower than in Missouri.
Housing
| Metric | Pettis County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $144,791 | $145,462 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $884 | $1,033 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 71.9% | 68.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Pettis County is about 13.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $884 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Pettis County spend about 32 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 131 hours, about 5.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Pettis County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 15.8 | 21.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 31.5 | 41.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 131 | 175 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,072 | $5,415 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.0% | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,947 | 7,545 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 388 | 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 Pettis County is 16 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
Pettis County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Pettis County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16.9% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.50 | 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
Pettis County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Pettis County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.8 | 76.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 19.2% | 19.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.3% | 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).
Pettis County, MO Compared With Nearby Counties
Pettis County, MO is the 2nd largest of the 5 counties compared here, 43,397 residents against a local median of 22,474. The measure that sets Pettis County, MO apart most is commute: 15.8 min, 24% below the local median of 20.8 min. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 14.5 min on commute, so Pettis County, MO sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Pettis County, MO has the 2nd lowest commute of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pettis County, MO | 43,397 | $60,475 #2/5 | $144,791 #3/5 | 15.8 min #2/5 |
| Saline County, MO | 23,231 | $58,602 | $290,384 | 11.9 min |
| Benton County, MO | 20,151 | $52,808 | $80,000 | 23.9 min |
| Morgan County, MO | 21,717 | $53,120 | $65,000 | 26.5 min |
| Johnson County, MO | 54,730 | $67,212 | $213,334 | 17.8 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Pettis County, Missouri.
How big is Pettis County, Missouri by population?
About 43,397 people live in Pettis County, Missouri, in 16,996 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 35.6, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
How densely populated is Pettis County, Missouri?
Averaged over its land area, Pettis County, Missouri has 63 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Pettis County, Missouri?
The median home costs 2.4 times the median household income ($144,791 against $60,475), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $884 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Pettis County, Missouri?
Unemployment in Pettis County, Missouri is only 3.8%, 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 Pettis County, Missouri?
16.9% of adults in Pettis 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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