West Plains, Missouri demographics

West Plains, MO demographics: median age 36.3; 17.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree. Age, race, households, languages and education, ACS 2020–2024 with margins of error.

ACS 2020–2024 · West Plains city, Missouri · Incorporated city · GEOID 2978928. The survey estimates a population of 12,441 for its five-year window. This is separate from the annual July 2025 population estimate on the city overview.

Median age in West Plains is 36.3 years, with a 90% margin of error of 2.8 years. There are 5,051 households (±319). Age and household distributions show how these totals are composed; they do not establish which neighborhood suits a particular person.

Every count and share is an estimate. “±” is a 90% margin of error (MOE); pp means percentage points. Derived shares use the category count divided by the named universe. Aggregated category MOEs and percentage MOEs are approximate. A margin larger than half its estimate is flagged as low precision. Blank source uncertainty is shown as unavailable, never zero.

Age distribution and sex

City, state and U.S. estimates · ACS 2020–2024
Measure / survey universe	City estimate ± MOE	State estimate ± MOE	U.S. estimate ± MOE
Median age Total population · years	36.3 ±2.8	39.0 ±0.2	38.9 ±0.1

Age groups · B01001 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 12,441
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	Missouri	U.S.
Under 18	3,036 ±439	24.4% ±3.5 pp	22.3%	22.0%
18–34	3,033 ±416	24.4% ±3.3 pp	22.3%	22.8%
35–64	3,989 ±509	32.1% ±4.1 pp	37.5%	38.0%
65 and older	2,383 ±319	19.2% ±2.6 pp	17.9%	17.2%

Sex categories as published by ACS · B01001 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 12,441
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	Missouri	U.S.
Male	5,681 ±317	45.7% ±2.5 pp	49.3%	49.5%
Female	6,760 ±311	54.3% ±2.5 pp	50.7%	50.5%

The age groups are mutually exclusive and cover the entire population. The sex categories follow this ACS table’s published classification; they are not a survey of gender identity.

Race and Hispanic origin

Race · B02001 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 12,441
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	Missouri	U.S.
White alone	11,719 ±153	94.2% ±1.1 pp	77.5%	61.0%
Black or African American alone	120 ±39	1.0% ±0.3 pp	11.0%	12.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone	26 ±33 · low precision	0.2% ±0.3 pp · low precision	0.3%	0.9%
Asian alone	68 ±47 · low precision	0.5% ±0.4 pp · low precision	2.1%	6.0%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone	2 ±6 · low precision	0.0% ±0.0 pp · low precision	0.1%	0.2%
Some other race alone	0 ±19 · low precision	0.0% ±0.2 pp · low precision	1.9%	7.1%
Two or more races	506 ±129	4.1% ±1.0 pp	7.1%	12.6%

Hispanic or Latino origin · B03003 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 12,441
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	Missouri	U.S.
Not Hispanic or Latino	12,411 ±80	99.8% ±0.3 pp	94.8%	80.7%
Hispanic or Latino	30 ±36 · low precision	0.2% ±0.3 pp · low precision	5.2%	19.3%

Hispanic origin and race are separate questions. People of Hispanic or Latino origin may be of any race and appear in both tables. Do not add the Hispanic share to race shares. Race alone and two-or-more-race groups are the mutually exclusive categories of the race table.

Household types, children and living alone

Household types · B11001 · ACS 2020–2024 Households: 5,051
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	Missouri	U.S.
Married-couple family	1,717 ±253	34.0% ±4.5 pp	46.5%	46.9%
Other family: male householder, no spouse present	188 ±109 · low precision	3.7% ±2.1 pp · low precision	4.6%	5.1%
Other family: female householder, no spouse present	788 ±240	15.6% ±4.6 pp	11.0%	12.2%
Nonfamily: householder living alone	2,018 ±370	40.0% ±6.9 pp	31.1%	28.7%
Nonfamily: householder not living alone	340 ±163	6.7% ±3.2 pp	6.7%	7.0%

Households with children · B11005 · ACS 2020–2024 Households: 5,051
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	Missouri	U.S.
Households with people under 18	1,495 ±240	29.6% ±4.4 pp	28.5%	29.5%
Households without people under 18	3,556 ±401	70.4% ±6.6 pp	71.5%	70.5%

Household size · B11016 · ACS 2020–2024 Households: 5,051
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	Missouri	U.S.
One-person nonfamily households	2,018 ±370	40.0% ±6.9 pp	31.1%	28.7%
Two-person households	1,383 ±270	27.4% ±5.1 pp	35.0%	33.8%
Three-person households	742 ±213	14.7% ±4.1 pp	14.1%	15.3%
Four-person households	468 ±183	9.3% ±3.6 pp	11.6%	12.6%
Five-person households	249 ±161 · low precision	4.9% ±3.2 pp · low precision	5.2%	5.9%
Six-person households	191 ±127 · low precision	3.8% ±2.5 pp · low precision	1.9%	2.2%
Seven or more people	0 ±27 · low precision	0.0% ±0.5 pp · low precision	1.1%	1.4%

A family household contains related people under the Census definition. A nonfamily household can contain one person or unrelated people sharing a home. Households with children can also appear in the household-type and size tables, so those tables must not be added together. Household estimates exclude people living in group quarters from the household universe.

