Lawrence County, MO

County

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2024 Population

38,593

US Senator

Josh Hawley

Republican Party

US Senator

Eric Schmitt

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

38.8

0.513% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

14.5%

12.1% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$61,215

9.61% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$175,100

9.57% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

17,260

2.75% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Lawrence 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.

98.3% of the residents in Lawrence County, MO are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Lawrence County, MO was $175,100, and the homeownership rate was 73.9%.

Most people in Lawrence County, MO drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 25 minutes. The average car ownership in Lawrence County, MO was 2 cars per household.

Lawrence County, MO borders Barry County, MO, Christian County, MO, Dade County, MO, Greene County, MO, Jasper County, MO, Newton County, MO, and Stone County, MO.

United States Missouri

Population & Diversity

Lawrence County, MO is home to a population of 38.6k people, from which 98.3% are citizens. As of 2024, 3.46% of Lawrence County, MO residents were born outside of the country (1.33k people).

In 2024, there were 27 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (33.3k people) in Lawrence County, MO than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.23k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 1.11k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.3%

2024 Citizenship

97.9%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.3% of Lawrence County, MO residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Lawrence County, MO was 97.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Lawrence County, MO

White (Non-Hispanic)
33.3k ± 344
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
1.23k ± 399
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
1.11k ± 135

8.45%

Hispanic Population

3.26k people

8.45% of the people in Lawrence County, MO are hispanic (3.26k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Lawrence 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

3.46%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.33k people

3.51%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.35k people

As of 2024, 3.46% of Lawrence County, MO residents (1.33k 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 Lawrence County, MO was 3.51%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
662 ± 161
Gulf War (2001-)
413 ± 149
Gulf War (1990s)
225 ± 103

Lawrence County, MO has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.6 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Lawrence County, MO employs 17.3k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Lawrence County, MO were Manufacturing (3,101 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (2,355 people), and Retail Trade (2,223 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($89,750), Wholesale Trade ($62,857), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($56,453).

Employment

Occupations

17.3k

2024 Value

± 1,007

2.75%

1 Year growth

± 8.31%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Lawrence County, MO grew at a rate of 2.75%, from 16.8k employees to 17.3k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Lawrence County, MO, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,017 people), Management Occupations (1,849 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (1,739 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Lawrence 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

17.3k

2024 Value

± 1,007

2.75%

1 Year growth

± 8.31%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Lawrence County, MO grew at a rate of 2.75%, from 16.8k employees to 17.3k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Lawrence County, MO, are Manufacturing (3,101 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (2,355 people), and Retail Trade (2,223 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Lawrence County, MO, though some of these residents may live in Lawrence County, MO and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$44,751

Median earning men ± $2,168

$33,391

Median earning women ± $2,772

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($66,419), Wholesale Trade ($64,196), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($55,859).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($41,418), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($40,625), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($40,287).

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

64
Other Services (except Public Administration)
62
Construction
52
Transportation and Warehousing

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

$67.6k
Manufacturing
$44.1k
Retail Trade
$39.9k
Health Care and Social Assistance

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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence County, MO was $175,100 in 2024, which is 0.526 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $159,800 to $175,100, a 9.57% increase. The homeownership rate in Lawrence County, MO is 73.9%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Lawrence County, MO have an average commute time of 25 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Lawrence County, MO is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 12.5% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Lawrence County, MO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.49%.

Housing

Property

$175,100

Median Property Value 2024

±$12,361

$10,785

Median Property Taxes

±$663

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

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

Rent vs Own

73.9%

Homeownership

2024

67.5%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 73.9% of the housing units in Lawrence County, MO were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 72.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Lawrence 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.

$61,215

Median Household Income

± $4,968

14.6k

Number of Households

± 854

In 2024, the median household income of the 14.6k households in Lawrence County, MO grew to $61,215 from the previous year's value of $55,849.

The following chart displays the households in Lawrence 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 Lawrence 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 (76.3%)
Carpooled (10.6%)
Worked At Home (10.4%)

In 2024, 76.3% of workers in Lawrence County, MO drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10.6%) and those who worked at home (10.4%).

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

25 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Lawrence County, MO have a shorter commute time (25 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.69% of the workforce in Lawrence County, MO have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 12.5% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Lawrence County, MO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.49%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

14.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Lawrence County, MO (5.47k out of 37.6k 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 Females < 5 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Lawrence County, MO is White, followed by Hispanic 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.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 20.1% of the children was living in poverty in Lawrence County, MO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 7.8%.

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 448 in Lawrence County, MO. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 71.3 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

86% of the population of Lawrence County, MO has health coverage, with 39.9% on employee plans, 18.3% on Medicaid, 15.1% on Medicare, 10.7% on non-group plans, and 1.95% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Lawrence County, MO see 2,555 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,555 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2579 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 827 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.9% were men and 50.1% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

2,555 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Lawrence County, MO

Primary care physicians in Lawrence County, MO see an average of 2,555 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,555 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 26.6% under 18 years, 19.1% between 18 and 34 years, 36.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 17.6% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.9% were men and 50.1% were women.

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

Uninsured People

14%

Uninsured

39.9%

Employer Coverage

18.3%

Medicaid

15.1%

Medicare

10.7%

Non-Group

1.95%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Lawrence County, MO declined by 8.38% from 15.3% to 14%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Lawrence 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 65.7 in Lawrence County, MO.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Lawrence 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 41.9% in Lawrence County, MO.

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