Cole County, Missouri
A county in Missouri, ranked 16 of 115 by population.
CountyFIPS 29051
- Population
- 77,908
- +1,300 (+1.7%) since 2020
- Land area
- 391.5
- square miles. A further 1.9% of the total area is water
- Population density
- 199
- people per square mile, computed rather than published
- County seat
- Jefferson City
- Seat of county government.
- Established
- 1820
- 205 years ago
- Largest city
- Jefferson City city
- Population 42,467 for the whole place, which extends beyond this county.
Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; Wikidata (CC0), Wikidata. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
Satellite view
Aerial imagery of Cole County with its boundary drawn on top. A map shows you the shape; this shows you what is inside it, and which side of the line a place falls on.
Where Cole County ranks
Position among the 115 counties of Missouri, and among all 3,144 US counties and county-equivalents. Computed from the figures on this page.
| Measure | Value | In Missouri | Nationally |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 77,908 | 16th of 115 | 743rd of 3,144 |
| Land area | 391.5 sq mi | 112th of 115 | 2,567th of 3,144 |
| Population density | 199 per sq mi | 12th of 115 | 568th of 3,144 |
| Median household income | $74,876 | 13th of 115 | 851st of 3,143 |
Full data for Cole County
| Measure | Value | Source and vintage |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 77,908 | Vintage 2025 Population Estimates |
| Population in 2020 | 76,608 | Vintage 2025 Population Estimates |
| 2020 estimates base? | 77,280 | Vintage 2025 Population Estimates |
| Land area | 391.5 sq mi | 2025 Gazetteer Files |
| Water area | 7.4 sq mi | 2025 Gazetteer Files |
| Total area | 398.9 sq mi | 2025 Gazetteer Files |
| Population density? | 199 per sq mi | Computed: Vintage 2025 estimates divided by 2025 Gazetteer land area |
| Median household income | $74,876 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Median home value | $229,600 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Median age | 39.9 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Households | 31,086 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Housing units | 33,533 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates, released 29 January 2026. Population density is computed here, not published: it divides the Vintage 2025 population estimate by the 2025 Gazetteer land area, which are two different Census products. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
How the population changed
The Census Bureau publishes the components behind an estimate, not just the total. For the year to July 2025:
- Births minus deaths
- +78
- 845 births, 767 deaths
- Net migration
- +63
- More people moved in than moved out.
Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
The 5 areas bordering Cole County
Ordered by the length of the border actually shared, which the Census Bureau publishes in its county adjacency file and which no other county reference presents.
| Bordering area | State | Shared border | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Osage County | Missouri | 30 mi | 13,611 |
| Miller County | Missouri | 23 mi | 25,817 |
| Moniteau County | Missouri | 22 mi | 15,428 |
| Callaway County | Missouri | 15 mi | 45,765 |
| Boone County | Missouri | 15 mi | 191,746 |
Source: US Census Bureau, County Adjacency File, 2025 County Adjacency File, released 15 September 2025. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
All 115 counties of Missouri
Open the interactive Missouri county map, or jump straight to any of them.
- Adair County
- Andrew County
- Atchison County
- Audrain County
- Barry County
- Barton County
- Bates County
- Benton County
- Bollinger County
- Boone County
- Buchanan County
- Butler County
- Caldwell County
- Callaway County
- Camden County
- Cape Girardeau County
- Carroll County
- Carter County
- Cass County
- Cedar County
- Chariton County
- Christian County
- Clark County
- Clay County
- Clinton County
- Cole County
- Cooper County
- Crawford County
- Dade County
- Dallas County
- Daviess County
- DeKalb County
- Dent County
- Douglas County
- Dunklin County
- Franklin County
- Gasconade County
- Gentry County
- Greene County
- Grundy County
- Harrison County
- Henry County
- Hickory County
- Holt County
- Howard County
- Howell County
- Iron County
- Jackson County
- Jasper County
- Jefferson County
- Johnson County
- Knox County
- Laclede County
- Lafayette County
- Lawrence County
- Lewis County
- Lincoln County
- Linn County
- Livingston County
- Macon County
- Madison County
- Maries County
- Marion County
- McDonald County
- Mercer County
- Miller County
- Mississippi County
- Moniteau County
- Monroe County
- Montgomery County
- Morgan County
- New Madrid County
- Newton County
- Nodaway County
- Oregon County
- Osage County
- Ozark County
- Pemiscot County
- Perry County
- Pettis County
- Phelps County
- Pike County
- Platte County
- Polk County
- Pulaski County
- Putnam County
- Ralls County
- Randolph County
- Ray County
- Reynolds County
- Ripley County
- Saline County
- Schuyler County
- Scotland County
- Scott County
- Shannon County
- Shelby County
- St. Charles County
- St. Clair County
- St. Francois County
- St. Louis city
- St. Louis County
- Ste. Genevieve County
- Stoddard County
- Stone County
- Sullivan County
- Taney County
- Texas County
- Vernon County
- Warren County
- Washington County
- Wayne County
- Webster County
- Worth County
- Wright County
Data on this page last rebuilt 30 August 2026. How these figures are produced.