Ripley County, Missouri Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Ripley 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 3 least healthy counties in Missouri
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 92% of counties in Missouri
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F
Education Well below averageAmong the 3 least educated counties in Missouri
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Ripley County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 10,707 | 6,186,340 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 17.0 | 88.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -3.05% | 0.28% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.1 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 4,002 | 2,507,647 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Ripley County declined by 20.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 10,707 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Ripley County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.3% of residents. That is 1.7 points above Missouri as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,972 18.4% -2.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,937 18.1% -3.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,281 21.3% +1.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,177 20.3% +2.4 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 Ripley 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 Ripley County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Ripley County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Ripley County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $41,973 | $70,801 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 2.67% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.7% | 4.0% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Ripley County is about 41% lower than in Missouri.
Housing
| Metric | Ripley County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $142,592 | $145,462 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $654 | $1,033 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 79.1% | 68.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Ripley County is about 18.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $654 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Ripley County spend about 52 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 217 hours, about 9.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Ripley County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 26.0 | 21.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 52.0 | 41.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 217 | 175 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,715 | $5,415 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.7% | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,996 | 7,545 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 232 | 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 Ripley 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
Ripley County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Ripley County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 11.4% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.65 | 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
Ripley County has a health index of D, which means it is barely healthy.
| Metric | Ripley County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 71.9 | 76.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 25.7% | 19.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 28.6% | 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).
Ripley County, MO Compared With Nearby Counties
How Ripley County, MO compares with the 1 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ripley County, MO | 10,707 | $41,973 #2/2 | $142,592 #1/2 | 26.0 min #2/2 |
| Butler County, MO | 42,020 | $48,932 | $53,750 | 15.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Ripley County, Missouri.
What is the population of Ripley County, Missouri?
About 10,707 people live in Ripley County, Missouri, in 4,002 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 42.1, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Ripley County, Missouri urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Ripley County, Missouri has 17 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 20% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Ripley County, Missouri?
The median home costs 3.4 times the median household income ($142,592 against $41,973), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $654 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Ripley County, Missouri?
Unemployment in Ripley 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 Ripley County, Missouri?
11.4% of adults in Ripley County, Missouri hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 9), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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