Wayne County, Missouri

County in MO, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

10,862

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

Median Age

48.6

years ∙ half population younger than 48.6, half older

Diversity Index

14.4%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

0.6%

foreign-born population

99.4%Native

0.6% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Wayne County is a county in Missouri, United States.

Location

County in MO, US

Co-ordinates

DEC37.111074° N, 90.453931° W

DMS37° 06′ 39.87″ N, 90° 27′ 14.15″ W

Population Density & area

14.31/sq mi (5.52/km²)

Total Area

774.1 sq mi (2,004.8 km²)

Land Area

759.2 sq mi (1,966.3 km²) · 98.1%

Water Area

14.9 sq mi (38.5 km²) · 1.9%

Demographics & Living

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

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

50.5% male

Male 50.5%

Female 49.5%

males per 100 females

Wayne County 102.1

Missouri 97.2

United States 98

Nativity

0.6%

foreign-born population

99.4%Native

0.6% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Wayne County 0.6%

Missouri 4.5%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

48.6

years ∙ half population younger than 48.6, half older

Wayne County

48.6

Missouri

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

81.1

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Wayne County 81.1

Missouri 67.3

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Wayne County	Missouri	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	19.6%	22.3%	22%
Working age (18-64)	55.3%	59.8%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	25.1%	17.9%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	81.1	67.3	64.4
Child dependency ratio	35.5	37.4	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	45.5	29.9	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

92.4%

Black

0.4%

Asian

0.3%

Hispanic

1.5%

Other

5.4%

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

14.4%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Wayne County 14.4%

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 Wayne County population

	Wayne County	Missouri	United States
Hispanic or Latino	1.5%	5.2%	19.3%
Mexican	1.2%	3.2%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	0%	0.4%	1.8%
Cuban	0%	0.1%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	0.3%	1.4%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	98.5%	94.8%	80.7%
One race	93.9%	90%	76.4%
White	92.4%	76.3%	57.4%
Black or African American	0.4%	10.9%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0%	0.2%	0.5%
Asian	0.3%	2.1%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0.1%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0.8%	0.4%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	4.6%	4.8%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

62.4% family

Family 62.4%

Non family 37.6%

% family households

Wayne County 62.4%

Missouri 62.1%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.31

persons per household

Wayne County

2.31

Missouri

2.4

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Wayne County population

	Wayne County	Missouri	United States
Total households	4,623	2,508,227	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.31	2.4	2.53
Family households	2,884	1,558,009	82,990,528
Average family size	2.92	3.03	3.14
Married couple family	2,295	1,166,368	60,637,388
Other families	589	391,641	22,353,140
Male householder	137	115,975	6,572,819
Female householder	452	275,666	15,780,321
Non-family households	1,739	950,218	46,236,968
One-person households	1,562	781,034	37,140,836
Male householder	709	351,809	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	386	107,203	5,225,110
Female householder	853	429,225	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	535	215,073	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	177	169,184	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

6,119

housing units

Wayne County 6,119

Missouri 2,825,287

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

75.6% occupied

Occupied 75.6%

Vacant 24.4%

vacancy rate

Wayne County 24.4%

Missouri 11.2%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

75.2%

Single family houses

75.2%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

4.1%

Mobile homes

20.6%

Boat, RV, van, etc

Median Year Built

1981

Half of houses were built before 1981, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

8.8%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

19%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

55.1%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

17.1%

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

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Wayne County	Missouri	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	5.2	5.7	5.5
1–3 rooms	14.1%	11.5%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	58.6%	53.4%	51.6%
7+ rooms	27.3%	35%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	1.9%	2%	2.9%
1 bedroom	10.8%	9.7%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	36.6%	26.1%	25%
3 bedrooms	39.3%	41.3%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	11.4%	20.9%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1981	1979	1981
Total housing units	6,119	2,825,287	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

