MO County Per Capita and Personal Income 2020

Missouri had a per capita income of $51,697 in 2020 current dollars, not adjusted for inflation.  Six Missouri counties had higher per capita income in 2020 than the state. Those counties were St. Louis, Platte, St. Charles, Holt, Atchison, and Cole.  Per capita income levels for Missouri tend to be highest around larger metro areas such as St. Louis and Kansas City.

Missouri's per capita income grew by 5.6 percent from $48,945 in 2019 to $51,697 in 2020. Analysis of the 2020 per capita income data showed that 92 of the 114 counties and the city of St. Louis had per capita income growth faster than the state average.

Personal income is defined as the income received by all persons from net earnings, property interest income, and transfer payments. Personal income is measured before the deduction of taxes and is reported in nominal (current) dollars. The three components of personal income are: 1) Net earnings - defined as the sum of wage and salary disbursements, supplements to wages and salaries, and proprietors' income; 2) Dividends, interest and rent; and 3) Transfer payments - defined as payments to individuals and to nonprofit institutions by federal, state, and local governments and by businesses. Thus, personal income accounts for all income sources. In 2020, Missouri’s total personal income was $318.02 billion, a 5.8 percent increase over 2019.

Per capita income measures the average income earned per person within a defined geographic region. It is defined as total personal income divided by total population. This data helps in understanding county and regional differences in payroll and earnings, spending power, and general economic trends as it relates to regional gross domestic product. County-level personal income and per capita income estimates are released annually. County data lags state level by one calendar year.

The dashboard below can be used to see income data and trends for several years using interactive filters by selecting a desired year, clicking the map of desired county, and selecting the desired income measure. A data table for further analysis can be downloaded as an Excel file by clicking here.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis

Note-- All dollar estimates are in current dollars (not adjusted for inflation).