Dent County Demographics

A map of Dent County's Population by Race

Dent County, Missouri has an estimated population of 14,539, a less than 1% change from the 14,421 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 91.1% White, 4.5% Multiracial, 2.2% Hispanic, 0.9% Asian, 0.9% Native American/Other, and 0.4% Black. This demographic dot map shows the population of Dent County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Dent has become slightly more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Missouri overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Dent County, that probability was 15.9% in 2020 and 16.8% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Dent County is ranked the 71st most populous county in Missouri, out of 115 counties. Dent County was ranked the 71st most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Dent County's White Population

13,239 residents of Dent County, or 91.1% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Dent County is considerably higher than in Missouri overall, where 76.3% of the population is White. Dent County ranks 49th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Dent County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Dent County's population has decreased from 91.6% to 91.1%.

Dent County is more White than neighboring Phelps County (84.9% White), Texas County (89% White), and Reynolds County (90.9% White). Dent County is less White than neighboring Crawford County (91.9% White), and Shannon County (92.2% White).

Dent County's Black Population

61 residents of Dent County, or 0.4% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Dent County is considerably lower than in Missouri overall, where 10.9% of the population is Black. Dent County ranks 89th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Dent County's Black population has grown by an estimated 17.3%. Black residents' share of Dent County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Dent County is more Black than neighboring Shannon County (0.2% Black). Dent County is less Black than neighboring Phelps County (2.4% Black), Crawford County (0.8% Black), Texas County (3.5% Black), and Reynolds County (1.5% Black).

Dent County's Asian Population

124 residents of Dent County, or 0.9% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Dent County is comparable to the share in Missouri overall, where 2.1% of the population is Asian. Dent County ranks 56th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Dent County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 129.6%. Asian residents' share of Dent County's population has increased from 0.4% to 0.9%.

Dent County is more Asian than neighboring Crawford County (0.1% Asian), Shannon County (0.4% Asian), Texas County (0.1% Asian), and Reynolds County (0.2% Asian). Dent County is less Asian than neighboring Phelps County (3.7% Asian).

Dent County's Hispanic Population

324 residents of Dent County, or 2.2% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Dent County is slightly lower than in Missouri overall, where 5.2% of the population is Hispanic. Dent County ranks 76th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Dent County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 19.6%. Hispanic residents' share of Dent County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.2%.

Dent County is more Hispanic than neighboring Shannon County (0.7% Hispanic), and Reynolds County (1.7% Hispanic). Dent County is less Hispanic than neighboring Phelps County (3.1% Hispanic), Crawford County (2.4% Hispanic), and Texas County (2.5% Hispanic).

Dent County's Native American/Other Population

133 residents of Dent County, or 0.9% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Dent County is comparable to the share in Missouri overall, where 0.7% of the population is Native American/Other. Dent County ranks 38th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Dent County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 15.7%. Native American/Other residents' share of Dent County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.9%.

Dent County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Crawford County (0.8% Native American/Other), Shannon County (0.6% Native American/Other), Texas County (0.4% Native American/Other), and Reynolds County (0.3% Native American/Other).

Dent County's Multiracial Population

658 residents of Dent County, or 4.5% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Dent County is comparable to the share in Missouri overall, where 4.8% of the population is Multiracial. Dent County ranks 37th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Dent County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 9.4%. Multiracial residents' share of Dent County's population has decreased from 5.0% to 4.5%.

Dent County is more Multiracial than neighboring Crawford County (4.1% Multiracial). Dent County is less Multiracial than neighboring Phelps County (5% Multiracial), Shannon County (6% Multiracial), and Reynolds County (5.3% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.