Wayne County, Missouri Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Wayne 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.
-
D
Health Well below average
-
D
Income Well below averageAmong the 5 least wealthy counties in Missouri
-
F
Education Well below averageAmong the 3 least educated counties in Missouri
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Wayne County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 10,862 | 6,186,340 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 14.0 | 88.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -2.44% | 0.28% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 46.4 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 4,623 | 2,507,647 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Wayne County declined by 13.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 10,862 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Wayne County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 24.3% of residents. That is 6.4 points above Missouri as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,876 17.3% -3.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,782 16.4% -4.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,502 23.0% +3.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,642 24.3% +6.4 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 50.0% of the people living in Wayne County and men 50.0%.
- Women 50.0% Missouri 50.7%
- Men 50.0% Missouri 49.3%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Wayne County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Wayne County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Wayne County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $47,247 | $70,801 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.24% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.3% | 4.0% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Wayne County is about 33% lower than in Missouri.
Housing
| Metric | Wayne County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $33,214 | $145,462 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $665 | $1,033 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 75.1% | 68.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Wayne County is about 4.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $665 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Wayne County spend about 47 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 196 hours, about 8.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Wayne County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.5 | 21.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 47.1 | 41.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 196 | 175 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,083 | $5,415 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 5.1% | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,021 | 7,545 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 346 | 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 Wayne County is 24 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
Wayne County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Wayne County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 10.5% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.31 | 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
Wayne County has a health index of D, which means it is barely healthy.
| Metric | Wayne County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.1 | 76.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 25.0% | 19.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 27.7% | 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).
Wayne County, MO Compared With Nearby Counties
How Wayne County, MO compares with the 1 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County, MO | 10,862 | $47,247 #2/2 | $33,214 #2/2 | 23.5 min #2/2 |
| Butler County, MO | 42,020 | $48,932 | $53,750 | 15.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Wayne County, Missouri.
How big is Wayne County, Missouri by population?
About 10,862 people live in Wayne County, Missouri, in 4,623 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 46.4, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 9 years.
Is Wayne County, Missouri urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Wayne County, Missouri has 14 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 16% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Wayne County, Missouri an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 0.7 times the median household income ($33,214 against $47,247), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $665 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Wayne County, Missouri?
Unemployment in Wayne County, Missouri is 7.3%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How common is a college degree in Wayne County, Missouri?
10.5% of adults in Wayne County, Missouri hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 9), 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 →