County · Missouri

Cole County, Missouri

Cole County, Missouri. Cole County had 77,908 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 0.8% since 2020, slower than Missouri (+1.9%). It holds 9 places (8 cities, villages and boroughs and 1 census-designated) and 18 census tracts. GEOID 29051.

Cole County is one of the 4 counties of the Jefferson City, MO metropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

77,908

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 77,279 · ACS 2020-2024: 77,032

Median household income

$74,876

±$3,475 (90% margin)
Missouri: $70,702

Median home value

$229,600

±$6,798 (90% margin)
Missouri: $230,300

Median gross rent

$834

±$25 (90% margin)
Missouri: $1,033

How many people live in Cole County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 77,279 residents in Cole County. The Census Bureau estimates 77,908 for July 1, 2025, up 0.8% since 2020, slower than Missouri (+1.9%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 77,032 over 392 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 +24 (76,632)
2021→2022 +320 (76,952)
2022→2023 +343 (77,295)
2023→2024 +468 (77,763)
2024→2025 +145 (77,908)

Cole County in Missouri. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Cole County	Missouri	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	77,032	6,191,814	+309
Households	31,086±329	2,508,227	+932
Average household size	2.35±0.02	2.40	no clear change
Housing units	33,533±49	2,825,287	no clear change

Cole County's population since 2000

From 71,397 in 2000 to 77,908 in 2025: up 9.1%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.

2000 Census 71,397
2005 (estimate) 72,948
2010 Census 75,990
2015 (estimate) 76,838
2020 Census 77,279
2025 (estimate) 77,908

Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Cole County?

Cole County holds 9 places: 8 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places) and 1 census-designated place. The largest is Jefferson City with 42,489 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Cole County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Jefferson City	city	43,228	42,488±65	$66,371	$218,700	12.0%	100%
Wardsville	village	1,599	1,579±376	$121,222	$329,500	2.5%	100%
St. Martins	city	1,191	1,228±257	$89,250	$242,400	5.0%	100%
Taos	city	1,150	1,242±253	$98,854	$270,500	2.5%	100%
Russellville	city	778	833±174	$56,750	$166,500	5.3%	100%
Centertown	town	284	297±95	$46,875	$143,400	10.4%	100%
St. Thomas	town	222	228±81	$89,688	$212,000	3.1%	100%
LohmanGEOID 2943652	city	175	243±114	$89,167	$218,800	11.9%	100%
EugeneGEOID 2922798	CDP	140	158±120	$58,846	not published	17.7%	100%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Cole County?

The median resident of Cole County is 39.9 years old; 22.1% are under 18 and 18.0% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 79.2%, then non-Hispanic Black residents at 9.7%. 2.9% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Cole County	Missouri	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	39.9±0.5	39.0	+1.3
Under 18 years	22.1%	22.3%	–
65 years and over	18.0%±0.1 pts	17.9%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	3.6%	5.2%	+0.8 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	79.2%±0.5 pts	76.3%	−2.4 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	9.7%±0.7 pts	10.9%	−2.0 pts
Asian alone, not Hispanic	1.4%±0.2 pts	2.1%	no clear change
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.2%±0.1 pts	0.2%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.1 pts	0.1%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	5.1%±0.8 pts	4.8%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.6%±0.4 pts	0.4%	–
Born outside the United States	2.9%±0.4 pts	4.5%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	4.0%±0.6 pts	6.7%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	7.7%±0.7 pts	7.3%	–
With a disability	13.1%±1.1 pts	14.9%	–
No health insurance coverage	5.8%±0.7 pts	8.8%	−2.4 pts
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	94.2%±0.7 pts	91.9%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	38.9%±1.5 pts	32.4%	+5.6 pts
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	14.1%±1.0 pts	12.6%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	1.3%±0.5 pts	2.5%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov

What do households in Cole County earn?

Half of Cole County's 31,086 households earn less than $74,876 a year (±$3,475), against $70,702 in Missouri. In 2015-2019 it was $73,923 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 9.0% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Cole County	Missouri	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$74,876±$3,475	$70,702	no clear change
Mean household income	$95,025±$3,272	$96,247	–
Per capita income	$39,068±$1,175	$39,695	no clear change
People below the poverty line	9.0%±1.0 pts	12.6%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	11.7%±2.4 pts	15.8%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	5.9%±1.0 pts	9.8%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	89.5%±1.5 pts	89.3%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What does housing cost in Cole County?

