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May 29, 2025 |
By: Gavin McGough
An analysis of Missouri population shows increasing trends while the City of St Joseph was the only metro area to decline
An analysis of Missouri population trends since 2020 finds the state's total population increasing by about 1.5 percent. This according to data from the State's Extension Office. Metro areas saw slightly higher population increases than the state overall, and rural areas grew at only 1.1 percent on average. Some rural counties in the state's southwest acheived higher rates of population growth. Here in the northwest region, however, population largely declined. Nodaway County saw its population fall somewhere around 5 percentage points. Counties in and around the City of St Joseph recorded significant slumps as well. It was the only metro area to decline in the state. Population change is designated as both 'natural change' - which is related to birth and death rates - and 'migration change' - which relates to those moving into or away from an area. The natural change in Missouri declined. The state's growth was powered exclusively by domestic and international migration.
