Carter County, Missouri: commercial real estate data.
Carter County, Missouri had an estimated 5,359 residents on July 1, 2024, up 3.0 percent since the 2020 census base of 5,203, across 507 square miles. County output reached $162.8 m in 2024, 150 establishments operate here.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Carter County
How many people live in Carter County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20245,297
- Households2,038
- Average household size2.60
- Median household income$50,000
- Median age38.9
- Median gross rent$656 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$159,400
- Home value to household income3.2 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income15.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher10.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree3.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over3,562
- Population under 181,286
- Share under 1824.3 percent
- Population 65 and over1,092
- Share 65 and over20.6 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 642,919
- Civilian labor force2,343
- Unemployment rate3.8 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over58.4 percent
- Rank by population among Missouri counties107th of 115
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2869th of 3,222
Carter County is the 107th largest of 115 Missouri counties by population. A median home costs 3.2 times median household income, which is moderately unaffordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 24.3 percent against 20.6 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Carter County
Is Carter County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 20245,359
- Census 2020 base population5,203
- Population change since the 2020 census base3.00 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 202430
- Births, 202475
- Deaths, 202466
- Natural change, 20249
- Net domestic migration, 202419
- Net international migration, 20244
- Total net migration, 202423
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024159
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents871st of 3,144
The county has grown 3.00 percent since the 2020 census base. The population grew in 2024 from both sources: births exceeded deaths and more people moved in than left.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Carter County
Where are people moving to Carter County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving107
- People arriving, from those returns218
- Tax returns filed by households leaving120
- Net household movement-13
- Adjusted gross income arriving$5.4 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$947,000
- Average income of an arriving household$50,131
- Average income of a leaving household$36,808
- Largest single originButler County (35 households)
- Largest single destinationButler County (49 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butler County | 35 | 75 | $1.3 m |
Households arriving report $13,323 more average income than households leaving, so the migration is raising local spending power rather than just moving it around. The largest single source of arrivals is Butler County, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Carter County
What is the Carter County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$162.8 m
- County GDP, 2023$158.3 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20242.9 percent
- GDP change over five years26.8 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Missouri areas BEA publishes112th of 115
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes2955th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$30,743
Output grew 2.9 percent in the latest year and 26.8 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Carter County
Employment by industry in Carter County
- Covered employment, annual average1,472
- Establishments reporting252
- Average annual pay$36,121
- Average weekly wage$695
- Health care and social assistance, employment287
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$26,093
- Manufacturing, employment196
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$39,145
- Retail trade, employment144
- Retail trade, average annual pay$25,052
- Construction, employment61
- Construction, average annual pay$52,366
- Finance and insurance, employment58
- Real estate and rental and leasing, employment8
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 287 | 116 | $26,093 |
| Manufacturing | 196 | 20 | $39,145 |
| Retail trade | 144 | 21 | $25,052 |
| Construction | 61 | 8 | $52,366 |
| Finance and insurance | 58 | 9 | $54,940 |
| Real estate and rental and leasing | 8 | 4 | $31,429 |
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 287 jobs, 19.5 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Carter County
How many businesses are in Carter County?
- Establishments, all industries150
- Employment at those establishments1,114
- Annual payroll$37.4 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents28.3
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Carter County
Building permits in Carter County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20244
- Declared construction value permitted$1.3 m
- Single family units authorized4
- Multifamily units authorized0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$320,650
- Units authorized per 1,000 households2.0
Single-family homes are 100.0 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Carter County
How large is Carter County?
- Land area507 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Missouri counties78th of 115
- Width, east to west31.1 mi
- Height, north to south19.6 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land10
- Establishments per square mile0.30
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Carter County
Flood risk in Carter County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Carter County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 290060
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book4
- Of those, participating in the NFIP4
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Carter County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Carter County (community 290060), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Carter County in radon zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 100.0 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Carter County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Carter County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20245,297
- Households2,038
- Average household size2.60
- Median household income$50,000
- Median age38.9
Common questions
Carter County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Carter County, Missouri?
The Census Bureau estimates 5,359 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 5,297, in 2,038 households, ranking 107th of 115 Missouri counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Carter County's population growing?
The population has grown 3.00 percent since the 2020 census base of 5,203, to 5,359 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 75 births against 66 deaths, with net migration of 23. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Carter County?
$50,000. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $159,400, which is 3.2 times income, and median gross rent is $656 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Carter County?
150 establishments, employing 1,114 people with an annual payroll of $37.4 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Carter County?
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 287 jobs, 19.5 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 1,472 jobs at an average annual pay of $36,121, or $695 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How many building permits were issued in Carter County?
4 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $1.3 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Carter County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Carter County come from?
The largest single origin is Butler County, with 35 households. Arriving households report an average income of $50,131 against $36,808 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Carter County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Carter County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Carter County
Cities and places in Carter.
5 Census places lie wholly or partly in Carter County. All 5 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Van Buren | town | 1,161 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Ellsinore | city | 678 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Grandin | city | 352 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Fremont | CDP | 107 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Hunter | CDP | 50 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
Nearby