Lafayette County Demographics

A map of Lafayette County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	29,712	29,256	89.7%	88.7%
Multiracial	1,334	1,687	4.0%	5.1%
Hispanic	1,155	1,047	3.5%	3.2%
Black	514	671	1.6%	2.0%
Native American/Other	277	208	0.8%	0.6%
Asian	123	115	0.4%	0.3%

Lafayette County, Missouri has an estimated population of 33,115, a less than 1% change from the 32,984 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 89.7% White, 4.0% Multiracial, 3.5% Hispanic, 1.6% Black, 0.8% Native American/Other, and 0.4% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Lafayette County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Lafayette has become less 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 Lafayette County, that probability was 20.9% in 2020 and 19.2% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Lafayette County is ranked the 35th most populous county in Missouri, out of 115 counties. Lafayette County was ranked the 35th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Lafayette County's White Population

29,712 residents of Lafayette County, or 89.7% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Lafayette County is considerably higher than in Missouri overall, where 76.3% of the population is White. Lafayette County ranks 74th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lafayette County's White population has grown by an estimated 1.6%. White residents' share of Lafayette County's population has increased from 88.7% to 89.7%.

Lafayette County is more White than neighboring Johnson County (83.7% White), Jackson County (59.3% White), and Saline County (75.3% White). Lafayette County is less White than neighboring Ray County (92.2% White), and Carroll County (93.3% White).

Lafayette County's Black Population

514 residents of Lafayette County, or 1.6% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Lafayette County is lower than in Missouri overall, where 10.9% of the population is Black. Lafayette County ranks 39th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lafayette County's Black population has declined by an estimated 23.4%. Black residents' share of Lafayette County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.6%.

Lafayette County is more Black than neighboring Ray County (0.8% Black), and Carroll County (1.5% Black). Lafayette County is less Black than neighboring Johnson County (4.3% Black), Jackson County (22% Black), and Saline County (4.9% Black).

Lafayette County's Asian Population

123 residents of Lafayette County, or 0.4% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Lafayette County is comparable to the share in Missouri overall, where 2.1% of the population is Asian. Lafayette County ranks 63rd statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lafayette County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 7.0%. Asian residents' share of Lafayette County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Lafayette County is more Asian than neighboring Ray County (0.3% Asian), and Carroll County (0.2% Asian). Lafayette County is less Asian than neighboring Johnson County (1.5% Asian), Jackson County (1.8% Asian), and Saline County (0.6% Asian).

Lafayette County's Hispanic Population

1,155 residents of Lafayette County, or 3.5% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Lafayette County is comparable to the share in Missouri overall, where 5.2% of the population is Hispanic. Lafayette County ranks 28th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lafayette County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 10.3%. Hispanic residents' share of Lafayette County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.5%.

Lafayette County is more Hispanic than neighboring Ray County (2.9% Hispanic), and Carroll County (2.2% Hispanic). Lafayette County is less Hispanic than neighboring Johnson County (5.2% Hispanic), Jackson County (11.4% Hispanic), and Saline County (12.6% Hispanic).

Lafayette County's Native American/Other Population

277 residents of Lafayette County, or 0.8% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Lafayette County is comparable to the share in Missouri overall, where 0.7% of the population is Native American/Other. Lafayette County ranks 65th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lafayette County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 33.2%. Native American/Other residents' share of Lafayette County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.8%.

Lafayette County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Carroll County (0% Native American/Other). Lafayette County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Johnson County (1.1% Native American/Other), Jackson County (0.9% Native American/Other), and Saline County (1.9% Native American/Other).

Lafayette County's Multiracial Population

1,334 residents of Lafayette County, or 4.0% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Lafayette County is comparable to the share in Missouri overall, where 4.8% of the population is Multiracial. Lafayette County ranks 34th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lafayette County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 20.9%. Multiracial residents' share of Lafayette County's population has decreased from 5.1% to 4.0%.

Lafayette County is more Multiracial than neighboring Ray County (3% Multiracial), and Carroll County (2.8% Multiracial). Lafayette County is less Multiracial than neighboring Johnson County (4.3% Multiracial), Jackson County (4.6% Multiracial), and Saline County (4.7% 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.