Skip to content
Beacon CRE

Buchanan County, MO: population growth, jobs and income

Buchanan County lost 58 residents between 2024 and 2025 (−0.1%).

Buchanan County had an estimated 83,540 residents in 2025, down 1.1% (931 fewer people) since 2020. That is slower than Missouri as a whole (+1.9%), and the 96th fastest growth of 115 counties in Missouri.

Data as of 2025 · updated

See page 1 free (PDF)

14-day full refund · Stripe, Apple Pay or Google Pay · Instant PDF + CSV · Sold by Simply Stats LLC (NC)

How we compute every number · Refund terms

In the Buchanan County report

One-time $99 PDF: everything on this page for Buchanan County, ranked against Missouri and the U.S., plus these figures that are not on the free page:

  • Median gross rent$902/mo2020–24
  • Vacant homes, incl. seasonal and second homes13.1%2020–24
  • New homes permitted, last 12 months422025-10/2026-09
  • Rent growth, 5 yearsIn the report
  • Permits in 5+ unit buildingsIn the report
  • IRS income moving in (net AGI)In the report
  • Neighbouring-county comparison tableIn the report

What's inside: 5 pages

  1. 1 Summary, headline numbers and ranks (free preview)
  2. 2 Ranks and the neighbouring-county table
  3. 3 Migration, with IRS mover and income flows
  4. 4 Rent, vacant homes, permits and employers
  5. 5 Every source and the methods
See every page of a sample report

Want Pro for Missouri? Get notified

Headline numbers

What the numbers say

Net domestic migration was negative in 2025: 260 more people moved out to other U.S. counties than moved in.

Private employers had 43,357 paid employees in mid-March 2023, −0.6% since 2018 (County Business Patterns).

Unemployment averaged 4.2% in 2025, 1.0 points higher than in 2019 (before the pandemic).

Builders were authorized to start 52 new homes in 2025, or 0.6 per 1,000 residents.

Median household income was $62,158 in the 2020–24 American Community Survey, +19.7% since 2016–20.

Across the 3,107 U.S. counties with a comparable estimate, its population growth ranks 2,220th.

Part of the St. Joseph, MO-KS metro area.

Get Buchanan County’s next numbers by email

Email me when Buchanan County gets new Census numbers: population, building permits, jobs and income. About 4 emails a year, one click to stop.

We use your address only to email you when new data for Buchanan County is out: what changed, with a link to that county's report. No newsletter, no other sales emails. Delete it any time with the link in every email. We'll email you a link to confirm first; nothing starts until you click it. Privacy notice.

Buchanan County population by year

Resident population, July 1 estimate (Census Bureau)
YearPopulationChange
202583,540−58
202483,598+347
202383,251+240
202283,011−630
202183,641−830
202084,471–

Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year.

What drove the change in Buchanan County

Buchanan County lost 931 people since 2020; the biggest drag was domestic migration (−1,920).

Components of population change, people (Census Bureau)
Component20252020–25Share
Natural changebirths minus deaths−67−477
International migrationfrom and to other countries+270+1,471
Domestic migrationfrom and to other U.S. counties−260−1,920
Census adjustmentbalancing residual−1−5
Total change−58−931

Census Bureau population estimates, components of change, each year July 1 to June 30. The components add up to the change in the estimate; the Census adjustment is the small balancing figure the Bureau publishes.

How it ranks

MeasureIn MissouriAmong U.S. counties
Population growth96th of 1152,220th of 3,107
Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents102nd of 1152,358th of 3,108
Private-sector job growth65th of 1151,956th of 3,092
Median household income47th of 1151,860th of 3,107
Lowest unemployment rate64th of 1151,808th of 3,108
New homes permitted per 1,000 residents76th of 1132,336th of 3,005

1st = highest (lowest for unemployment). Counties are ranked only against others with a figure for the same period.

Get the county report — $99

The County Growth and Demographics Report for Buchanan County, MO as a PDF, from federal data: population and migration, housing and rents, permits, private employers and jobs, unemployment, ranks in the state and the country, and neighbouring counties, with a source next to every number. Pay once, no subscription.

Add 2 neighbouring counties for $50: the Platte County and Clinton County reports too, $149 for all 3.

Choose other neighbouring counties

Preview page 1 of the Buchanan County report (free, PDF) · See a full 5-page sample (PDF) · Other counties and options

Every purchase also includes a CSV of every table in the report, ready for a spreadsheet.

Refund terms: Terms. · How we compute every number

Neighbouring counties

Over 2020–25, Buchanan County's population change (−1.1%) was ahead of 1 of its 6 neighbouring counties and behind 5.

5 of its 6 neighbouring counties had a higher median household income than Buchanan County's $62,158 (2020–24).

Buchanan County, MO and its 6 neighbouring counties: public federal figures
CountyPopulation2025Population change2020–25Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents2025Homes permitted per 1,000 residents2025Median household income2020–24
Buchanan County, MO This county83,540−1.1%−3.10.6$62,158
Andrew County, MO18,241+0.7%7.60.2$75,625
Doniphan County, KS7,594+1.6%1.40.4$74,028
Platte County, MO114,400+6.7%6.03.7$96,227
Clinton County, MO21,661+2.1%1.83.8$70,627
DeKalb County, MO9,795−15.6%−5.50.1$69,826
Atchison County, KS16,172−0.9%0.11.2$61,112

Census Bureau population estimates and building permits, American Community Survey 5-year income. Rates per 1,000 residents. – means no figure, or a base too small for a change or rate (it would swing on a few people). A figure from another period shows its year and is left out of the comparison.

All 115 Missouri counties · Every state

Questions

Is Buchanan County growing?

No. Its population fell 1.1% between 2020 and 2025, about 931 fewer people (Census Bureau population estimates). Missouri as a whole changed +1.9% over the same years. That ranks 96th of 115 counties in Missouri for population growth.

How many people moved to Buchanan County?

On net, none in 2025: about 260 more people moved out to other U.S. counties than moved in (Census Bureau net domestic migration estimate).

What is the unemployment rate in Buchanan County?

It averaged 4.2% in 2025 (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual average).

What is the population of Buchanan County?

About 83,540 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's population estimate for July 1, 2025.

How many jobs are in Buchanan County?

Private employers there had 43,357 paid employees in mid-March 2023, −0.6% since 2018 (Census Bureau County Business Patterns; government jobs and the self-employed are not counted).

What Beacon CRE covers in Missouri

Map, parcel and listing layers cover North and South Carolina only for now. This page and the other Missouri county pages carry the public federal growth figures.

Buchanan County data alerts

Email me when Buchanan County gets new Census numbers: population, building permits, jobs and income. About 4 emails a year, one click to stop.

We use your address only to email you when new data for Buchanan County is out: what changed, with a link to that county's report. No newsletter, no other sales emails. Delete it any time with the link in every email. We'll email you a link to confirm first; nothing starts until you click it. Privacy notice.

Sources and method

Each number shows its own period. Changes compare the latest period with five years earlier (or the earliest period available). Beacon CRE last refreshed these figures on 2026-11-05. Figures come from public federal statistics and are informational only, not investment advice. Check the source before relying on a number. Methodology: how we compute every number. More on every layer: data sources and licences.

Jobs outside North and South Carolina use County Business Patterns (paid private-sector employees in mid-March); wages and government jobs are not included.