Putnam County, Missouri

County in MO, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

4,642

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

45.9

years ∙ half population younger than 45.9, half older

Diversity Index

9.5%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

1.2%

foreign-born population

98.8%Native

1.2% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Putnam County is a county in Missouri, United States.

Location

County in MO, US

Co-ordinates

DEC40.478606° N, 93.014531° W

DMS40° 28′ 42.98″ N, 93° 00′ 52.31″ W

Population Density & area

8.97/sq mi (3.46/km²)

Total Area

519.6 sq mi (1,345.7 km²)

Land Area

517.3 sq mi (1,339.8 km²) · 99.56%

Water Area

2.3 sq mi (5.9 km²) · 0.44%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

52.2% male

Male 52.2%

Female 47.8%

males per 100 females

Putnam County 109.1

Missouri 97.2

United States 98

Nativity

1.2%

foreign-born population

98.8%Native

1.2% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Putnam County 1.2%

Missouri 4.5%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

45.9

years ∙ half population younger than 45.9, half older

Putnam County

45.9

Missouri

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Putnam County 91

Missouri 67.3

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Putnam County	Missouri	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	22.6%	22.3%	22%
Working age (18-64)	52.4%	59.8%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	25%	17.9%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	91	67.3	64.4
Child dependency ratio	43.2	37.4	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	47.8	29.9	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

95.1%

Black

0.2%

Asian

Hispanic

Other

1.7%

Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

9.5%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Putnam County 9.5%

Missouri 40%

United States 61.4%

Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity

Percentage of Putnam County population

	Putnam County	Missouri	United States
Hispanic or Latino	3%	5.2%	19.3%
Mexican	2.1%	3.2%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	0%	0.4%	1.8%
Cuban	0.1%	0.1%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	0.8%	1.4%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	97%	94.8%	80.7%
One race	95.7%	90%	76.4%
White	95.1%	76.3%	57.4%
Black or African American	0.2%	10.9%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.4%	0.2%	0.5%
Asian	0%	2.1%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0.1%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0%	0.4%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	1.3%	4.8%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

59.5% family

Family 59.5%

Non family 40.5%

% family households

Putnam County 59.5%

Missouri 62.1%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.55

persons per household

Putnam County

2.55

Missouri

2.4

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Putnam County population

	Putnam County	Missouri	United States
Total households	1,791	2,508,227	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.55	2.4	2.53
Family households	1,066	1,558,009	82,990,528
Average family size	3.19	3.03	3.14
Married couple family	898	1,166,368	60,637,388
Other families	168	391,641	22,353,140
Male householder	56	115,975	6,572,819
Female householder	112	275,666	15,780,321
Non-family households	725	950,218	46,236,968
One-person households	689	781,034	37,140,836
Male householder	299	351,809	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	149	107,203	5,225,110
Female householder	390	429,225	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	202	215,073	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	36	169,184	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

2,834

housing units

Putnam County 2,834

Missouri 2,825,287

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

63.2% occupied

Occupied 63.2%

Vacant 36.8%

vacancy rate

Putnam County 36.8%

Missouri 11.2%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

82.9%

Single family houses

82.9%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

7.3%

Mobile homes

9.7%

Boat, RV, van, etc

Median Year Built

1978

Half of houses were built before 1978, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

14.3%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

25.8%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

38.2%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

21.6%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Putnam County	Missouri	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	5.5	5.7	5.5
1–3 rooms	12%	11.5%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	61.6%	53.4%	51.6%
7+ rooms	26.3%	35%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	6.7%	2%	2.9%
1 bedroom	7.2%	9.7%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	28.3%	26.1%	25%
3 bedrooms	42.1%	41.3%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	15.8%	20.9%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1978	1979	1981
Total housing units	2,834	2,825,287	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