Nativity and languages spoken at home

Nativity · B05002 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 12,441
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	Missouri	U.S.
Native	12,401 ±76	99.7% ±0.2 pp	95.5%	85.9%
Foreign born	40 ±38 · low precision	0.3% ±0.3 pp · low precision	4.5%	14.1%

Language spoken at home · C16001 · ACS 2020–2024 Population age 5 and older: 11,781
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	Missouri	U.S.
English only	11,397 ±304	96.7% ±1.9 pp	93.3%	77.7%
Spanish	192 ±194 · low precision	1.6% ±1.6 pp · low precision	2.9%	13.6%
French, Haitian, or Cajun	36 ±44 · low precision	0.3% ±0.4 pp · low precision	0.3%	0.7%
German or other West Germanic	33 ±35 · low precision	0.3% ±0.3 pp · low precision	0.5%	0.5%
Russian, Polish, or other Slavic	39 ±58 · low precision	0.3% ±0.5 pp · low precision	0.5%	0.7%
Other Indo-European	7 ±12 · low precision	0.1% ±0.1 pp · low precision	0.6%	2.0%
Korean	0 ±19 · low precision	0.0% ±0.2 pp · low precision	0.1%	0.3%
Chinese, including Mandarin and Cantonese	0 ±19 · low precision	0.0% ±0.2 pp · low precision	0.4%	1.1%
Vietnamese	48 ±50 · low precision	0.4% ±0.4 pp · low precision	0.2%	0.5%
Tagalog, including Filipino	12 ±17 · low precision	0.1% ±0.1 pp · low precision	0.2%	0.6%
Other Asian and Pacific Island	8 ±10 · low precision	0.1% ±0.1 pp · low precision	0.5%	1.1%
Arabic	0 ±19 · low precision	0.0% ±0.2 pp · low precision	0.2%	0.5%
Other and unspecified	9 ±12 · low precision	0.1% ±0.1 pp · low precision	0.4%	0.8%

Foreign born means not a U.S. citizen at birth; it includes naturalized citizens. Language categories describe speech at home among people age five and older. A language other than English at home does not establish that someone cannot speak English. This city page uses the published C16001 summary categories because the more detailed B16001 table does not provide these city records in this release.

Educational attainment

Highest completed education · B15003 · ACS 2020–2024 Population age 25 and older: 8,231
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	Missouri	U.S.
Less than high school graduate	1,137 ±322	13.8% ±3.9 pp	8.1%	10.4%
High school graduate or equivalency	3,245 ±490	39.4% ±5.7 pp	30.2%	26.0%
Some college, no degree	1,425 ±335	17.3% ±4.0 pp	20.8%	19.1%
Associate’s degree	1,017 ±323	12.4% ±3.9 pp	8.4%	8.8%
Bachelor’s degree	783 ±265	9.5% ±3.2 pp	19.8%	21.6%
Graduate or professional degree	624 ±262	7.6% ±3.2 pp	12.6%	14.1%

The denominator excludes residents under 25. Each person is counted in the highest attainment category they completed. This table does not measure the quality of local schools or the education level of every current student.

Residence one year earlier

Geographic mobility · B07003 · ACS 2020–2024 Population age 1 and older: 12,258
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	Missouri	U.S.
Same house	10,752 ±512	87.7% ±4.1 pp	87.4%	87.7%
Moved within same county	687 ±287	5.6% ±2.3 pp	6.2%	6.3%
Moved from a different county in the same state	723 ±401 · low precision	5.9% ±3.3 pp · low precision	3.6%	3.1%
Moved from a different state	96 ±71 · low precision	0.8% ±0.6 pp · low precision	2.5%	2.3%
Moved from abroad	0 ±19 · low precision	0.0% ±0.2 pp · low precision	0.4%	0.6%

These are respondents’ residence patterns one year before their survey response, pooled across the five-year window. They are not a net migration count for 2025. A person can move to a different house within the same city or county; moves within the same county should not automatically be interpreted as new arrivals to the city.

Health insurance, internet access and veterans

15.6% of West Plains residents (±3.7 percentage points) had no health insurance coverage when surveyed, compared with 8.8% in Missouri and 8.4% nationally. 88.4% of households subscribe to broadband of any type, including cellular data plans. A subscription is not the same as available service: the FCC National Broadband Map shows providers at a specific address.

City, state and U.S. shares · ACS 2020–2024
Measure	West Plains	Missouri	U.S.	Compared with Missouri
People without health insurance Civilian noninstitutionalized population	15.6% ±3.7 pp	8.8%	8.4%	Higher
Households with a broadband subscription Households	88.4% ±3.7 pp	89.3%	91.0%	Not statistically different
Veterans Civilian population age 18 and older	7.8% ±2.8 pp	7.3%	6.2%	Not statistically different

Reading and reusing the estimates

The Census table links above lead to the original detailed tables. Counts, source universes and uncertainty are retained in the source observation download for West Plains . Compare these figures with the same survey window; do not compare one city’s five-year estimate with another city’s annual estimate as though they measured the same period. For methods, see uncertainty and denominator calculations.

Read West Plains housing and cost context or return to the city profile.