Phelps County, MO

County

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2024 Population

45,194

US Senator

Josh Hawley

Republican Party

US Senator

Eric Schmitt

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

35.8

1.1% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

16.8%

2.6% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$58,396

5.36% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$206,500

5.95% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

19,445

2.71% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Phelps 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.

97.3% of the residents in Phelps County, MO are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Phelps County, MO are Missouri University of Science and Technology (2,174 degrees awarded in 2023) and Salem College of Hairstyling (17 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Phelps County, MO was $206,500, and the homeownership rate was 61.7%.

Most people in Phelps County, MO drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 19.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Phelps County, MO was 2 cars per household.

Phelps County, MO borders Crawford County, MO, Dent County, MO, Gasconade County, MO, Maries County, MO, Pulaski County, MO, and Texas County, MO.

United States Missouri Rolla, MO

Population & Diversity

Phelps County, MO is home to a population of 45.2k people, from which 97.3% are citizens. As of 2024, 4.16% of Phelps County, MO residents were born outside of the country (1.88k people).

In 2024, there were 23.2 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (38.4k people) in Phelps County, MO than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.66k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 1.22k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.3%

2024 Citizenship

97.2%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.3% of Phelps County, MO residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Phelps County, MO was 97.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Phelps County, MO

White (Non-Hispanic)
38.4k ± 430
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
1.66k ± 139
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
1.22k ± 225

3.08%

Hispanic Population

1.39k people

3.08% of the people in Phelps County, MO are hispanic (1.39k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Phelps 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

4.16%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.88k people

4.27%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.92k people

As of 2024, 4.16% of Phelps County, MO residents (1.88k 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 Phelps County, MO was 4.27%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
910 ± 182
Gulf War (2001-)
810 ± 200
Gulf War (1990s)
466 ± 140

Phelps County, MO has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.12 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Phelps County, MO employs 19.4k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Phelps County, MO were Health Care & Social Assistance (3,373 people), Educational Services (3,097 people), and Retail Trade (2,613 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($73,274), Finance & Insurance ($68,536), and Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($65,807).

Employment

Occupations

19.4k

2024 Value

± 1,062

2.71%

1 Year growth

± 7.58%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Phelps County, MO grew at a rate of 2.71%, from 18.9k employees to 19.4k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Phelps County, MO, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,130 people), Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (2,079 people), and Management Occupations (1,915 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Phelps 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

19.4k

2024 Value

± 1,062

2.71%

1 Year growth

± 7.58%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Phelps County, MO grew at a rate of 2.71%, from 18.9k employees to 19.4k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Phelps County, MO, are Health Care & Social Assistance (3,373 people), Educational Services (3,097 people), and Retail Trade (2,613 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Phelps County, MO, though some of these residents may live in Phelps County, MO and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$42,058

Median earning men ± $3,539

$32,609

Median earning women ± $2,559

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($83,199), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($59,535), and Wholesale Trade ($58,500).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Construction ($49,792), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($42,607), and Public Administration ($42,157).

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

77
Health Care and Social Assistance
70
Other Services (except Public Administration)
69
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

$166k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$87.9k
Retail Trade
$87.6k
Transportation and Warehousing

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 Phelps 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.

Education

In 2023, universities in Phelps County, MO awarded 2,191 degrees. The student population of Phelps County, MO in 2023 is skewed towards men, with 5,442 male students and 1,746 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Phelps County, MO are White (1,497 and 76.3%), Hispanic or Latino (122 and 6.22%), Unknown (111 and 5.66%), and Two or More Races (83 and 4.23%).

The largest universities in Phelps County, MO by number of degrees awarded are Missouri University of Science and Technology (2,174 and 99.2%) and Salem College of Hairstyling (17 and 0.776%).

The most popular majors in Phelps County, MO are Engineering & Industrial Management (257 and 11.7%), Mechanical Engineering (230 and 10.5%), and General Computer & Information Sciences (160 and 7.3%).

The median tuition cost in Phelps County, MO for a public four year colleges is $13,008 for in-state students and $30,408 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Phelps County, MO, the percentage of applicants admitted was 73.1%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 20%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 7,188 (75.7% men and 24.3% 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 2023 there were 7,188 students enrolled in Phelps County, MO, 75.7% men and 24.3% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 4,652 records, of which 23.1% were women and 76.9% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Mechanical Engineering
203 degrees awarded
General Computer & Information Sciences
115 degrees awarded
General Civil Engineering
114 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Phelps County, MO was Mechanical Engineering with 203 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Phelps County, MO according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Missouri University of Science and Technology
2,174 degrees awarded
Salem College of Hairstyling
17 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Missouri University of Science and Technology with 2,174 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 1,644 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Phelps County, MO, which is 3.01 times more than the 547 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 1,497 degrees mean that there were 12.3 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 122 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

Public, 4-year or above ($13,008) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,270) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($832) 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 Phelps County, MO was $206,500 in 2024, which is 0.621 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $194,900 to $206,500, a 5.95% increase. The homeownership rate in Phelps County, MO is 61.7%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Phelps County, MO have an average commute time of 19.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Phelps County, MO is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 13.9% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Phelps County, MO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.274%.

Housing

Property

$206,500

Median Property Value 2024

±$10,558

$10,689

Median Property Taxes

±$665

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 Phelps 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 Phelps County, MO compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

61.7%

Homeownership

2024

67%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 61.7% of the housing units in Phelps County, MO were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 61.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Phelps 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.

$58,396

Median Household Income

± $3,528

17.3k

Number of Households

± 919

In 2024, the median household income of the 17.3k households in Phelps County, MO grew to $58,396 from the previous year's value of $55,427.

The following chart displays the households in Phelps 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 Phelps 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 (71.7%)
Carpooled (14.9%)
Worked At Home (7.37%)

In 2024, 71.7% of workers in Phelps County, MO drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (14.9%) and those who worked at home (7.37%).

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

19.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Phelps County, MO have a shorter commute time (19.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.34% of the workforce in Phelps County, MO have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 13.9% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Phelps County, MO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.274%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

16.8% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Phelps County, MO (7.07k out of 42.1k 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 Males 18 - 24, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Phelps 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, 17% of the children was living in poverty in Phelps County, MO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 8.6%.

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 340 in Phelps County, MO. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 18.3 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

90.9% of the population of Phelps County, MO has health coverage, with 46% on employee plans, 16.9% on Medicaid, 12.1% on Medicare, 13.7% on non-group plans, and 2.21% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Phelps County, MO see 1,215 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,215 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1333 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 273 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 52.3% were men and 47.7% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,215 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Phelps County, MO

Primary care physicians in Phelps County, MO see an average of 1,215 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,215 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 23.1% under 18 years, 26.1% between 18 and 34 years, 34.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 16.4% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 52.3% were men and 47.7% were women.

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

Uninsured People

9.09%

Uninsured

46%

Employer Coverage

16.9%

Medicaid

12.1%

Medicare

13.7%

Non-Group

2.21%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Phelps County, MO grew by 3.22% from 8.81% to 9.09%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Phelps 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 67.6 in Phelps County, MO.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Phelps 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 39.2% in Phelps County, MO.

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