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Waverly, MO

Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

901
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

34
years ∙ half population younger than 34, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
39%
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

Waverly is a city within Lafayette County, Missouri, United States.
Location
City in Lafayette County, MO, US
Co-ordinates
DEC39.207007° N, 93.518133° W
DMS39° 12′ 25.23″ N, 93° 31′ 05.28″ W

Population Density & area

715.1/sq mi (275.5/km²)
Total Area
1.42 sq mi (3.68 km²)
Land Area
1.26 sq mi (3.27 km²) · 88.8%
Water Area
0.16 sq mi (0.41 km²) · 11.2%

Demographics & Living

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

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

53.3% male
Male 53.3%
Female 46.7%
males per 100 females
Waverly 114
Lafayette County 100.5
Missouri 97.2

Nativity

1.6%
foreign-born population
98.4%Native
1.6% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Waverly 1.6%
Lafayette County 2.3%
Missouri 4.5%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

34
years ∙ half population younger than 34, half older
Waverly
34
Lafayette County
40.9
Missouri
39

Dependency ratio

Low High
118.2
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Waverly 118.2
Lafayette County 73.2
Missouri 67.3

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Waverly Lafayette County Missouri
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 32.7% 23% 22.3%
Working age (18-64) 45.9% 57.7% 59.8%
Senior (65+) 21.4% 19.3% 17.9%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 118.2 73.2 67.3
Child dependency ratio 71.4 39.8 37.4
Old-age dependency ratio 46.7 33.4 29.9
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
77.2%
Black
5.9%
Asian
0%
Hispanic
7.1%
Other
9.8%
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
39%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Waverly 39%
Lafayette County 19.2%
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 Waverly population
Waverly Lafayette County Missouri
Hispanic or Latino 7.1% 3.5% 5.2%
Mexican 6.5% 2.5% 3.2%
Puerto Rican 0% 0.4% 0.4%
Cuban 0.3% 0.2% 0.1%
Other Hispanic / Latino 0.2% 0.4% 1.4%
Not Hispanic or Latino 92.9% 96.5% 94.8%
One race 90.7% 92.5% 90%
White 77.2% 89.7% 76.3%
Black or African American 5.9% 1.6% 10.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.1% 0.2% 0.2%
Asian 0% 0.4% 2.1%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0% 0% 0.1%
Some Other Race 7.4% 0.6% 0.4%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 2.2% 4% 4.8%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

68.9% family
Family 68.9%
Non family 31.1%
% family households
Waverly 68.9%
Lafayette County 68.9%
Missouri 62.1%

Average household size

2.7
persons per household
Waverly
2.7
Lafayette County
2.58
Missouri
2.4

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Waverly population
Waverly Lafayette County Missouri
Total households 309 12,576 2,508,227
Average houshold size 2.7 2.58 2.4
Family households 213 8,660 1,558,009
Average family size 3.44 3.14 3.03
Married couple family 174 7,044 1,166,368
Other families 39 1,616 391,641
Male householder 4 565 115,975
Female householder 35 1,051 275,666
Non-family households 96 3,916 950,218
One-person households 95 3,272 781,034
Male householder 43 1,603 351,809
Senior (65+) living alone 15 600 107,203
Female householder 52 1,669 429,225
Senior (65+) living alone 30 1,036 215,073
Other living arrangements 1 644 169,184

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

334
housing units
Waverly 334
Lafayette County 14,221
Missouri 2,825,287

Occupancy status

92.5% occupied
Occupied 92.5%
Vacant 7.5%
vacancy rate
Waverly 7.5%
Lafayette County 11.6%
Missouri 11.2%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

79%
Single family houses
Single family houses
79%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
11.1%
Mobile homes
9.9%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0%

Median Year Built

1973
Half of houses were built before 1973, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
11.7%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
33.6%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
51%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
3.9%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Waverly Lafayette County Missouri
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 6 6.1 5.7
1–3 rooms 8.7% 6.9% 11.5%
4–6 rooms 50.1% 52.2% 53.4%
7+ rooms 41.4% 40.9% 35%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 2.7% 1.2% 2%
1 bedroom 6.3% 7.7% 9.7%
2 bedrooms 27.2% 21.2% 26.1%
3 bedrooms 50.9% 49.3% 41.3%
4+ bedrooms 12.9% 20.7% 20.9%
At a glance
Median year built 1973 1975 1979
Total housing units 334 14,221 2,825,287
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

54.7% owners
Renter-occupied 45.3%
Owner-occupied 54.7%
homeownership rate
Waverly 54.7%
Lafayette County 75.7%
Missouri 68.1%

Average household size

2.47
Owner-occupied
2.98
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Waverly 2.47
Lafayette County 2.69
Missouri 2.54

