• county
  • FIPS 29119
  • Largest town: Noel

McDonald County, Missouri

McDonald County had 24,054 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 539.5 square miles of land. It ranks 46th of 115 in Missouri by population and 71st by land area.

Population
24,054
#46 of 115 in Missouri · #1,647 in US
Area
539.5 sq mi
#71 of 115 in Missouri · #1,938 in US
Density
45 / sq mi
#42 of 115 in Missouri · #1,577 in US
Median household income
$54,452
#73 of 115 in Missouri · #2,375 in US

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

McDonald County within Missouri. Pin: Jefferson City.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from McDonald County

McDonald County population, land area and income

McDonald County had 24,054 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 539.5 square miles of land. It ranks 46th of 115 in Missouri by population and 71st by land area. That works out to 44.6 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Missouri has 19,100 residents; McDonald County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $54,452 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

24,054

3144th1st

1647th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

539 sq mi

3144th1st

1938th of 3,144 (US)

Density

44.6 / sq mi

3144th1st

1577th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$54,452

3143rd1st

2375th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Missouri (115)

Population

24,054

115th1st

46th of 115 (MO)

Land area

539 sq mi

115th1st

71st of 115 (MO)

Density

44.6 / sq mi

115th1st

42nd of 115 (MO)

Median household income

$54,452

115th1st

73rd of 115 (MO)

How McDonald County's population changed since 2020

McDonald County gained 776 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 3.3%. That ranks 27th 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, McDonald County recorded 1,384 births and 1,279 deaths, a natural change of +105. Net international migration added +812 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -172. The largest single component was international migration, which added 812 people.

23.3k202023.4k202123.6k202224.1k202324.1k2024
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
1,384
Deaths
1,279
Net international migration
+812
Net domestic migration
-172
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-63

Where McDonald County is

The Census internal point of McDonald County is at 36.628000, -94.343700. 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 McDonald 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: McDonald County internal point. Dark pin: Jefferson City.

Internal point

Decimal
36.628000, -94.343700
DMS
36°37'40.80"N 94°20'37.32"W
UTM
15N 379859.8E 4054447.1N
Geohash
9ysbm5vj8
Plus code
8687JMH4+6G

Towns in McDonald County

3 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in McDonald County, 5,584 people together, or 23% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside McDonald County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Noel with 2,190.

  1. 01Noel2,190
  2. 02Anderson2,089
  3. 03Goodman1,305
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering McDonald County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for McDonald County, including 3 across a state line. The most populous is Benton County, AR, with 321,566 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Jefferson City and the nearest big city

Jefferson City is 179.7 miles NE of McDonald County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Fayetteville, AR (population 103,134), 39.7 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Bella Vista, AR (population 33,274), 11.9 miles away.

McDonald County FIPS code

The FIPS code of McDonald County is 29119: state code 29 for Missouri plus county code 119. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $54,452.

Questions people ask

What is the population of McDonald County, Missouri?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 24,054. That is up 776 people (3.3%) from the July 2020 estimate of 23,278.

What is the FIPS code of McDonald County?

29119. The first two digits (29) are Missouri; the last three (119) identify the county.

What is the largest town in McDonald County?

Noel, with 2,190 residents inside McDonald County in 2024.

Which counties border McDonald County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Benton County, AR; Newton County, MO; Delaware County, OK; Barry County, MO; Ottawa County, OK.

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.