How many people live in Cape Girardeau County, MO?
Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 83,700 people living in Cape Girardeau County, MO. That makes Cape Girardeau County the 14th-most populous county in Missouri. It is home to 1.3% of people living in the state.
83.7K
population of Cape Girardeau County, MO (2024)
1.3%
County share of the Missouri population (2024)
About 83,700 people lived in Cape Girardeau County, MO in 2024.
Population estimates, 2000–2024
What are Cape Girardeau County, MO’s age demographics?
About 15,600 Cape Girardeau County, MO residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 18.6% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 18.8% of Missouri’s population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 17,700 Cape Girardeau County residents, or 21.1% of the population, were children under 18. For comparison, the age group represents 22% of Missouri’s population and 21.6% in the US overall.
A higher share of Cape Girardeau County, MO's population is aged 18–24 than the US as a whole.
Population estimates by age group, (2024)
What are Cape Girardeau County, MO’s racial and ethnic demographics?
Non-Hispanic white residents make up 83.8% of the Cape Girardeau County, MO population, higher than the national share of 57.5%. Cape Girardeau County, MO also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic two or more races (2.5%) than the US overall (2.5%).
In contrast, Cape Girardeau County’s Hispanic population accounts for 3.2%, below the 20% nationwide, and the non-Hispanic Black or African American population makes up 8.1% of the county, compared with 12.6% nationally.
Racial and ethnic make up differ based on location. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate out Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census reporting standards.
Cape Girardeau County, MO has a higher share of a non-Hispanic white population than Missouri as a whole.
Population estimates by race and ethnicity, (2024)
The largest city or town in Cape Girardeau County, MO is Cape Girardeau with about 40,800 residents in 2024.
Cities and towns in Cape Girardeau County, MO ranked by population
Population (2024), includes only portions within county
| City or town | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Cape Girardeau (pt.) | 40,818 |
| 2. | Jackson | 15,929 |
| 3. | Gordonville | 629 |
| 4. | Delta | 379 |
| 5. | Oak Ridge | 238 |
| 6. | Pocahontas | 97 |
| 7. | Allenville | 95 |
| 8. | Whitewater | 85 |
| 9. | Old Appleton | 75 |
| 10. | Scott City (pt.) |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