83% owners

Renter-occupied 17%

Owner-occupied 83%

homeownership rate

Putnam County 83%

Missouri 68.1%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.7

Owner-occupied

1.8

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Putnam County 2.7

Missouri 2.54

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Putnam County	Missouri	United States
Total occupied units	1,791	2,508,227	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	18.9%	24.7%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	28.7%	40%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	29.6%	16.5%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	22.8%	18.8%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	96.7%	98.3%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	3.3%	1.2%	2.2%
1.51 or more	0%	0.5%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	5.8%	6.6%	8.4%
1 vehicle	33.8%	33%	33.1%
2 vehicles	34.5%	37.5%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	25.9%	22.8%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	67.3%	57.7%	51.4%
Electricity	28%	38.8%	41.3%
Solar	0%	0.1%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0%	0.2%	3.9%
All other fuels	4.7%	2.8%	2%
No fuel used	0%	0.4%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.8%	0.4%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	0%	0.8%	0.8%
No telephone service available	0.9%	0.9%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$119,500

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Putnam County

$119,500

Missouri

$230,300

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

16.7%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

16.7%

Owners without a mortgage

22.7%

Renters

48.3%

Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Putnam County	Missouri	United States
Property value
Median Value	$119,500	$230,300	$332,700
Under $100,000	37.3%	15.9%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	27.8%	25.7%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	19.1%	24.1%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	12.6%	23.6%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	3%	9.1%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	0.3%	1.6%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	52.3%	60.2%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	47.7%	39.8%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,108	$1,524	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$525	$546	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$521	$1,033	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

22.6%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Putnam County 22.6%

Missouri 32.4%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

4.8%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Putnam County 4.8%

Missouri 8.2%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

831

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

10.2%

K–12

76.8%

College / Undergraduate

6.9%

Graduate / Professional

6.1%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

22.4%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Putnam County

22.4%

Missouri

38.1%

United States

40.9%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Putnam County	Missouri	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	831	1,440,482	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	10.2%	6.3%	5.7%
K–12	76.8%	69.4%	67.6%
Kindergarten	3%	5.1%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	19.6%	20.5%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	29.8%	21.7%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	24.3%	22%	21.7%
College or graduate school	13%	24.3%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	6.9%	18.7%	21%
Graduate, professional school	6.1%	5.6%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	22.4%	38.1%	40.9%
School type
Public school	81.5%	80.3%	82%
Private school	18.5%	19.7%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

3,361

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

2.7%

9th-12th, no diploma

2.1%

HS graduate

38.7%

Some college no degree

24.7%

Associates degree

9.2%

Bachelors degree

15.7%

Graduate or professional degree

6.8%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

68.1% · 31.9%

9th-12th, no diploma

43.7% · 56.3%

HS graduate

60.3% · 39.7%

Some college no degree

41.2% · 58.8%

Associates degree

32.8% · 67.2%

Bachelors degree

46% · 54%

Graduate or professional degree

61.3% · 38.7%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Putnam County	Missouri	United States
Population (25+)	3,361	4,243,115	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	2.7%	2.7%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	2.1%	5.5%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	38.7%	30.2%	26%
Some college, no degree	24.7%	20.8%	19.1%
Associate's degree	9.2%	8.4%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	22.6%	32.4%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	15.7%	19.8%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	6.8%	12.6%	14.1%
High School or higher	95.2%	91.9%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$45,662

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$—

HS graduate

$34,743

Some college or associates

$43,105

Bachelors degree

$65,029

Graduate or professional degree

$67,333

Poverty Rate

11.8%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

4.9%

HS graduate

17.6%

Some college or associates

14.1%

Bachelors degree or higher

11.8%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Putnam County	Missouri	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$45,662	$49,030	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$—	$32,024	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$34,743	$38,607	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$43,105	$44,914	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$65,029	$61,818	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$67,333	$75,454	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	4.9%	26.4%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	17.6%	14.4%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	14.1%	9.7%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	11.8%	4.3%	4.5%

Insights for Putnam County, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

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