Pettis County Demographics

A map of Pettis County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	35,616	34,751	82.1%	80.9%
Hispanic	4,299	4,016	9.9%	9.3%
Multiracial	1,832	2,168	4.2%	5.0%
Black	1,071	1,353	2.5%	3.1%
Asian	299	294	0.7%	0.7%
Native American/Other	280	398	0.6%	0.9%

Pettis County, Missouri has an estimated population of 43,397, a less than 1% change from the 42,980 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 82.1% White, 9.9% Hispanic, 4.2% Multiracial, 2.5% Black, 0.7% Asian, and 0.6% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Pettis County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Pettis 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 Pettis County, that probability was 33.4% in 2020 and 31.4% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Pettis County is ranked the 26th most populous county in Missouri, out of 115 counties. Pettis County was ranked the 25th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Pettis County's White Population

35,616 residents of Pettis County, or 82.1% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Pettis County is higher than in Missouri overall, where 76.3% of the population is White. Pettis County ranks 97th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Pettis County's White population has grown by an estimated 2.5%. White residents' share of Pettis County's population has increased from 80.9% to 82.1%.

Pettis County is more White than neighboring Saline County (75.3% White). Pettis County is less White than neighboring Benton County (91.6% White), Cooper County (87.8% White), Morgan County (91.9% White), and Johnson County (83.7% White).

Pettis County's Black Population

1,071 residents of Pettis County, or 2.5% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Pettis County is lower than in Missouri overall, where 10.9% of the population is Black. Pettis County ranks 34th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Pettis County's Black population has declined by an estimated 20.8%. Black residents' share of Pettis County's population has decreased from 3.1% to 2.5%.

Pettis County is more Black than neighboring Benton County (1% Black), and Morgan County (0.2% Black). Pettis County is less Black than neighboring Saline County (4.9% Black), Cooper County (5.6% Black), and Johnson County (4.3% Black).

Pettis County's Asian Population

299 residents of Pettis County, or 0.7% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Pettis County is comparable to the share in Missouri overall, where 2.1% of the population is Asian. Pettis County ranks 27th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Pettis County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 1.7%. Asian residents' share of Pettis County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.7%.

Pettis County is more Asian than neighboring Saline County (0.6% Asian), Benton County (0.2% Asian), Cooper County (0.1% Asian), and Morgan County (0.4% Asian). Pettis County is less Asian than neighboring Johnson County (1.5% Asian).

Pettis County's Hispanic Population

4,299 residents of Pettis County, or 9.9% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Pettis County is slightly higher than in Missouri overall, where 5.2% of the population is Hispanic. Pettis County ranks 7th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Pettis County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 7.0%. Hispanic residents' share of Pettis County's population has increased from 9.3% to 9.9%.

Pettis County is more Hispanic than neighboring Benton County (2% Hispanic), Cooper County (2.1% Hispanic), Morgan County (2.6% Hispanic), and Johnson County (5.2% Hispanic). Pettis County is less Hispanic than neighboring Saline County (12.6% Hispanic).

Pettis County's Native American/Other Population

280 residents of Pettis County, or 0.6% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Pettis County is comparable to the share in Missouri overall, where 0.7% of the population is Native American/Other. Pettis County ranks 25th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Pettis County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 29.6%. Native American/Other residents' share of Pettis County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.6%.

Pettis County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Cooper County (0.2% Native American/Other), and Morgan County (0.2% Native American/Other). Pettis County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Saline County (1.9% Native American/Other), Benton County (1.1% Native American/Other), and Johnson County (1.1% Native American/Other).

Pettis County's Multiracial Population

1,832 residents of Pettis County, or 4.2% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Pettis County is comparable to the share in Missouri overall, where 4.8% of the population is Multiracial. Pettis County ranks 36th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Pettis County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 15.5%. Multiracial residents' share of Pettis County's population has decreased from 5.0% to 4.2%.

Pettis County is more Multiracial than neighboring Benton County (4.1% Multiracial), and Cooper County (4.1% Multiracial). Pettis County is less Multiracial than neighboring Saline County (4.7% Multiracial), Morgan County (4.7% Multiracial), and Johnson County (4.3% 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.