Wayne County Demographics

A map of Wayne County's Population by Race

Wayne County, Missouri has an estimated population of 10,862, a slight decrease from the 10,974 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 92.4% White, 4.6% Multiracial, 1.5% Hispanic, 0.8% Native American/Other, 0.4% Black, and 0.3% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Wayne County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Wayne 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 Wayne County, that probability was 15.1% in 2020 and 14.4% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Wayne County is ranked the 81st most populous county in Missouri, out of 115 counties. Wayne County was ranked the 81st most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Wayne County's White Population

10,037 residents of Wayne County, or 92.4% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Wayne County is significantly higher than in Missouri overall, where 76.3% of the population is White. Wayne County ranks 41st statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Wayne County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 92.4%.

Wayne County is more White than neighboring Madison County (92.2% White), Butler County (85.9% White), and Iron County (91.7% White). Wayne County is less White than neighboring Bollinger County (93.7% White), and Carter County (92.6% White).

Wayne County's Black Population

46 residents of Wayne County, or 0.4% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Wayne County is considerably lower than in Missouri overall, where 10.9% of the population is Black. Wayne County ranks 80th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Black population has declined by an estimated 8.0%. Black residents' share of Wayne County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Wayne County is more Black than neighboring Madison County (0.3% Black). Wayne County is less Black than neighboring Butler County (4.7% Black), Bollinger County (0.8% Black), and Iron County (0.5% Black).

Wayne County's Asian Population

30 residents of Wayne County, or 0.3% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Wayne County is comparable to the share in Missouri overall, where 2.1% of the population is Asian. Wayne County ranks 87th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 30.4%. Asian residents' share of Wayne County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.3%.

Wayne County is more Asian than neighboring Bollinger County (0% Asian), and Carter County (0% Asian). Wayne County is less Asian than neighboring Butler County (0.4% Asian), and Iron County (1.1% Asian).

Wayne County's Hispanic Population

159 residents of Wayne County, or 1.5% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Wayne County is slightly lower than in Missouri overall, where 5.2% of the population is Hispanic. Wayne County ranks 100th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 2.6%. Hispanic residents' share of Wayne County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.5%.

Wayne County is less Hispanic than neighboring Madison County (2.8% Hispanic), Butler County (2.5% Hispanic), Bollinger County (1.7% Hispanic), Carter County (2.3% Hispanic), and Iron County (2.2% Hispanic).

Wayne County's Native American/Other Population

86 residents of Wayne 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 Wayne County is comparable to the share in Missouri overall, where 0.7% of the population is Native American/Other. Wayne County ranks 60th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 16.2%. Native American/Other residents' share of Wayne County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.8%.

Wayne County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Madison County (0.6% Native American/Other), Butler County (0.7% Native American/Other), Bollinger County (0.5% Native American/Other), Carter County (0% Native American/Other), and Iron County (0.4% Native American/Other).

Wayne County's Multiracial Population

504 residents of Wayne County, or 4.6% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Wayne County is comparable to the share in Missouri overall, where 4.8% of the population is Multiracial. Wayne County ranks 25th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 115 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 13.0%. Multiracial residents' share of Wayne County's population has decreased from 5.3% to 4.6%.

Wayne County is more Multiracial than neighboring Madison County (3.8% Multiracial), Bollinger County (3.2% Multiracial), and Iron County (4% Multiracial). Wayne County is less Multiracial than neighboring Butler County (5.8% Multiracial), and Carter 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.