• county
  • FIPS 29051
  • Largest town: Jefferson City

Cole County, Missouri

Cole County had 77,625 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 391.5 square miles of land. It ranks 16th of 115 in Missouri by population and 112th by land area.

Population
77,625
#16 of 115 in Missouri · #743 in US
Area
391.5 sq mi
#112 of 115 in Missouri · #2,567 in US
Density
198 / sq mi
#11 of 115 in Missouri · #567 in US
Median household income
$74,002
#12 of 115 in Missouri · #728 in US

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

Cole County within Missouri. Pin: Jefferson City.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Cole County

Cole County population, land area and income

Cole County had 77,625 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 391.5 square miles of land. It ranks 16th of 115 in Missouri by population and 112th by land area. That works out to 198.3 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 Cole County is 4.1 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $74,002 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

77,625

3144th1st

743rd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

392 sq mi

3144th1st

2567th of 3,144 (US)

Density

198.3 / sq mi

3144th1st

567th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$74,002

3143rd1st

728th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Missouri (115)

Population

77,625

115th1st

16th of 115 (MO)

Land area

392 sq mi

115th1st

112th of 115 (MO)

Density

198.3 / sq mi

115th1st

11th of 115 (MO)

Median household income

$74,002

115th1st

12th of 115 (MO)

How Cole County's population changed since 2020

Cole County gained 1,001 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 1.3%. That ranks 60th 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, Cole County recorded 3,418 births and 3,406 deaths, a natural change of +12. Net international migration added +540 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -59. The largest single component was international migration, which added 540 people.

76.6k202076.6k202177.0k202277.3k202377.6k2024
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
3,418
Deaths
3,406
Net international migration
+540
Net domestic migration
-59
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+307

Where Cole County is

The Census internal point of Cole County is at 38.503200, -92.280000. 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 Cole 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: Cole County internal point. Dark pin: Jefferson City.

Internal point

Decimal
38.503200, -92.280000
DMS
38°30'11.52"N 92°16'48.00"W
UTM
15N 562780.1E 4261894.1N
Geohash
9yy7h17c2
Plus code
86C9GP3C+72

Towns in Cole County

4 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Cole County, 46,612 people together, or 60% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Cole County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Jefferson City with 42,550.

  1. 01Jefferson City (part)42,550
  2. 02Wardsville1,661
  3. 03St. Martins1,226
  4. 04Taos1,175
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Cole County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Cole County. The most populous is Boone County, MO, with 192,154 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Jefferson City and the nearest big city

Jefferson City is 7.8 miles NE of Cole County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Columbia, MO (population 130,900), 30.8 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Jefferson City, MO (population 42,564), 7.2 miles away.

Cole County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Cole County is 29051: state code 29 for Missouri plus county code 051. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $74,002.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Cole County, Missouri?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 77,625. That is up 1,001 people (1.3%) from the July 2020 estimate of 76,624.

What is the FIPS code of Cole County?

29051. The first two digits (29) are Missouri; the last three (051) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Cole County?

Jefferson City, with 42,550 residents inside Cole County in 2024 (42,564 across all 2 counties it spans).

Which counties border Cole County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Boone County, MO; Callaway County, MO; Miller County, MO; Moniteau County, MO; Osage County, MO.

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.