City profile · Missouri · Census ACS 2023

Poplar Bluff, MO

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Poplar Bluff - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

16,243
Residents
$42,035
Median income
$109,700
Median home
$895
Median rent (state)

Poplar Bluff - the verdict

Poplar Bluff ranks in the 10th percentile for household income and the 94th percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.

10th
percentile, household income
13th
percentile, home value
4th
percentile, median rent
94th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this

Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.

Data Snapshot: Poplar Bluff, MO

Census ACS 2023 estimates count 16,243 residents in Poplar Bluff, a small town within Missouri. The typical household in Poplar Bluff brings in $42,035 a year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 18.4%. Typical homes in Poplar Bluff are valued around $109,700, and the median resident age is 36.7 years. 16.0% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 50.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

In 2024, 63 residential building permits were authorized in Poplar Bluff (Building Boom), up 530% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Poplar Bluff reports a comparatively low crime rate: per-100,000 total crime stands at 248.3 in FBI UCR data, below the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). NOAA climate normals record an annual average temperature of 58.7°F with 52.2 inches of precipitation per year and 5.4 inches of snowfall.

Living costs in Missouri run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Missouri at 90.8 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Below Average). Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $895 monthly. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Missouri's average monthly utility costs around $219 (state average). Commute times here average 16.0 minutes, with 79.1% driving alone and 3.5% working from home, per Census ACS commuting data. Natural-hazard exposure scores 83.1 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (High).

Population

16,243 residents

Census ACS 2023 - Missouri

Median Household Income

$42,035 /yr

Poverty 18.4%

Cost of Living Index (state)

90.8 (US=100)

Well Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, Missouri average

How does Poplar Bluff compare to other US cities?

Where Poplar Bluff sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 10% higher than other cities
Home value 13% pricier than other cities
Median rent 4% pricier than other cities
Safety 94% safer than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Missouri alone, Poplar Bluff ranks #11 of 234 Missouri cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

Each percentile compares Poplar Bluff against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Missouri only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.

Missouri-relative analysis

Poverty Rate places Poplar Bluff toward the top of Missouri's cities

Among the 875 Missouri cities PlainCities tracks with reported poverty rate data, Poplar Bluff ranks #193 - the 78th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Poplar Bluff only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#658 of 842
22nd percentile in Missouri
Median Gross Rent
#553 of 875
36th percentile in Missouri
Median Home Value
#470 of 833
44th percentile in Missouri
Poverty Rate
#193 of 875
78th percentile in Missouri
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#421 of 875
52nd percentile in Missouri

Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Missouri only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.

10thIncome percentile
94thSafety percentile

10th percentile nationally for median household income · 94th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

Poplar Bluff's profile vs. every US city

Income, affordability, and safety percentile

Poplar Bluff's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown. 3-axis radar comparing 1 series across Income, Affordability, Safety. IncomeAffordabilitySafety 65 Avg. percentile National median
Poplar Bluff's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.

How Poplar Bluff's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$109,700 Among the most affordable more affordable than 87% of 15,600 US cities

$0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). This entry sits in this band. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Above this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Above this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Poplar Bluff $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023

Income distribution context

Household income distribution - Poplar Bluff, MO Poplar Bluff, MO's reported median household income shown against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern (not Poplar Bluff, MO-specific quintile data). The Lorenz curve traces the national cumulative income share against cumulative population share, perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Poplar Bluff, MO median $42,035/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Poplar Bluff, MO's median household income (Census ACS 5-year estimate) plotted against the U.S. national income-quintile distribution pattern for context; the quintile shares and Lorenz curve are national figures, not computed specifically for Poplar Bluff, MO. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 16.0%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 18.4%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 50.0%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
16,243
Median Income
$42,035
Median Home Value
$109,700
Median Age
36.7
Poverty Rate
18.4%
Labor force participation
50.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
16.0%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
248.3
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
37.2
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
211.1
per 100,000 residents

Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.

Climate

Avg Temperature
58.7°F
Annual Precipitation
52.2"
Annual Snowfall
5.4"

Schools

Total Schools
12
Public schools in this city

Population Change

Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025

See the fastest-growing cities →
16,150 residents16,200 residents16,250 residents16,300 residents16,350 residents 202020212022202320242025 16,277 residents 16,295 residents ▲ +0.1%
Poplar Bluff's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized

📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
63
housing units authorized
Single-Family
7
detached homes
Multifamily
56
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
3.9
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 10
2020 18
2021 6
2022 3
2023 26
2024 63

Permit volume increased 530% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
16.0 minutes
Drive Alone
79.1%
Carpool
12.5%
Public Transit
0.7%
Walk
2.5%
Work from Home
3.5%
Other
1.7%

Based on 6,338 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Missouri - EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$105
avg/month
Natural Gas
$72
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$42
avg/month
Total Utilities
$219
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Missouri state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Cost of living is a Missouri state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Poplar Bluff sits in

Cost of Living Index
90.8
Well Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$895/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
83.1 / 100
High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)

Similar Cities in Missouri

Sikeston
16,231 people
Lemay
16,431 people
Grain Valley
15,967 people
Overland
15,762 people
Hannibal
16,825 people
Jackson
15,532 people

Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide

Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Poplar Bluff's 16,243 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).

Hewitt, TX
16,244 people
Dickson, TN
16,246 people
Kings Park, NY
16,249 people
Welby, CO
16,232 people
Fairview Heights, IL
16,255 people
Bellevue, WI
16,255 people

Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide

Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Poplar Bluff's $42,035 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).

Pineville, WV
$42,037 median income
Kennedy, AL
$42,031 median income
Calion, AR
$42,039 median income
Inman Mills, SC
$42,031 median income
Locust Fork, AL
$42,045 median income
Whitney, TX
$42,024 median income

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity - Poplar Bluff, MO Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Poplar Bluff, MO - Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE, sums to 100% 78.7% 8.9% 7.4% ETHNICITY, Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.4% White 78.7% Black or African American 8.9% Asian 1.6% American Indian 0.5% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 2.7% Two or more races 7.4% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.

How Poplar Bluff compares to nearby Missouri cities

Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).

City Population Median Household Income
Poplar Bluff (this city) 16,243 $42,035
Sikeston 16,231 $53,203
Lemay 16,431 $59,026
Grain Valley 15,967 $87,266
Census ACS 5-year FIPS MO FBI UCR NOAA Normals NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Poplar Bluff, MO?

What is the population of Poplar Bluff, MO? +

Poplar Bluff, MO has a population of 16,243 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Poplar Bluff, MO? +

Median annual household income in Poplar Bluff runs $42,035, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Poplar Bluff? +

BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Poplar Bluff; the closest available measure is the Missouri state average, a cost of living index of 90.8 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Well Below Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within Missouri vary by metro area.

Is Poplar Bluff, MO safe? +

Poplar Bluff has a total crime rate of 248.3 per 100,000 residents, which is below the national average. This reflects incidents reported to the FBI UCR program, not a definitive safety score -- agency reporting is voluntary and completeness varies by jurisdiction.

What is the median home value in Poplar Bluff, MO? +

A typical home in Poplar Bluff is worth $109,700, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the climate like in Poplar Bluff? +

The average annual temperature in Poplar Bluff runs 58.7°F, 52.2 inches of precipitation, and 5.4 inches of snowfall per year. Source: NOAA Climate Normals.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Verify with HUD →

Verify with FBI →

Verify with NOAA →

Verify with U.S. Census Bureau →

Verify with EPA →

Verify with FEMA →

Verify with BEA →

Verify with EIA →

Verify with NCES →

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.