75.1% owners

Renter-occupied 24.9%

Owner-occupied 75.1%

homeownership rate

Wayne County 75.1%

Missouri 68.1%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.36

Owner-occupied

2.16

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Wayne County 2.36

Missouri 2.54

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Wayne County	Missouri	United States
Total occupied units	4,623	2,508,227	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	17.7%	24.7%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	38.3%	40%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	17.5%	16.5%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	26.4%	18.8%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	95.7%	98.3%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	3%	1.2%	2.2%
1.51 or more	1.3%	0.5%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	5.5%	6.6%	8.4%
1 vehicle	34.8%	33%	33.1%
2 vehicles	32%	37.5%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	27.7%	22.8%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	35%	57.7%	51.4%
Electricity	54.5%	38.8%	41.3%
Solar	0%	0.1%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0%	0.2%	3.9%
All other fuels	9.8%	2.8%	2%
No fuel used	0.8%	0.4%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.6%	0.4%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	0.9%	0.8%	0.8%
No telephone service available	2.4%	0.9%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$107,400

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Wayne County

$107,400

Missouri

$230,300

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

26.3%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

26.3%

Owners without a mortgage

10.9%

Renters

48.7%

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

	Wayne County	Missouri	United States
Property value
Median Value	$107,400	$230,300	$332,700
Under $100,000	47.1%	15.9%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	31.6%	25.7%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	9.2%	24.1%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	12%	23.6%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	0%	9.1%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	0%	1.6%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	39.4%	60.2%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	60.6%	39.8%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,055	$1,524	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$357	$546	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$665	$1,033	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

12.7%

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

Wayne County 12.7%

Missouri 32.4%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

18.3%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Wayne County 18.3%

Missouri 8.2%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

1,825

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

4.5%

K–12

86.7%

College / Undergraduate

7.5%

Graduate / Professional

1.2%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

12%

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

Wayne County

12%

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

	Wayne County	Missouri	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	1,825	1,440,482	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	4.5%	6.3%	5.7%
K–12	86.7%	69.4%	67.6%
Kindergarten	4%	5.1%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	22.2%	20.5%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	33.8%	21.7%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	26.8%	22%	21.7%
College or graduate school	8.7%	24.3%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	7.5%	18.7%	21%
Graduate, professional school	1.2%	5.6%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	12%	38.1%	40.9%
School type
Public school	89.9%	80.3%	82%
Private school	10.1%	19.7%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

8,048

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

5.8%

9th-12th, no diploma

12.5%

HS graduate

41.5%

Some college no degree

20.1%

Associates degree

7.4%

Bachelors degree

Graduate or professional degree

4.7%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

48.8% · 51.2%

9th-12th, no diploma

53.6% · 46.4%

HS graduate

55.3% · 44.7%

Some college no degree

35.8% · 64.2%

Associates degree

51.5% · 48.5%

Bachelors degree

64.6% · 35.4%

Graduate or professional degree

17.3% · 82.7%

Educational Attainment Overview

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

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Wayne County	Missouri	United States
Population (25+)	8,048	4,243,115	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	5.8%	2.7%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	12.5%	5.5%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	41.5%	30.2%	26%
Some college, no degree	20.1%	20.8%	19.1%
Associate's degree	7.4%	8.4%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	12.7%	32.4%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	8%	19.8%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	4.7%	12.6%	14.1%
High School or higher	81.7%	91.9%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$33,929

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$29,536

HS graduate

$28,756

Some college or associates

$44,777

Bachelors degree

$49,455

Graduate or professional degree

$50,521

Poverty Rate

6.4%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

27.9%

HS graduate

25.3%

Some college or associates

17.3%

Bachelors degree or higher

6.4%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Wayne County	Missouri	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$33,929	$49,030	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$29,536	$32,024	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$28,756	$38,607	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$44,777	$44,914	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$49,455	$61,818	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$50,521	$75,454	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	27.9%	26.4%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	25.3%	14.4%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	17.3%	9.7%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	6.4%	4.3%	4.5%

Insights for Wayne 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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