Wright County, Missouri

County in MO, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

18,965

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

Median Age

41.1

years ∙ half population younger than 41.1, half older

Diversity Index

15.7%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

foreign-born population

99%Native

1% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Wright County is a county in Missouri, United States.

Location

County in MO, US

Co-ordinates

DEC37.267633° N, 92.479989° W

DMS37° 16′ 03.48″ N, 92° 28′ 47.96″ W

Population Density & area

27.82/sq mi (10.74/km²)

Total Area

683.2 sq mi (1,769.3 km²)

Land Area

681.8 sq mi (1,765.8 km²) · 99.8%

Water Area

1.4 sq mi (3.5 km²) · 0.2%

Demographics & Living

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

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

49.1% male

Male 49.1%

Female 50.9%

males per 100 females

Wright County 96.3

Missouri 97.2

United States 98

Nativity

foreign-born population

99%Native

1% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Wright County 1%

Missouri 4.5%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

41.1

years ∙ half population younger than 41.1, half older

Wright County

41.1

Missouri

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

83.7

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Wright County 83.7

Missouri 67.3

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Wright County	Missouri	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	25.8%	22.3%	22%
Working age (18-64)	54.5%	59.8%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	19.7%	17.9%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	83.7	67.3	64.4
Child dependency ratio	47.5	37.4	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	36.2	29.9	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

91.7%

Black

0.5%

Asian

0.3%

Hispanic

2.6%

Other

4.9%

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

15.7%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Wright County 15.7%

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 Wright County population

	Wright County	Missouri	United States
Hispanic or Latino	2.6%	5.2%	19.3%
Mexican	0.9%	3.2%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	0.7%	0.4%	1.8%
Cuban	0.3%	0.1%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	0.8%	1.4%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	97.4%	94.8%	80.7%
One race	93.3%	90%	76.4%
White	91.7%	76.3%	57.4%
Black or African American	0.5%	10.9%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.1%	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	0.6%	0.4%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	4.1%	4.8%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

68.7% family

Family 68.7%

Non family 31.3%

% family households

Wright County 68.7%

Missouri 62.1%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.61

persons per household

Wright County

2.61

Missouri

2.4

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Wright County population

	Wright County	Missouri	United States
Total households	7,187	2,508,227	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.61	2.4	2.53
Family households	4,938	1,558,009	82,990,528
Average family size	3.18	3.03	3.14
Married couple family	3,813	1,166,368	60,637,388
Other families	1,125	391,641	22,353,140
Male householder	265	115,975	6,572,819
Female householder	860	275,666	15,780,321
Non-family households	2,249	950,218	46,236,968
One-person households	2,005	781,034	37,140,836
Male householder	921	351,809	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	399	107,203	5,225,110
Female householder	1,084	429,225	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	638	215,073	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	244	169,184	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

8,367

housing units

Wright County 8,367

Missouri 2,825,287

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

85.9% occupied

Occupied 85.9%

Vacant 14.1%

vacancy rate

Wright County 14.1%

Missouri 11.2%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

80.5%

Single family houses

80.5%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

8.7%

Mobile homes

10.3%

Boat, RV, van, etc

0.6%

Median Year Built

1978

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

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

11.6%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

27.9%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

39.1%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

21.4%

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

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Wright County	Missouri	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	5.8	5.7	5.5
1–3 rooms	7.2%	11.5%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	58.8%	53.4%	51.6%
7+ rooms	33.9%	35%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	0.4%	2%	2.9%
1 bedroom	6.7%	9.7%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	26.9%	26.1%	25%
3 bedrooms	51.9%	41.3%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	14.1%	20.9%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1978	1979	1981
Total housing units	8,367	2,825,287	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

77.1% owners

Renter-occupied 22.9%

Owner-occupied 77.1%

homeownership rate

Wright County 77.1%

Missouri 68.1%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.61

Owner-occupied

2.61

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Wright County 2.61

Missouri 2.54

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Wright County	Missouri	United States
Total occupied units	7,187	2,508,227	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	20.4%	24.7%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	41.6%	40%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	17.4%	16.5%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	20.6%	18.8%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	97%	98.3%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	2.5%	1.2%	2.2%
1.51 or more	0.4%	0.5%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	7%	6.6%	8.4%
1 vehicle	29.3%	33%	33.1%
2 vehicles	32.6%	37.5%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	31.1%	22.8%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	46.1%	57.7%	51.4%
Electricity	35.9%	38.8%	41.3%
Solar	0%	0.1%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0.5%	0.2%	3.9%
All other fuels	17.1%	2.8%	2%
No fuel used	0.4%	0.4%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.3%	0.4%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	1.9%	0.8%	0.8%
No telephone service available	2.3%	0.9%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$160,100

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Wright County

$160,100

Missouri

$230,300

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

33.5%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

33.5%

Owners without a mortgage

15.9%

Renters

43.6%

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

	Wright County	Missouri	United States
Property value
Median Value	$160,100	$230,300	$332,700
Under $100,000	34.1%	15.9%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	25%	25.7%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	20.2%	24.1%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	11.4%	23.6%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	7.7%	9.1%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	1.7%	1.6%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	46.1%	60.2%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	53.9%	39.8%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,095	$1,524	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$377	$546	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$625	$1,033	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

15.9%

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

Wright County 15.9%

Missouri 32.4%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

15.8%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Wright County 15.8%

Missouri 8.2%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

4,329

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

4.9%

K–12

81.1%

College / Undergraduate

12.8%

Graduate / Professional

1.2%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

16.6%

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

Wright County

16.6%

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

	Wright County	Missouri	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	4,329	1,440,482	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	4.9%	6.3%	5.7%
K–12	81.1%	69.4%	67.6%
Kindergarten	7.5%	5.1%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	27.2%	20.5%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	22.1%	21.7%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	24.3%	22%	21.7%
College or graduate school	14%	24.3%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	12.8%	18.7%	21%
Graduate, professional school	1.2%	5.6%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	16.6%	38.1%	40.9%
School type
Public school	70.6%	80.3%	82%
Private school	29.4%	19.7%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

12,572

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

7.6%

9th-12th, no diploma

8.2%

HS graduate

39.4%

Some college no degree

19.9%

Associates degree

9.1%

Bachelors degree

9.8%

Graduate or professional degree

6.1%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

55.5% · 44.5%

9th-12th, no diploma

55.7% · 44.3%

HS graduate

56.3% · 43.7%

Some college no degree

37.2% · 62.8%

Associates degree

27% · 73%

Bachelors degree

50.8% · 49.2%

Graduate or professional degree

50.6% · 49.4%

Educational Attainment Overview

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

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Wright County	Missouri	United States
Population (25+)	12,572	4,243,115	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	7.6%	2.7%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	8.2%	5.5%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	39.4%	30.2%	26%
Some college, no degree	19.9%	20.8%	19.1%
Associate's degree	9.1%	8.4%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	15.9%	32.4%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	9.8%	19.8%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	6.1%	12.6%	14.1%
High School or higher	84.3%	91.9%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$38,528

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$40,000

HS graduate

$38,125

Some college or associates

$37,583

Bachelors degree

$36,158

Graduate or professional degree

$48,409

Poverty Rate

8.1%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

24.7%

HS graduate

18.7%

Some college or associates

10%

Bachelors degree or higher

8.1%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Wright County	Missouri	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$38,528	$49,030	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$40,000	$32,024	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$38,125	$38,607	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$37,583	$44,914	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$36,158	$61,818	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$48,409	$75,454	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	24.7%	26.4%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	18.7%	14.4%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	10%	9.7%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	8.1%	4.3%	4.5%

Insights for Wright 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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