• county
  • FIPS 29161
  • Largest town: Rolla

Phelps County, Missouri

Phelps County had 45,672 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 671.8 square miles of land. It ranks 23rd of 115 in Missouri by population and 37th by land area.

Population
45,672
#23 of 115 in Missouri · #1,079 in US
Area
671.8 sq mi
#37 of 115 in Missouri · #1,404 in US
Density
68 / sq mi
#26 of 115 in Missouri · #1,199 in US
Median household income
$53,151
#80 of 115 in Missouri · #2,476 in US

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

Phelps County within Missouri. Pin: Jefferson City.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Phelps County

Phelps County population, land area and income

Phelps County had 45,672 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 671.8 square miles of land. It ranks 23rd of 115 in Missouri by population and 37th by land area. That works out to 68.0 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Missouri has 19,100 residents, so Phelps County is 2.4 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $53,151 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

45,672

3144th1st

1079th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

672 sq mi

3144th1st

1404th of 3,144 (US)

Density

68.0 / sq mi

3144th1st

1199th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$53,151

3143rd1st

2476th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Missouri (115)

Population

45,672

115th1st

23rd of 115 (MO)

Land area

672 sq mi

115th1st

37th of 115 (MO)

Density

68.0 / sq mi

115th1st

26th of 115 (MO)

Median household income

$53,151

115th1st

80th of 115 (MO)

How Phelps County's population changed since 2020

Phelps County gained 1,104 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 2.5%. That ranks 38th 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, Phelps County recorded 1,808 births and 2,368 deaths, a natural change of -560. Net international migration added +1,117 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +503. The largest single component was international migration, which added 1,117 people.

44.6k202044.9k202145.3k202245.5k202345.7k2024
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
1,808
Deaths
2,368
Net international migration
+1,117
Net domestic migration
+503
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+155

Where Phelps County is

The Census internal point of Phelps County is at 37.866300, -91.790300. 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 Phelps 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: Phelps County internal point. Dark pin: Jefferson City.

Internal point

Decimal
37.866300, -91.790300
DMS
37°51'58.68"N 91°47'25.08"W
UTM
15N 606402.9E 4191670.4N
Geohash
9ywxrm274
Plus code
869CV685+GV

Towns in Phelps County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Phelps County, 24,592 people together, or 54% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Phelps County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Rolla with 20,660.

  1. 01Rolla20,660
  2. 02St. James3,932
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Phelps County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Phelps County. The most populous is Pulaski County, MO, with 53,964 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Jefferson City and the nearest big city

Jefferson City is 53.4 miles NNW of Phelps County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Columbia, MO (population 130,900), 80.2 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Rolla, MO (population 20,660), 5.7 miles away.

Phelps County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Phelps County is 29161: state code 29 for Missouri plus county code 161. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $53,151.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Phelps County, Missouri?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 45,672. That is up 1,104 people (2.5%) from the July 2020 estimate of 44,568.

What is the FIPS code of Phelps County?

29161. The first two digits (29) are Missouri; the last three (161) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Phelps County?

Rolla, with 20,660 residents inside Phelps County in 2024.

Which counties border Phelps County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Pulaski County, MO; Texas County, MO; Crawford County, MO; Dent County, MO; Gasconade County, MO; Maries 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.