Dent County, MO

County

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2024 Population

14,539

US Senator

Josh Hawley

Republican Party

US Senator

Eric Schmitt

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

43.5

0.685% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

12.2%

14.4% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$56,312

3.69% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$167,500

11.9% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

5,923

3.72% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Dent 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.

99.2% of the residents in Dent County, MO are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Dent County, MO was $167,500, and the homeownership rate was 75.9%.

Most people in Dent County, MO drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 21 minutes. The average car ownership in Dent County, MO was 2 cars per household.

Dent County, MO borders Crawford County, MO, Iron County, MO, Phelps County, MO, Reynolds County, MO, Shannon County, MO, and Texas County, MO.

United States Missouri

Population & Diversity

Dent County, MO is home to a population of 14.5k people, from which 99.2% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.94% of Dent County, MO residents were born outside of the country (282 people).

In 2024, there were 38 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (13.2k people) in Dent County, MO than any other race or ethnicity. There were 348 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 310 Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.2%

2024 Citizenship

99.2%

2023 Citizenship

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

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Dent County, MO

White (Non-Hispanic)
13.2k ± 168
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
348 ± 77
Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic)
310 ± 162

2.23%

Hispanic Population

324 people

2.23% of the people in Dent County, MO are hispanic (324 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Dent 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

1.94%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

282 people

1.84%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

267 people

As of 2024, 1.94% of Dent County, MO residents (282 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 Dent County, MO was 1.84%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
314 ± 111
Gulf War (1990s)
255 ± 160
Gulf War (2001-)
253 ± 98

Dent County, MO has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.23 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Dent County, MO employs 5.92k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Dent County, MO were Health Care & Social Assistance (986 people), Manufacturing (638 people), and Retail Trade (638 people), and the highest paying industries were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($77,308), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($73,125), and Wholesale Trade ($58,585).

Employment

Occupations

5.92k

2024 Value

± 538

−3.72%

1 Year decline

± 13.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Dent County, MO declined at a rate of −3.72%, from 6.15k employees to 5.92k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Dent County, MO, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (637 people), Production Occupations (495 people), and Management Occupations (481 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Dent 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

5.92k

2024 Value

± 538

−3.72%

1 Year decline

± 13.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Dent County, MO declined at a rate of −3.72%, from 6.15k employees to 5.92k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Dent County, MO, are Health Care & Social Assistance (986 people), Manufacturing (638 people), and Retail Trade (638 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Dent County, MO, though some of these residents may live in Dent County, MO and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$43,466

Median earning men ± $4,596

$29,288

Median earning women ± $3,964

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($75,250), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($58,750), and Wholesale Trade ($58,682).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($67,083), Wholesale Trade ($58,359), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($50,313).

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

33
Other Services (except Public Administration)
23
Health Care and Social Assistance
17
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

$39.8k
Manufacturing
$27.3k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$14.1k
Retail Trade

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 Dent 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 Dent County, MO was $167,500 in 2024, which is 0.503 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $149,700 to $167,500, a 11.9% increase. The homeownership rate in Dent County, MO is 75.9%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Dent County, MO have an average commute time of 21 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Dent County, MO is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 13.2% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Dent County, MO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.635%.

Housing

Property

$167,500

Median Property Value 2024

±$13,322

$4,266

Median Property Taxes

±$364

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 Dent County, MO the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

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

Rent vs Own

75.9%

Homeownership

2024

60.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 75.9% of the housing units in Dent County, MO were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 76.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Dent 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.

$56,312

Median Household Income

± $4,171

5.62k

Number of Households

± 476

In 2024, the median household income of the 5.62k households in Dent County, MO grew to $56,312 from the previous year's value of $54,306.

The following chart displays the households in Dent 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 $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Dent 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 (83.2%)
Worked At Home (7.16%)
Carpooled (6.48%)

In 2024, 83.2% of workers in Dent County, MO drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (7.16%) and those who carpooled to work (6.48%).

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

21 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Dent County, MO have a shorter commute time (21 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.48% of the workforce in Dent County, MO have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Dent 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 Dent County, MO distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Dent County, MO have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 13.2% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Dent County, MO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.635%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

12.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Dent County, MO (1.76k out of 14.4k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 55 - 64, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 75+.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Dent 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, 22.9% of the children was living in poverty in Dent County, MO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 7.6%.

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 92.7 in Dent County, MO. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 91.9 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

84.4% of the population of Dent County, MO has health coverage, with 35.1% on employee plans, 18.7% on Medicaid, 16.1% on Medicare, 12.4% on non-group plans, and 2.19% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Dent County, MO see 3,608 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (3,608 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 4822 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 666 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50% were men and 50% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

3,608 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Dent County, MO

Primary care physicians in Dent County, MO see an average of 3,608 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (3,608 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24% under 18 years, 15.8% between 18 and 34 years, 38.3% between 35 and 64 years, and 21.8% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50% were men and 50% were women.

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

Uninsured People

15.6%

Uninsured

35.1%

Employer Coverage

18.7%

Medicaid

16.1%

Medicare

12.4%

Non-Group

2.19%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Dent County, MO grew by 27.9% from 12.2% to 15.6%.

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

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 89.7 in Dent County, MO.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Dent 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 38.9% in Dent County, MO.

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