Mercer County Demographics

A map of Mercer County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	3,173	3,291	91.1%	93.0%
Hispanic	167	155	4.8%	4.4%
Multiracial	91	77	2.6%	2.2%
Asian	31	0	0.9%	0.0%
Native American/Other	14	15	0.4%	0.4%
Black	6	0	0.2%	0.0%

Mercer County, Missouri has an estimated population of 3,482, a slight decrease from the 3,538 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 91.1% White, 4.8% Hispanic, 2.6% Multiracial, 0.9% Asian, 0.4% Native American/Other, and 0.2% Black. This demographic dot map shows the population of Mercer County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Mercer has become 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 Mercer County, that probability was 13.2% in 2020 and 16.7% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Mercer County is ranked the 114th most populous county in Missouri, out of 115 counties. Mercer County was ranked the 114th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Mercer County's White Population

3,173 residents of Mercer County, or 91.1% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Mercer County is considerably higher than in Missouri overall, where 76.3% of the population is White. Mercer County ranks 20th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mercer County's White population has declined by an estimated 3.6%. White residents' share of Mercer County's population has decreased from 93.0% to 91.1%.

Mercer County is more White than neighboring Decatur County (90.2% White), and Sullivan County (76.8% White). Mercer County is less White than neighboring Grundy County (92.1% White), Wayne County (93.7% White), and Harrison County (93.8% White).

Mercer County's Black Population

6 residents of Mercer County, or 0.2% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Mercer County is considerably lower than in Missouri overall, where 10.9% of the population is Black. Mercer County ranks 113th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mercer County's Black population has grown from 0 to an estimated 6. Black residents' share of Mercer County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Mercer County is less Black than neighboring Grundy County (0.4% Black), Decatur County (1.3% Black), Harrison County (0.8% Black), and Sullivan County (2.7% Black).

Mercer County's Asian Population

31 residents of Mercer County, or 0.9% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Mercer County is comparable to the share in Missouri overall, where 2.1% of the population is Asian. Mercer County ranks 114th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mercer County's Asian population has grown from 0 to an estimated 31. Asian residents' share of Mercer County's population has increased from 0.0% to 0.9%.

Mercer County is more Asian than neighboring Grundy County (0.7% Asian), Decatur County (0.7% Asian), and Wayne County (0.1% Asian). Mercer County is less Asian than neighboring Harrison County (1.2% Asian), and Sullivan County (1% Asian).

Mercer County's Hispanic Population

167 residents of Mercer County, or 4.8% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Mercer County is comparable to the share in Missouri overall, where 5.2% of the population is Hispanic. Mercer County ranks 22nd statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mercer County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 7.7%. Hispanic residents' share of Mercer County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 4.8%.

Mercer County is more Hispanic than neighboring Grundy County (2.8% Hispanic), Decatur County (3.5% Hispanic), Wayne County (1.2% Hispanic), and Harrison County (0.8% Hispanic). Mercer County is less Hispanic than neighboring Sullivan County (18.1% Hispanic).

Mercer County's Native American/Other Population

14 residents of Mercer County, or 0.4% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Mercer County is comparable to the share in Missouri overall, where 0.7% of the population is Native American/Other. Mercer County ranks 96th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mercer County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 6.7%. Native American/Other residents' share of Mercer County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Mercer County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Wayne County (0% Native American/Other), Harrison County (0.3% Native American/Other), and Sullivan County (0.2% Native American/Other). Mercer County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Grundy County (0.6% Native American/Other), and Decatur County (0.8% Native American/Other).

Mercer County's Multiracial Population

91 residents of Mercer County, or 2.6% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Mercer County is slightly lower than in Missouri overall, where 4.8% of the population is Multiracial. Mercer County ranks 115th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mercer County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 18.2%. Multiracial residents' share of Mercer County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.6%.

Mercer County is more Multiracial than neighboring Sullivan County (1.2% Multiracial). Mercer County is less Multiracial than neighboring Grundy County (3.4% Multiracial), Decatur County (3.4% Multiracial), Wayne County (4.8% Multiracial), and Harrison County (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.