Counties in Missouri by population density

St. Louis city had the highest population density of 115 counties in 2020, at 1,878.7 inhabitants per km². Shannon County had the lowest, at 2.7 inhabitants per km². The median was 11.9 inhabitants per km² and the figure for Missouri was 34.6 inhabitants per km². Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest1,878.7St. Louis city
Median11.9115 counties
Missouri34.6History

Top 40 counties, 2020

CSVChart (SVG)

St. Louis citySt. Louis city: 1,878.7 inhabitants per km²1,878.7St. Louis CountySt. Louis County: 761.8 inhabitants per km²761.8Jackson CountyJackson County: 458.2 inhabitants per km²458.2St. Charles CountySt. Charles County: 280.1 inhabitants per km²280.1Clay CountyClay County: 246.7 inhabitants per km²246.7Greene CountyGreene County: 171.1 inhabitants per km²171.1Jefferson CountyJefferson County: 133.6 inhabitants per km²133.6Boone CountyBoone County: 103.7 inhabitants per km²103.7Platte CountyPlatte County: 98.6 inhabitants per km²98.6Buchanan CountyBuchanan County: 79.9 inhabitants per km²79.9Cole CountyCole County: 75.5 inhabitants per km²75.5Jasper CountyJasper County: 74.3 inhabitants per km²74.3Christian CountyChristian County: 61.3 inhabitants per km²61.3Cass CountyCass County: 59.9 inhabitants per km²59.9St. Francois CountySt. Francois County: 56.8 inhabitants per km²56.8Cape Girardeau CountyCape Girardeau County: 54.6 inhabitants per km²54.6Franklin CountyFranklin County: 43.9 inhabitants per km²43.9Pulaski CountyPulaski County: 38.1 inhabitants per km²38.1Lincoln CountyLincoln County: 36.9 inhabitants per km²36.9Newton CountyNewton County: 36.3 inhabitants per km²36.3Scott CountyScott County: 35 inhabitants per km²35Taney CountyTaney County: 34.2 inhabitants per km²34.2Warren CountyWarren County: 32.2 inhabitants per km²32.2Stone CountyStone County: 26 inhabitants per km²26Phelps CountyPhelps County: 25.6 inhabitants per km²25.6Webster CountyWebster County: 25.4 inhabitants per km²25.4Camden CountyCamden County: 25.2 inhabitants per km²25.2Marion CountyMarion County: 25.2 inhabitants per km²25.2Johnson CountyJohnson County: 25.2 inhabitants per km²25.2Pettis CountyPettis County: 24.3 inhabitants per km²24.3Lawrence CountyLawrence County: 24 inhabitants per km²24Butler CountyButler County: 23.4 inhabitants per km²23.4Callaway CountyCallaway County: 20.5 inhabitants per km²20.5Lafayette CountyLafayette County: 20.3 inhabitants per km²20.3Dunklin CountyDunklin County: 20.1 inhabitants per km²20.1Randolph CountyRandolph County: 19.6 inhabitants per km²19.6Clinton CountyClinton County: 19.6 inhabitants per km²19.6Polk CountyPolk County: 19.2 inhabitants per km²19.2Laclede CountyLaclede County: 18.2 inhabitants per km²18.2Adair CountyAdair County: 17.2 inhabitants per km²17.2
inhabitants per km². Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

RankCounties2020
inhabitants per km²
1St. Louis city1,878.7
2St. Louis County761.8
3Jackson County458.2
4St. Charles County280.1
5Clay County246.7
6Greene County171.1
7Jefferson County133.6
8Boone County103.7
9Platte County98.6
10Buchanan County79.9
11Cole County75.5
12Jasper County74.3
13Christian County61.3
14Cass County59.9
15St. Francois County56.8
16Cape Girardeau County54.6
17Franklin County43.9
18Pulaski County38.1
19Lincoln County36.9
20Newton County36.3
21Scott County35
22Taney County34.2
23Warren County32.2
24Stone County26
25Phelps County25.6
26Webster County25.4
27Camden County25.2
28Marion County25.2
29Johnson County25.2
30Pettis County24.3
31Lawrence County24
32Butler County23.4
33Callaway County20.5
34Lafayette County20.3
35Dunklin County20.1
36Randolph County19.6
37Clinton County19.6
38Polk County19.2
39Laclede County18.2
40Adair County17.2
41Barry County17.1
42McDonald County16.7
43Howell County16.6
44Andrew County16.2
45Miller County16.1
46Ray County15.7
47Perry County15.4
48Ste. Genevieve County14.3
49Moniteau County14.2
50Audrain County13.8
51Morgan County13.6
52Stoddard County13.4
53Dallas County12.2
54Pemiscot County12.2
55Henry County12.2
56Crawford County12
57Saline County11.9
58Washington County11.9
59Cedar County11.6
60Mississippi County11.4
61Cooper County11.4
62Gasconade County11
63Benton County10.7
64DeKalb County10.6
65Livingston County10.6
66Wright County10.3
67Pike County10
68Madison County9.9
69New Madrid County9.3
70Nodaway County9.3
71Vernon County9.2
72Grundy County8.7
73Ralls County8.5
74Howard County8.5
75Osage County8.4
76Montgomery County8.1
77Hickory County8
78Caldwell County8
79Texas County8
80Lewis County7.7
81Barton County7.6
82Linn County7.4
83Bates County7.4
84Dent County7.4
85Macon County7.3
86Iron County6.7
87Bollinger County6.6
88Ripley County6.5
89Maries County6.2
90Dade County6
91Daviess County5.8
92Wayne County5.6
93Douglas County5.5
94St. Clair County5.3
95Monroe County5.2
96Clark County5.1
97Schuyler County5
98Gentry County4.8
99Carroll County4.7
100Shelby County4.7
101Ozark County4.4
102Harrison County4.4
103Oregon County4.2
104Scotland County4.2
105Carter County4
106Chariton County3.8
107Atchison County3.7
108Sullivan County3.6
109Putnam County3.5
110Holt County3.5
111Mercer County3
112Reynolds County2.9
113Knox County2.9
114Worth County2.8
115Shannon County2.7

Other periods

About this ranking

Resident population divided by land area in km². World Bank figures use mid-year population and land area excluding inland water.

United States: Census Bureau population estimates for 1 July divided by land area (water excluded) from the latest Census Gazetteer files. US tables often give people per square mile; multiply persons per km² by 2.59 to compare.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Population Estimates Program resident population on 1 July divided by land area from the latest Census Gazetteer files, persons per km². https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

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Rank Counties in Missouri by population density using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest population density?

St. Louis city, with 1,878.7 inhabitants per km² in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest population density?

Shannon County, with 2.7 inhabitants per km² in 2020.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program resident population on 1 July divided by land area from the latest Census Gazetteer files, persons per km². Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Population density: other rankings

Counties in Missouri: more rankings