county

Carter County, MO

Demographic and economic profile of Carter County, MO, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Carter County is a small, rural Missouri county with a population of 5,269 that has contracted 15.0% over the past five years, reflecting ongoing outmigration pressure. The labor force is limited, with a participation rate of just 52.9% and only 13.3% of residents holding a bachelor's degree or higher, though the unemployment rate stands at 2.9% and median worker earnings are $31,463. Housing costs are low — median home value of $147,600 and median gross rent of $661 per month — but a 19.2% poverty rate and GDP per capita of $23,316 signal constrained local economic output.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

5,269

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$50,000

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

38.9 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-15.0% since 2018

Carter County lost population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone4,905 (92.6%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races209 (3.9%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race155 (2.9%)
  • Black or African American Alone22 (0.4%)
  • Some Other Race Alone4 (0.1%)
  • Asian Alone2 (0.0%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish88
  2. 2.French (incl. Cajun, Haitian)3
  3. 3.Other Asian and Pacific Island3

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

24.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

55.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

20.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

1.5%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

526

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$23,316

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$27,115

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

2.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

19.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Manufacturing (Group)589
  2. 2.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance385
  3. 3.Construction (Group)341
  4. 4.Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodation & Food Services217
  5. 5.Retail Trade (Group)216

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations544
  2. 2.Service Occupations496
  3. 3.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations455
  4. 4.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations384
  5. 5.Sales & Office Occupations374

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Manufacturing (LQ 3.12×)663
  2. 2.Construction (LQ 1.29×)191
  3. 3.Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, & Accommodation (LQ 1.07×)200
  4. 4.Educational Services & Health Care (LQ 0.95×)473
  5. 5.Retail Trade (LQ 0.90×)210

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$147,600

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$661/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

60.7%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $300,000 to $399,999180 (14.6%)
  • $200,000 to $249,999143 (11.6%)
  • $150,000 to $174,999116 (9.4%)
  • $125,000 to $149,999108 (8.7%)
  • $70,000 to $79,99987 (7.0%)
  • $50,000 to $59,99984 (6.8%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

13.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

85.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

52.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$31,463

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

24.8 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

10.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone1,530 (68.6%)
  • Carpooled326 (14.6%)
  • Worked At Home255 (11.4%)
  • Walked95 (4.3%)
  • Other25 (1.1%)
  • Public Transit0 (0.0%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.