Carter County, MO

County

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2024 Population

5,297

US Senator

Josh Hawley

Republican Party

US Senator

Eric Schmitt

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

38.9

1.77% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

20.8%

8.45% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$50,000

10.9% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$159,400

7.99% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

2,253

5.43% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Carter County, MO reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

98.7% of the residents in Carter County, MO are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Carter County, MO was $159,400, and the homeownership rate was 60.7%.

Most people in Carter County, MO drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 24.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Carter County, MO was 2 cars per household.

Carter County, MO borders Butler County, MO, Oregon County, MO, Reynolds County, MO, Ripley County, MO, Shannon County, MO, and Wayne County, MO.

United States Missouri

Population & Diversity

Carter County, MO is home to a population of 5.3k people, from which 98.7% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.51% of Carter County, MO residents were born outside of the country (80 people).

In 2024, there were 23.5 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (4.9k people) in Carter County, MO than any other race or ethnicity. There were 209 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 115 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.7%

2024 Citizenship

99.2%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.7% of Carter County, MO residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Carter County, MO was 99.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Carter County, MO compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Carter County, MO

White (Non-Hispanic)
4.9k ± 32
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
209 ± 30
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
115 ± 7

2.28%

Hispanic Population

121 people

2.28% of the people in Carter County, MO are hispanic (121 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Carter County, MO as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Missouri.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
41,951 ± 5,011 people
India
23,410 ± 3,749 people
China
17,257 ± 3,221 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Missouri was Mexico, the natal country of 41,951 Missouri residents, followed by India with 23,410 and China with 17,257.

Foreign-Born Population

1.51%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

80 people

0.911%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

48 people

As of 2024, 1.51% of Carter County, MO residents (80 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Carter County, MO was 0.911%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Carter County, MO compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
344 ± 91
Gulf War (1990s)
49 ± 37
Gulf War (2001-)
43 ± 41

Carter County, MO has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 7.02 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Carter County, MO.

Economy

The economy of Carter County, MO employs 2.25k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Carter County, MO were Manufacturing (589 people), Construction (341 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (260 people), and the highest paying industries were Transportation & Warehousing ($69,167), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($69,167), and Wholesale Trade ($51,875).

Employment

Occupations

2.25k

2024 Value

± 340

5.43%

1 Year growth

± 20.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Carter County, MO grew at a rate of 5.43%, from 2.14k employees to 2.25k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Carter County, MO, are Management Occupations (249 people), Production Occupations (245 people), and Construction & Extraction Occupations (244 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Carter County, MO.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Missouri.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Missouri (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

2.25k

2024 Value

± 340

5.43%

1 Year growth

± 20.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Carter County, MO grew at a rate of 5.43%, from 2.14k employees to 2.25k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Carter County, MO, are Manufacturing (589 people), Construction (341 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (260 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Carter County, MO, though some of these residents may live in Carter County, MO and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$40,917

Median earning men ± $6,803

$30,364

Median earning women ± $1,400

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($108,393), Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodations & Food Services ($62,733), and Wholesale Trade ($51,875).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($41,250), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($33,824), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($32,744).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Missouri.

Y-Axis

2.17%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 2.94M people employed in Missouri. This represents a 2.17% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 11.8%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Missouri.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

19
Health Care and Social Assistance
13
Manufacturing
11
Retail Trade

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$8.84k
Manufacturing
$7.65k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$3.72k
Construction

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Missouri went to Donald J. Trump with 58.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (40.1%), followed by Chase Oliver (0.797%).

Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt are the senators currently representing the state of Missouri. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Missouri is currently represented by 8 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Carter County, MO. Showing the available data for Missouri.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (58.5%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (40.1%)
Democratic Party
Chase Oliver (0.797%)
Libertarian Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Missouri went to Donald J. Trump with 58.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (40.1%), followed by Chase Oliver (0.797%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Missouri for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Missouri

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Missouri.

Josh Hawley

Senator from Missouri

Assumed office on January 3, 2019

Eric Schmitt

Senator from Missouri

Assumed office on January 3, 2023

Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt are the senators currently representing Missouri.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Missouri over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Carter County, MO was $159,400 in 2024, which is 0.479 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $147,600 to $159,400, a 7.99% increase. The homeownership rate in Carter County, MO is 60.7%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Carter County, MO have an average commute time of 24.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Carter County, MO is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 6.63% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Carter County, MO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.87%.

Housing

Property

$159,400

Median Property Value 2024

±$22,788

$1,237

Median Property Taxes

±$216

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Carter County, MO the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Carter County, MO compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

60.7%

Homeownership

2024

70.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 60.7% of the housing units in Carter County, MO were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 64.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Carter County, MO compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$50,000

Median Household Income

± $8,926

2.04k

Number of Households

± 285

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.04k households in Carter County, MO grew to $50,000 from the previous year's value of $45,083.

The following chart displays the households in Carter County, MO distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $60k - $75k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Carter County, MO is from Missouri.

0.451

2023 Wage GINI in Missouri

0.455

2022 Wage GINI in Missouri

In 2023, the income inequality in Missouri was 0.451 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.848% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Missouri was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Missouri in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Missouri across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (68.6%)
Carpooled (14.6%)
Worked At Home (11.4%)

In 2024, 68.6% of workers in Carter County, MO drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (14.6%) and those who worked at home (11.4%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

24.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Carter County, MO have a shorter commute time (24.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.85% of the workforce in Carter County, MO have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Carter County, MO compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Carter County, MO distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Carter County, MO have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 6.63% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Carter County, MO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.87%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

20.8% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Carter County, MO (1.09k out of 5.25k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 55 - 64, followed by Males 12 - 14 and then Females 16 - 17.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Carter County, MO is White, followed by Two Or More and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 30% of the children was living in poverty in Carter County, MO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 10.4%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 430 in Carter County, MO. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 317 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

85.4% of the population of Carter County, MO has health coverage, with 28.3% on employee plans, 28.8% on Medicaid, 13.3% on Medicare, 11.5% on non-group plans, and 3.58% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Carter County, MO see 5,320 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (5,320 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2634 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 663 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.8% were men and 52.2% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

5,320 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Carter County, MO

Primary care physicians in Carter County, MO see an average of 5,320 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (5,320 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Carter County, MO in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 26.1% under 18 years, 16.9% between 18 and 34 years, 36.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 20.2% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.8% were men and 52.2% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

14.6%

Uninsured

28.3%

Employer Coverage

28.8%

Medicaid

13.3%

Medicare

11.5%

Non-Group

3.58%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Carter County, MO grew by 2.37% from 14.2% to 14.6%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Carter County, MO changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2015, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 166 in Carter County, MO.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Carter County, MO.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 40% in Carter County, MO.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Carter County, MO.