Wright County, Missouri Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Wright 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 averageAmong the 5 least healthy counties in Missouri
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 91% of counties in Missouri
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F
Education Well below averageAmong the 5 least educated counties in Missouri
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Wright County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 18,965 | 6,186,340 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 27.8 | 88.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.40% | 0.28% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.5 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 7,187 | 2,507,647 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Wright County grew by 4.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 18,965 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Wright 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 3,615 19.1% -2.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,383 17.8% -3.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 3,792 20.0% +0.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,720 19.6% +1.7 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 51.0% of the people living in Wright County and men 49.0%.
- Women 51.0% Missouri 50.7%
- Men 49.0% Missouri 49.3%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Wright County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Wright County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Wright County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $48,416 | $70,801 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.94% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.5% | 4.0% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Wright County is about 32% lower than in Missouri.
Housing
| Metric | Wright County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $207,273 | $145,462 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $624 | $1,033 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 77.1% | 68.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Wright County is about 27.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $625 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Wright County spend about 45 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 186 hours, about 7.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Wright County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.3 | 21.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 44.7 | 41.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 186 | 175 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,769 | $5,415 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.4% | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,933 | 7,545 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 436 | 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 Wright County is 22 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
Wright County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Wright County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 12.4% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.61 | 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
Wright County has a health index of D, which means it is barely healthy.
| Metric | Wright County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.2 | 76.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 24.3% | 19.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 28.1% | 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).
Wright County, MO Compared With Nearby Counties
Wright County, MO is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 18,965 residents against a local median of 38,445. Where Wright County, MO breaks from the counties next to it is commute, sitting 19% above the local median of 18.7 min at 22.3 min. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $48,416 against a local median of $59,866, 19% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, and it is the wrong way: Wright County, MO reads weaker than its neighbours on all of them. The counties themselves spread 10.1 min on commute, so Wright County, MO sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Wright County, MO has the 4th lowest commute of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wright County, MO | 18,965 | $48,416 #5/5 | $207,273 #2/5 | 22.3 min #4/5 |
| Laclede County, MO | 36,390 | $53,754 | $32,250 | 16.9 min |
| Webster County, MO | 40,500 | $70,671 | $260,776 | 27.0 min |
| Texas County, MO | 25,161 | $50,042 | $205,000 | 20.2 min |
| Pulaski County, MO | 53,894 | $65,978 | $189,717 | 17.3 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Wright County, Missouri.
How big is Wright County, Missouri by population?
About 18,965 people live in Wright County, Missouri, in 7,187 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.
Is Wright County, Missouri urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Wright County, Missouri has 28 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 32% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Wright County, Missouri?
The median home costs 4.3 times the median household income ($207,273 against $48,416), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $625 a month takes about 15% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Wright County, Missouri?
Unemployment in Wright County, Missouri is only 3.5%, 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 Wright County, Missouri?
12.4% of adults in Wright County, Missouri hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 8), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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