Owners occupy 67.9% of Cole County's occupied homes and renters 32.1%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $229,600 by its owner (±$6,798). The median renter pays $834 a month including utilities, and 27.8% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Cole County	Missouri	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$229,600±$6,798	$230,300	+$29,858
Median gross rent	$834±$25	$1,033	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	27.8%±4.0 pts	36.6%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,420±$44	$1,524	–
Owner-occupied homes	67.9%±1.9 pts	68.1%	no clear change
Housing units	33,533±49	2,825,287	no clear change
Homeowner vacancy rate	0.9%±0.7 pts	0.9%	–
Rental vacancy rate	6.2%±2.3 pts	5.0%	–
Single-family detached homes	69.4%±1.6 pts	70.5%	–
Mobile homes	2.3%±0.6 pts	5.2%	–
Built 2020 or later	1.1%±0.4 pts	1.6%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	9.0%±0.9 pts	13.3%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov

How many new homes is Cole County building?

Builders took permits for 154 new housing units across Cole County in 2025 (135 single-family), 2.0 per 1,000 residents.

2019 198 units
2020 185 units
2021 193 units
2022 146 units
2023 162 units
2024 171 units
2025 154 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Cole County get to work?

78.0% of Cole County's workers drive alone and 9.2% work from home. The average trip to work takes 17.9 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 2.9%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Cole County	Missouri	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	63.2%±1.0 pts	63.1%	–
Unemployment rate	2.9%±0.6 pts	4.0%	no clear change
Drove alone to work	78.0%±2.1 pts	74.8%	–
Carpooled	8.7%±1.5 pts	8.1%	–
Public transportation	0.5%±0.3 pts	0.8%	–
Walked	1.3%±0.4 pts	1.8%	–
Worked from home	9.2%±1.1 pts	13.0%	+6.9 pts
Mean travel time to work	17.9 min±0.8	23.5 min	no clear change

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What are Cole County's census tracts?

Cole County is divided into 18 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $41,250 (Tract 105) to $119,429 (Tract 201.98).

Census tracts of Cole County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; sort by any column

Tract 10329051010300	Jefferson City	4,815	4,491±479	$92,112	$212,500	$879	12.2%
Tract 104.0129051010401	Jefferson City (72%)	3,714	3,646±460	$75,469	$236,500	$914	3.7%
Tract 104.0229051010402	Jefferson City (82%)	2,987	2,665±452	$68,368	$224,900	$798	16.4%
Tract 10529051010500	Jefferson City	4,313	4,374±581	$41,250	$163,200	$715	26.3%
Tract 10629051010600	Jefferson City	3,661	3,569±550	$51,616	$159,600	$641	12.2%
Tract 107.0129051010701	Jefferson City (81%)	6,009	6,115±553	$70,409	$230,500	$841	8.5%
Tract 107.0229051010702	Jefferson City (84%)	5,083	4,661±599	$80,000	$227,500	$883	10.1%
Tract 108.0129051010801	Jefferson City (22%)	5,920	6,286±822	$78,092	$247,700	$920	9.3%
Tract 108.0229051010802	Jefferson City (74%)	3,670	3,768±423	$90,870	$312,600	$824	6.9%
Tract 109.0129051010901	Jefferson City (92%)	3,568	3,334±341	$80,324	$198,900	$940	2.6%
Tract 109.0229051010902	Jefferson City	2,698	3,133±394	$58,214	$215,000	$681	11.9%
Tract 201.9829051020198	Taos (21%)	7,347	7,038±455	$119,429	$321,200	$1,200	3.1%
Tract 20229051020200	Wardsville (12%)	4,632	4,209±449	$110,357	$338,000	$973	3.2%
Tract 20329051020300	Eugene (11%)	3,494	3,760±492	$80,109	$245,100	$822	6.3%
Tract 20429051020400	St. Martins (9%)	6,531	6,887±526	$83,243	$189,700	$885	7.1%
Tract 20529051020500	Russellville (24%)	2,761	2,854±363	$73,977	$199,300	$818	3.0%
Tract 20629051020600	St. Martins (16%)	4,167	4,562±343	$87,985	$243,400	$946	8.9%
Tract 20729051020700	Jefferson City	1,909	1,680±311	$41,346	$110,100	$672	22.3%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does Cole County compare with Missouri's other counties?

Cole County's rank among Missouri's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	16th of 115
Growth 2020-2025	71st of 115
Residents per square mile	11th of 115
Median household income	13th of 115
Median home value	15th of 115
Median gross rent	30th of 115
Poverty rate	100th of 115
Bachelor's degree or higher	6th of 115
Median age	76th of 115

Every county in Missouri

Source: PlainCities ranks from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed

How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections

Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Cole County are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.