Perry County Demographics

A map of Perry County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	17,731	17,657	93.4%	93.1%
Multiracial	485	642	2.6%	3.4%
Hispanic	467	383	2.5%	2.0%
Asian	156	123	0.8%	0.6%
Black	131	102	0.7%	0.5%
Native American/Other	6	49	0.0%	0.3%

Perry County, Missouri has an estimated population of 18,976, a less than 1% change from the 18,956 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 93.4% White, 2.6% Multiracial, 2.5% Hispanic, 0.8% Asian, 0.7% Black, and 0.0% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Perry County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Perry has become slightly 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 Perry County, that probability was 13.1% in 2020 and 12.6% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Perry County is ranked the 57th most populous county in Missouri, out of 115 counties. Perry County was ranked the 57th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Perry County's White Population

17,731 residents of Perry County, or 93.4% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Perry County is significantly higher than in Missouri overall, where 76.3% of the population is White. Perry County ranks 18th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Perry County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Perry County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 93.4%.

Perry County is more White than neighboring Randolph County (85.1% White), Cape Girardeau County (83.6% White), and Jackson County (71.3% White). Perry County is less White than neighboring Ste. Genevieve County (93.8% White), and Bollinger County (93.7% White).

Perry County's Black Population

131 residents of Perry County, or 0.7% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Perry County is considerably lower than in Missouri overall, where 10.9% of the population is Black. Perry County ranks 75th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Perry County's Black population has grown by an estimated 28.4%. Black residents' share of Perry County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.7%.

Perry County is less Black than neighboring Randolph County (8.2% Black), Cape Girardeau County (7.4% Black), Ste. Genevieve County (1.2% Black), Bollinger County (0.8% Black), and Jackson County (13.9% Black).

Perry County's Asian Population

156 residents of Perry County, or 0.8% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Perry County is comparable to the share in Missouri overall, where 2.1% of the population is Asian. Perry County ranks 28th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Perry County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 26.8%. Asian residents' share of Perry County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.8%.

Perry County is more Asian than neighboring Randolph County (0.6% Asian), Ste. Genevieve County (0% Asian), and Bollinger County (0% Asian). Perry County is less Asian than neighboring Cape Girardeau County (1.6% Asian), and Jackson County (3.7% Asian).

Perry County's Hispanic Population

467 residents of Perry County, or 2.5% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Perry County is slightly lower than in Missouri overall, where 5.2% of the population is Hispanic. Perry County ranks 68th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Perry County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 21.9%. Hispanic residents' share of Perry County's population has increased from 2.0% to 2.5%.

Perry County is more Hispanic than neighboring Ste. Genevieve County (1.5% Hispanic), and Bollinger County (1.7% Hispanic). Perry County is less Hispanic than neighboring Randolph County (3.8% Hispanic), Cape Girardeau County (2.9% Hispanic), and Jackson County (5.3% Hispanic).

Perry County's Native American/Other Population

6 residents of Perry County, or 0.0% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Perry County is comparable to the share in Missouri overall, where 0.7% of the population is Native American/Other. Perry County ranks 111th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Perry County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 87.8%. Native American/Other residents' share of Perry County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.0%.

Perry County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Randolph County (0.4% Native American/Other), Cape Girardeau County (0.5% Native American/Other), Ste. Genevieve County (0.1% Native American/Other), Bollinger County (0.5% Native American/Other), and Jackson County (1.1% Native American/Other).

Perry County's Multiracial Population

485 residents of Perry County, or 2.6% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Perry County is slightly lower than in Missouri overall, where 4.8% of the population is Multiracial. Perry County ranks 94th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Perry County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 24.5%. Multiracial residents' share of Perry County's population has decreased from 3.4% to 2.6%.

Perry County is more Multiracial than neighboring Randolph County (1.9% Multiracial). Perry County is less Multiracial than neighboring Cape Girardeau County (3.9% Multiracial), Ste. Genevieve County (3.3% Multiracial), Bollinger County (3.2% Multiracial), and Jackson 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.