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Waverly Lafayette County Missouri
Total occupied units 309 12,576 2,508,227
Year moved in
2020 or later 29.4% 24.5% 24.7%
2010 to 2019 45.6% 36.2% 40%
2000 to 2009 7.4% 20.1% 16.5%
1999 or earlier 17.5% 19.3% 18.8%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 97.7% 99.3% 98.3%
1.01 to 1.50 2.3% 0.7% 1.2%
1.51 or more 0% 0% 0.5%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 7.8% 3.3% 6.6%
1 vehicle 21% 25.2% 33%
2 vehicles 52.4% 38.9% 37.5%
3 or more vehicles 18.8% 32.6% 22.8%
House heating fuel used
Gas 74.4% 67.1% 57.7%
Electricity 24.9% 30.3% 38.8%
Solar 0% 0.5% 0.1%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 0% 0% 0.2%
All other fuels 0.6% 1.3% 2.8%
No fuel used 0% 0.7% 0.4%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 0.3% 1% 0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen 0% 1% 0.8%
No telephone service available 1% 1.1% 0.9%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$117,700
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Waverly
$117,700
Lafayette County
$216,500
Missouri
$230,300

Housing Cost Burden

10.3%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
10.3%
Owners without a mortgage
8.9%
Renters
27.3%
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
Waverly Lafayette County Missouri
Property value
Median Value $117,700 $216,500 $230,300
Under $100,000 34.9% 16.4% 15.9%
$100,000 - $200,000 39.6% 28.7% 25.7%
$200,000 - $300,000 18.3% 27.2% 24.1%
$300,000 - $500,000 7.1% 19% 23.6%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 0% 8.1% 9.1%
$1,000,000 and more 0% 0.7% 1.6%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 40.2% 54.7% 60.2%
Without a mortgage 59.8% 45.3% 39.8%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $1,037 $1,371 $1,524
Without a mortgage $453 $564 $546
Gross rent
Median rent $910 $928 $1,033

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

18.5%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Waverly 18.5%
Lafayette County 26.2%
Missouri 32.4%

Adults without a high school diploma

12.7%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Waverly 12.7%
Lafayette County 8.4%
Missouri 8.2%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

277
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
8.3%
K–12
83%
College / Undergraduate
8.7%
Graduate / Professional
0%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

43.6%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Waverly
43.6%
Lafayette County
28.2%
Missouri
38.1%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
Waverly Lafayette County Missouri
Total enrolled (age 3+) 277 7,146 1,440,482
Nursery / preschool 8.3% 4.9% 6.3%
K–12 83% 78.8% 69.4%
Kindergarten 2.5% 5.7% 5.1%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 39.4% 23.8% 20.5%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 17% 24.5% 21.7%
High School: Grades 9–12 24.2% 24.9% 22%
College or graduate school 8.7% 16.2% 24.3%
College, undergraduate 8.7% 12.2% 18.7%
Graduate, professional school 0% 4.1% 5.6%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 43.6% 28.2% 38.1%
School type
Public school 91.7% 82% 80.3%
Private school 8.3% 18% 19.7%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

551
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
8.2%
9th-12th, no diploma
4.5%
HS graduate
48.3%
Some college no degree
13.1%
Associates degree
7.4%
Bachelors degree
14.5%
Graduate or professional degree
4%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
37.8% · 62.2%
9th-12th, no diploma
12% · 88%
HS graduate
61.3% · 38.7%
Some college no degree
50% · 50%
Associates degree
24.4% · 75.6%
Bachelors degree
38.8% · 61.3%
Graduate or professional degree
31.8% · 68.2%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Waverly Lafayette County Missouri
Population (25+) 551 23,207 4,243,115
Less than 9th grade 8.2% 2.8% 2.7%
9th–12th, no diploma 4.5% 5.6% 5.5%
High school diploma or GED 48.3% 35.4% 30.2%
Some college, no degree 13.1% 22% 20.8%
Associate's degree 7.4% 8% 8.4%
Bachelor's degree or higher 18.5% 26.2% 32.4%
Bachelor's degree 14.5% 17.1% 19.8%
Graduate or professional 4% 9.2% 12.6%
High School or higher 87.3% 91.6% 91.9%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$37,083
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$—
HS graduate
$37,703
Some college or associates
$44,500
Bachelors degree
$31,964
Graduate or professional degree
$61,000

Poverty Rate

10.8%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
29.4%
HS graduate
8.8%
Some college or associates
7.1%
Bachelors degree or higher
10.8%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Waverly Lafayette County Missouri
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $37,083 $48,497 $49,030
Less than high school graduate $— $34,444 $32,024
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $37,703 $42,784 $38,607
Some college or associate's degree $44,500 $48,775 $44,914
Bachelor's degree $31,964 $58,514 $61,818
Graduate or professional degree $61,000 $57,712 $75,454
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 29.4% 16.9% 26.4%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 8.8% 10.9% 14.4%
Some college or associate's degree 7.1% 8.4% 9.7%
Bachelor's degree or higher 10.8% 4% 4.3%

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