• county
  • FIPS 29021
  • Largest town: St. Joseph

Buchanan County, Missouri

Buchanan County had 83,574 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 408.3 square miles of land. It ranks 15th of 115 in Missouri by population and 109th by land area.

Population
83,574
#15 of 115 in Missouri · #702 in US
Area
408.3 sq mi
#109 of 115 in Missouri · #2,475 in US
Density
205 / sq mi
#10 of 115 in Missouri · #555 in US
Median household income
$60,575
#38 of 115 in Missouri · #1,785 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Buchanan County within Missouri. Pin: Jefferson City.

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Tools and pages that start from Buchanan County

Buchanan County population, land area and income

Buchanan County had 83,574 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 408.3 square miles of land. It ranks 15th of 115 in Missouri by population and 109th by land area. That works out to 204.7 people per square mile, 2.1 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Missouri has 19,100 residents, so Buchanan County is 4.4 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $60,575 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

83,574

3144th1st

702nd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

408 sq mi

3144th1st

2475th of 3,144 (US)

Density

204.7 / sq mi

3144th1st

555th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$60,575

3143rd1st

1785th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Missouri (115)

Population

83,574

115th1st

15th of 115 (MO)

Land area

408 sq mi

115th1st

109th of 115 (MO)

Density

204.7 / sq mi

115th1st

10th of 115 (MO)

Median household income

$60,575

115th1st

38th of 115 (MO)

How Buchanan County's population changed since 2020

Buchanan County lost 898 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 1.1%. That ranks 98th of 115 in Missouri for growth. The median Missouri county changed by +1.4%, and the state as a whole by +1.5%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Buchanan County recorded 4,272 births and 4,546 deaths, a natural change of -274. Net international migration added +1,030 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -1,931. The largest single component was domestic migration, which removed 1,931 people.

84.5k202083.6k202183.0k202283.2k202383.6k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
4,272
Deaths
4,546
Net international migration
+1,030
Net domestic migration
-1,931
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+373

Where Buchanan County is

The Census internal point of Buchanan County is at 39.660400, -94.808200. It sits in UTM zone 15N. The map shades Missouri's 115 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Buchanan County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Pettis County: +1.8%Henry County: +2.7%Texas County: +5.7%Madison County: +1.8%St. Louis city: -6.9%Cole County: +1.3%Washington County: +0.6%Macon County: -0.1%Barton County: +0.8%Grundy County: +0.1%Cedar County: +5.7%Randolph County: -1.6%Ray County: +0.3%Caldwell County: +2.0%Benton County: +6.1%Douglas County: +5.9%Shannon County: +3.4%Dade County: +0.5%Wright County: +7.1%Gentry County: +2.6%Lawrence County: +3.0%Cooper County: +2.9%Hickory County: +5.6%Moniteau County: +0.5%Dent County: +2.3%Monroe County: +2.3%Maries County: +0.7%Bollinger County: +0.5%Clinton County: +2.4%Knox County: +0.0%Webster County: +7.8%Harrison County: +0.4%Pulaski County: -0.1%Adair County: +1.5%Warren County: +7.7%Daviess County: +1.3%Audrain County: -1.9%Howard County: -0.1%Linn County: +0.4%Saline County: -0.1%Miller County: +3.6%Dallas County: +4.3%Morgan County: +6.7%New Madrid County: -6.8%Newton County: +4.8%Oregon County: +1.0%Franklin County: +2.3%Greene County: +2.9%Ralls County: +1.4%Lafayette County: +1.4%Livingston County: +4.8%McDonald County: +3.3%Barry County: +3.1%Cape Girardeau County: +2.2%Carroll County: -0.6%Christian County: +7.6%Vernon County: +0.6%Carter County: +3.0%Andrew County: -0.1%Jasper County: +2.9%Worth County: -4.9%Lincoln County: +10.1%Marion County: -0.2%Holt County: +1.2%Howell County: +2.4%St. Francois County: +1.6%Chariton County: +0.1%Butler County: -0.6%Iron County: -1.0%Perry County: +0.7%Cass County: +5.3%St. Louis County: -1.0%Dunklin County: -4.3%Wayne County: -1.1%Ozark County: +6.7%Laclede County: +1.9%Reynolds County: -2.5%Lewis County: -1.9%Taney County: +1.2%Ripley County: +0.4%Ste. Genevieve County: +0.4%Scotland County: -0.1%Putnam County: -3.1%Schuyler County: +1.5%Shelby County: -2.8%Boone County: +4.4%Mercer County: -1.7%Platte County: +5.6%Camden County: +3.1%Bates County: +2.1%Johnson County: +3.4%Sullivan County: -3.8%Atchison County: -3.1%Scott County: -0.2%Montgomery County: +2.0%Jefferson County: +2.2%Clark County: -0.5%Callaway County: +1.8%St. Clair County: +5.4%Buchanan County: -1.1%Pemiscot County: -7.6%Polk County: +4.6%Phelps County: +2.5%Stone County: +4.6%Osage County: +1.7%Clay County: +3.6%Nodaway County: -2.4%Crawford County: -1.0%Jackson County: +1.4%St. Charles County: +4.3%Mississippi County: -3.1%Pike County: +3.1%Stoddard County: -0.7%Gasconade County: -0.7%DeKalb County: -14.8%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -0.7%
  2. < +0.5%
  3. < +2.0%
  4. < +3.6%
  5. ≥ +3.6%
no data

Orange pin: Buchanan County internal point. Dark pin: Jefferson City.

Internal point

Decimal
39.660400, -94.808200
DMS
39°39'37.44"N 94°48'29.52"W
UTM
15N 344885.9E 4391628.5N
Geohash
9zh9defy8
Plus code
86F7M56R+5P

Towns in Buchanan County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Buchanan County, 71,128 people together, or 85% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Buchanan County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is St. Joseph with 71,098.

  1. 01St. Joseph71,098
  2. 02Gower (part)30
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Buchanan County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Buchanan County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Platte County, MO, with 113,207 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Jefferson City and the nearest big city

Jefferson City is 159.8 miles ESE of Buchanan County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Kansas City, KS (population 156,752), 37.3 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is St. Joseph, MO (population 71,098), 6.9 miles away.

Buchanan County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Buchanan County is 29021: state code 29 for Missouri plus county code 021. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $60,575.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Buchanan County, Missouri?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 83,574. That is down 898 people (1.1%) from the July 2020 estimate of 84,472.

What is the FIPS code of Buchanan County?

29021. The first two digits (29) are Missouri; the last three (021) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Buchanan County?

St. Joseph, with 71,098 residents inside Buchanan County in 2024.

Which counties border Buchanan County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Platte County, MO; Clinton County, MO; Andrew County, MO; Atchison County, KS; DeKalb County, MO; Doniphan County, KS.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.