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Taos, MO

City in Cole County, MO, US
Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

1,242
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

44.3
years ∙ half population younger than 44.3, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
18%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

1.6%
foreign-born population
98.4%Native
1.6% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Taos is a city within Cole County, Missouri, United States.
Location
City in Cole County, MO, US
Co-ordinates
DEC38.500084° N, 92.092069° W
DMS38° 30′ 00.30″ N, 92° 05′ 31.45″ W

Population Density & area

193.2/sq mi (74.59/km²)
Total Area
6.48 sq mi (16.78 km²)
Land Area
6.43 sq mi (16.65 km²) · 99.23%
Water Area
0.05 sq mi (0.13 km²) · 0.77%

Demographics & Living

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

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

50% male
Male 50%
Female 50%
males per 100 females
Taos 100
Cole County 101.3
Missouri 97.2

Nativity

1.6%
foreign-born population
98.4%Native
1.6% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Taos 1.6%
Cole County 2.9%
Missouri 4.5%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

44.3
years ∙ half population younger than 44.3, half older
Taos
44.3
Cole County
39.9
Missouri
39

Dependency ratio

Low High
73
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Taos 73
Cole County 67
Missouri 67.3

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Taos Cole County Missouri
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 24.2% 22.1% 22.3%
Working age (18-64) 57.8% 59.9% 59.8%
Senior (65+) 18% 18% 17.9%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 73 67 67.3
Child dependency ratio 41.8 36.9 37.4
Old-age dependency ratio 31.2 30.1 29.9
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
90.3%
Black
1.4%
Asian
0%
Hispanic
2.5%
Other
5.8%
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

Low High
18%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Taos 18%
Cole County 35.9%
Missouri 40%
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 Taos population
Racial and ethnic composition — Taos vs Cole County vs Missouri. Source: ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates.
Taos Cole County Missouri
Hispanic or Latino 2.5% 3.6% 5.2%
Mexican 0.6% 2.5% 3.2%
Puerto Rican 0% 0.3% 0.4%
Cuban 0% 0% 0.1%
Other Hispanic / Latino 1.9% 0.8% 1.4%
Not Hispanic or Latino 97.5% 96.4% 94.8%
One race 91.7% 91.3% 90%
White 90.3% 79.2% 76.3%
Black or African American 1.4% 9.7% 10.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0% 0.2% 0.2%
Asian 0% 1.4% 2.1%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0% 0% 0.1%
Some Other Race 0% 0.6% 0.4%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 5.8% 5.1% 4.8%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

72.3% family
Family 72.3%
Non family 27.7%
% family households
Taos 72.3%
Cole County 60.8%
Missouri 62.1%

Average household size

2.73
persons per household
Taos
2.73
Cole County
2.35
Missouri
2.4

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Taos population
Taos Cole County Missouri
Total households 455 31,086 2,508,227
Average houshold size 2.73 2.35 2.4
Family households 329 18,907 1,558,009
Average family size 3.3 3.03 3.03
Married couple family 299 14,812 1,166,368
Other families 30 4,095 391,641
Male householder 14 1,110 115,975
Female householder 16 2,985 275,666
Non-family households 126 12,179 950,218
One-person households 92 10,526 781,034
Male householder 31 4,815 351,809
Senior (65+) living alone 9 1,202 107,203
Female householder 61 5,711 429,225
Senior (65+) living alone 50 3,039 215,073
Other living arrangements 34 1,653 169,184

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

471
housing units
Taos 471
Cole County 33,533
Missouri 2,825,287

Occupancy status

96.6% occupied
Occupied 96.6%
Vacant 3.4%
vacancy rate
Taos 3.4%
Cole County 7.3%
Missouri 11.2%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

90.2%
Single family houses
Single family houses
90.2%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
8.9%
Mobile homes
0.8%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0%

Median Year Built

1983
Half of houses were built before 1983, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
13.6%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
12.5%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
56.3%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
17.6%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Taos Cole County Missouri
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 6.6 6.1 5.7
1–3 rooms 3.9% 9.3% 11.5%
4–6 rooms 44.5% 47.8% 53.4%
7+ rooms 51.6% 43% 35%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 0% 0.9% 2%
1 bedroom 5.3% 8.4% 9.7%
2 bedrooms 7.4% 21.8% 26.1%
3 bedrooms 56.5% 45.5% 41.3%
4+ bedrooms 30.7% 23.3% 20.9%
At a glance
Median year built 1983 1983 1979
Total housing units 471 33,533 2,825,287
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

87.9% owners
Renter-occupied 12.1%
Owner-occupied 87.9%
homeownership rate
Taos 87.9%
Cole County 67.9%
Missouri 68.1%

