Jefferson City, MO

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

2024 Population

150,437

US Senator

Josh Hawley

Republican Party

US Senator

Eric Schmitt

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

39.8

0.759% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

9.89%

2.46% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$74,030

2.22% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

Population & Diversity

Jefferson City, MO is home to a population of 150k people, from which 99% are citizens.

As of 2024, 2.05% of Jefferson City, MO residents were born outside of the country (3.09k people).

In 2024, there were 13.3 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (127k people) in Jefferson City, MO than any other race or ethnicity. There were 9.54k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 5.58k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99%

2024 Citizenship

98.9%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99% of Jefferson City, MO residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Jefferson City, MO was 98.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Jefferson City, MO

White (Non-Hispanic)
127k ± 484
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
9.54k ± 607
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
5.58k ± 624

3.29%

Hispanic Population

4.95k people

3.29% of the people in Jefferson City, MO are hispanic (4.95k people).

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

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

Mexico
42,470 ± 5,042 people
India
24,378 ± 3,826 people
China
16,113 ± 3,112 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Missouri was Mexico, the natal country of 42,470 Missouri residents, followed by India with 24,378 and China with 16,113.

Foreign-Born Population

2.05%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

3.09k people

2.04%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

3.06k people

As of 2024, 2.05% of Jefferson City, MO residents (3.09k 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 Jefferson City, MO was 2.04%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
3,228 ± 333
Gulf War (2001-)
2,067 ± 311
Gulf War (1990s)
1,041 ± 231

Jefferson City, MO has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.56 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Jefferson City, MO.

Economy

The economy of Jefferson City, MO employs 71.7k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Jefferson City, MO were Public Administration (9,572 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (9,187 people), and Retail Trade (8,100 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($88,864), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($77,837), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($62,979).

Employment

Occupations

71.7k

2024 Value

± 1,931

1.04%

1 Year growth

± 3.82%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Jefferson City, MO grew at a rate of 1.04%, from 70.9k employees to 71.7k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Jefferson City, MO, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (9,075 people), Management Occupations (8,581 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (6,332 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Jefferson City, 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

71.7k

2024 Value

± 1,931

1.04%

1 Year growth

± 3.82%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Jefferson City, MO grew at a rate of 1.04%, from 70.9k employees to 71.7k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Jefferson City, MO, are Public Administration (9,572 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (9,187 people), and Retail Trade (8,100 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Jefferson City, MO, though some of these residents may live in Jefferson City, MO and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$51,900

Median earning men ± $936

$40,021

Median earning women ± $1,082

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($68,221), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($61,524), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($61,354).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($50,949), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($50,177), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($49,375).

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

294
Construction
272
Other Services (except Public Administration)
189
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

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

$442k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$434k
Manufacturing
$255k
Construction

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

Education

The student population of Jefferson City, MO in 2024 is skewed towards men, with 4,026 male students and 3,157 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Jefferson City, MO are White (1,597 and 82.4%), Black or African American (159 and 8.21%), Unknown (63 and 3.25%), and Hispanic or Latino (57 and 2.94%).

The largest universities in Jefferson City, MO by number of degrees awarded are State Technical College of Missouri (1,034 and 52.1%), William Woods University (427 and 21.5%), and Lincoln University (310 and 15.6%).

The most popular majors in Jefferson City, MO are Other Multidisciplinary Studies (143 and 7.2%), General Educational Leadership & Administration (114 and 5.74%), and General Business Administration & Management (109 and 5.49%).

The median tuition costs are $30,612 for private four year colleges, and $7,666 and $15,562 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Jefferson City, MO, the percentage of applicants admitted was 76.1%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 14.8%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 7,183 (56% men and 44% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 7,183 students enrolled in Jefferson City, MO, 56% men and 44% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 4,860 records, of which 42.1% were women and 57.9% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Office Management & Supervision
71 degrees awarded
Diesel Mechanics Technology
59 degrees awarded
Electrician
59 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Jefferson City, MO was Office Management & Supervision with 71 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Jefferson City, MO according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

State Technical College of Missouri
1,034 degrees awarded
William Woods University
427 degrees awarded
Lincoln University
310 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was State Technical College of Missouri with 1,034 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 1,201 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Jefferson City, MO, which is 1.53 times more than the 785 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 1,597 degrees mean that there were 10 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 159 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($30,612) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($2,165) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($2,000) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Jefferson City, MO was $217,500 in 2024, which is 0.654 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $203,900 to $217,500, a 6.67% increase. The homeownership rate in Jefferson City, MO is 72.2%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Jefferson City, MO have an average commute time of 21.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Jefferson City, MO is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$217,500

Median Property Value 2024

±$5,263

$42,282

Median Property Taxes

±$1,332

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 Jefferson City, MO the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

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

Rent vs Own

72.2%

Homeownership

2024

66%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 72.2% of the housing units in Jefferson City, MO were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 72.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Jefferson City, 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.

$74,030

Median Household Income

± $1,500

58.6k

Number of Households

± 1,767

In 2024, the median household income of the 58.6k households in Jefferson City, MO grew to $74,030 from the previous year's value of $72,425.

The following chart displays the households in Jefferson City, 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 Jefferson City, MO is from Missouri.

0.45

2024 Wage GINI in Missouri

0.451

2023 Wage GINI in Missouri

In 2024, the income inequality in Missouri was 0.45 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.34% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Missouri was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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 (77.2%)
Carpooled (9.56%)
Worked At Home (9.23%)

In 2024, 77.2% of workers in Jefferson City, MO drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.56%) and those who worked at home (9.23%).

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

21.2 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Jefferson City, MO have a shorter commute time (21.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.92% of the workforce in Jefferson City, MO have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

9.89% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Jefferson City, MO (14k out of 141k 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 Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 35 - 44.

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

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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

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

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

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