Population
1,690 residents
Census ACS 2023 - Missouri
City profile · Missouri · Census ACS 2023
Wellston, MO
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Wellston - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 1,690
- Residents
- $39,474
- Median income
- $1,218
- Median rent (state)
Wellston - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Wellston lands in the 7th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.
- 7th
- percentile, household income
- 38th
- percentile, median rent
📝 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: Wellston, MO
Missouri's Wellston is a small town, with 1,690 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Median household income here is $39,474 per year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 22.3%. The median resident age is 38.3 years. About 9.9% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 55.6% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 0 residential units were authorized in 2024 (No Permits).
Living costs in Missouri run below the national norm: the state registers 90.8 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Well Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,218 monthly. Monthly utility costs average around $219 across Missouri, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 98.7 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Very High).
Median Household Income
$39,474 /yr
Poverty 22.3%
Cost of Living Index (state)
90.8 (US=100)
Well Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, Missouri average
How does Wellston compare to other US cities?
Where Wellston sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income 7% higher than other cities
Median rent 38% pricier than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Wellston 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 Wellston toward the top of Missouri's cities
Among the 875 Missouri cities PlainCities tracks with reported poverty rate data, Wellston ranks #134 - the 85th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Wellston only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#701 of 842
17th percentile in Missouri
Median Gross Rent
#108 of 875
69th percentile in Missouri
Poverty Rate
#134 of 875
85th percentile in Missouri
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#637 of 875
27th 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.
7th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Income distribution context
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 9.9%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 22.3%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 55.6%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
1,690
Median Income
$39,474
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
38.3
Poverty Rate
22.3%
Labor force participation
55.6%
Bachelor's Degree+
9.9%
Schools
Total Schools
1
Public schools in this city
Population Change
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Housing Supply
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
Total Permits (2024)
0
housing units authorized
Single-Family
0
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
| Year | Total |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 23 |
| 2021 | 16 |
| 2022 | 8 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
80.5%
Carpool
3.4%
Public Transit
12.6%
Walk
0.5%
Work from Home
3.0%
Based on 737 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 Wellston sits in
Cost of Living Index
90.8
Well Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,218/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
98.7 / 100
Very High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)
Similar Cities in Missouri
Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide
Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Wellston's 1,690 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).
Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide
Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Wellston's $39,474 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).
Race & Ethnicity Composition
City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.
How Wellston compares to nearby Missouri cities
Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Census ACS 5-year FIPS MO NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Wellston, MO?
What is the population of Wellston, MO? +
Wellston, MO counts 1,690 residents according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in Wellston, MO? +
Wellston households earn a median of $39,474 annually, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the cost of living in Wellston? +
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Wellston; 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.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, 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 PlainCitiesEvery 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.