Average household size

2.88
Owner-occupied
1.65
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Taos 2.88
Cole County 2.52
Missouri 2.54

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Taos Cole County Missouri
Total occupied units 455 31,086 2,508,227
Year moved in
2020 or later 13% 24.2% 24.7%
2010 to 2019 27.5% 40.2% 40%
2000 to 2009 20.7% 14.4% 16.5%
1999 or earlier 38.9% 21.3% 18.8%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 100% 99% 98.3%
1.01 to 1.50 0% 0.8% 1.2%
1.51 or more 0% 0.3% 0.5%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 2.9% 5.5% 6.6%
1 vehicle 15.8% 32.7% 33%
2 vehicles 38.9% 38.6% 37.5%
3 or more vehicles 42.4% 23.2% 22.8%
House heating fuel used
Gas 44.9% 41% 57.7%
Electricity 46.8% 56% 38.8%
Solar 0% 0% 0.1%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 1.8% 0.1% 0.2%
All other fuels 6.6% 2.4% 2.8%
No fuel used 0% 0.5% 0.4%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 0% 0.2% 0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen 0% 0.4% 0.8%
No telephone service available 1.1% 0.8% 0.9%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$270,500
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Taos
$270,500
Cole County
$229,600
Missouri
$230,300

Housing Cost Burden

7.1%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
7.1%
Owners without a mortgage
2.9%
Renters
32.4%
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
Taos Cole County Missouri
Property value
Median Value $270,500 $229,600 $230,300
Under $100,000 5.3% 8.1% 15.9%
$100,000 - $200,000 28.8% 31.1% 25.7%
$200,000 - $300,000 21.8% 30.1% 24.1%
$300,000 - $500,000 31.3% 22.1% 23.6%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 13% 7.4% 9.1%
$1,000,000 and more 0% 1.1% 1.6%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 56.5% 58.9% 60.2%
Without a mortgage 43.5% 41.1% 39.8%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $1,554 $1,420 $1,524
Without a mortgage $556 $503 $546
Gross rent
Median rent $419 $834 $1,033

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

31.4%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Taos 31.4%
Cole County 38.9%
Missouri 32.4%

Adults without a high school diploma

4.4%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Taos 4.4%
Cole County 5.7%
Missouri 8.2%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

266
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
13.9%
K–12
66.2%
College / Undergraduate
18.4%
Graduate / Professional
1.5%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

48.4%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Taos
48.4%
Cole County
31.7%
Missouri
38.1%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
Taos Cole County Missouri
Total enrolled (age 3+) 266 17,450 1,440,482
Nursery / preschool 13.9% 5.2% 6.3%
K–12 66.2% 73.7% 69.4%
Kindergarten 6% 4.7% 5.1%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 19.2% 20.1% 20.5%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 23.3% 22.9% 21.7%
High School: Grades 9–12 17.7% 26% 22%
College or graduate school 19.9% 21.1% 24.3%
College, undergraduate 18.4% 16.5% 18.7%
Graduate, professional school 1.5% 4.6% 5.6%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 48.4% 31.7% 38.1%
School type
Public school 88% 70% 80.3%
Private school 12% 30% 19.7%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

851
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
1.9%
9th-12th, no diploma
2.5%
HS graduate
29.6%
Some college no degree
23.1%
Associates degree
11.5%
Bachelors degree
19.3%
Graduate or professional degree
12.1%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
50% · 50%
9th-12th, no diploma
19% · 81%
HS graduate
45.6% · 54.4%
Some college no degree
53.8% · 46.2%
Associates degree
54.1% · 45.9%
Bachelors degree
53% · 47%
Graduate or professional degree
41.7% · 58.3%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Taos Cole County Missouri
Population (25+) 851 53,203 4,243,115
Less than 9th grade 1.9% 1.6% 2.7%
9th–12th, no diploma 2.5% 4.1% 5.5%
High school diploma or GED 29.6% 29.2% 30.2%
Some college, no degree 23.1% 18% 20.8%
Associate's degree 11.5% 8% 8.4%
Bachelor's degree or higher 31.4% 38.9% 32.4%
Bachelor's degree 19.3% 24.8% 19.8%
Graduate or professional 12.1% 14.1% 12.6%
High School or higher 95.7% 94.2% 91.9%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$49,423
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$20,313
HS graduate
$35,625
Some college or associates
$52,578
Bachelors degree
$54,375
Graduate or professional degree
$52,321

Poverty Rate

1.1%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
10.8%
HS graduate
5.2%
Some college or associates
1.7%
Bachelors degree or higher
1.1%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Taos Cole County Missouri
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $49,423 $50,156 $49,030
Less than high school graduate $20,313 $28,649 $32,024
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $35,625 $41,179 $38,607
Some college or associate's degree $52,578 $42,542 $44,914
Bachelor's degree $54,375 $56,750 $61,818
Graduate or professional degree $52,321 $70,198 $75,454
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 10.8% 20.9% 26.4%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 5.2% 11.2% 14.4%
Some college or associate's degree 1.7% 9% 9.7%
Bachelor's degree or higher 1.1% 3.5% 4.3%

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