McDonald County Demographics

A map of McDonald County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	16,185	16,667	68.3%	71.5%
Hispanic	2,949	2,818	12.4%	12.1%
Multiracial	2,471	1,578	10.4%	6.8%
Native American/Other	1,322	1,443	5.6%	6.2%
Black	466	421	2.0%	1.8%
Asian	308	376	1.3%	1.6%

McDonald County, Missouri has an estimated population of 23,701, a slight increase from the 23,303 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 68.3% White, 12.4% Hispanic, 10.4% Multiracial, 5.6% Native American/Other, 2.0% Black, and 1.3% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of McDonald County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

McDonald has become more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably more 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 McDonald County, that probability was 46.5% in 2020 and 50.4% in the most recent ACS estimates.

McDonald County is ranked the 46th most populous county in Missouri, out of 115 counties. McDonald County was ranked the 48th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

McDonald County's White Population

16,185 residents of McDonald County, or 68.3% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in McDonald County is lower than in Missouri overall, where 76.3% of the population is White. McDonald County ranks 109th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, McDonald County's White population has declined by an estimated 2.9%. White residents' share of McDonald County's population has decreased from 71.5% to 68.3%.

McDonald County is more White than neighboring Benton County (58% White), Delaware County (62.1% White), and Ottawa County (62.4% White). McDonald County is less White than neighboring Newton County (80.4% White), and Barry County (80.2% White).

McDonald County's Black Population

466 residents of McDonald County, or 2.0% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in McDonald County is lower than in Missouri overall, where 10.9% of the population is Black. McDonald County ranks 46th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, McDonald County's Black population has grown by an estimated 10.7%. Black residents' share of McDonald County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.0%.

McDonald County is more Black than neighboring Newton County (0.9% Black), Benton County (1.8% Black), Delaware County (0.4% Black), Ottawa County (1.1% Black), and Barry County (0.2% Black).

McDonald County's Asian Population

308 residents of McDonald County, or 1.3% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in McDonald County is comparable to the share in Missouri overall, where 2.1% of the population is Asian. McDonald County ranks 14th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, McDonald County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 18.1%. Asian residents' share of McDonald County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.3%.

McDonald County is more Asian than neighboring Ottawa County (0.8% Asian). McDonald County is less Asian than neighboring Newton County (1.6% Asian), Benton County (4.6% Asian), Delaware County (1.5% Asian), and Barry County (2% Asian).

McDonald County's Hispanic Population

2,949 residents of McDonald County, or 12.4% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in McDonald County is higher than in Missouri overall, where 5.2% of the population is Hispanic. McDonald County ranks 3rd statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, McDonald County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 4.6%. Hispanic residents' share of McDonald County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 12.4%.

McDonald County is more Hispanic than neighboring Newton County (6.8% Hispanic), Delaware County (4.5% Hispanic), Ottawa County (6.1% Hispanic), and Barry County (10.2% Hispanic). McDonald County is less Hispanic than neighboring Benton County (18.5% Hispanic).

McDonald County's Native American/Other Population

1,322 residents of McDonald County, or 5.6% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in McDonald County is slightly higher than in Missouri overall, where 0.7% of the population is Native American/Other. McDonald County ranks 1st statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, McDonald County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 8.4%. Native American/Other residents' share of McDonald County's population has decreased from 6.2% to 5.6%.

McDonald County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Newton County (3.1% Native American/Other), Benton County (1.9% Native American/Other), and Barry County (1.1% Native American/Other). McDonald County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Delaware County (20.4% Native American/Other), and Ottawa County (19.2% Native American/Other).

McDonald County's Multiracial Population

2,471 residents of McDonald County, or 10.4% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in McDonald County is higher than in Missouri overall, where 4.8% of the population is Multiracial. McDonald County ranks 2nd statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, McDonald County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 56.6%. Multiracial residents' share of McDonald County's population has increased from 6.8% to 10.4%.

McDonald County is more Multiracial than neighboring Newton County (7.2% Multiracial), and Barry County (6.4% Multiracial). McDonald County is less Multiracial than neighboring Benton County (15.3% Multiracial), and Delaware County (11% 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.