County profile
Cole County, MO
United States · GDP 2024
#560 of 3,127 US counties by GDPtop-quartile growthmore diversified than 96% of counties
EA Place Score
——methodology in progress
GDP 2024 (USD)
$7.4B
BEA · 2024
GDP growth (YoY)
+7.1%
BEA · 2024
Jobs tracked
37,060
Census CBP · 2023
Employers
2,224
Census CBP · 2023
Avg. wage
$53.3k
BLS QCEW · 2023
Population
77,908
Census PEP · 2025
Labor, income & education
Unemployment
3.2%
Median HH income
$74.9k±$3.5k
Bachelor's degree+
38.9%±1.8%
Poverty rate
9.0%±1.0%
Business applications
1,058 · 2025
Retail establishments
267
34.3/10k pop
Public companies headquartered here
SEC EDGAR · FMPCompanySectorRevenueEA
1Central BancompanyFinancial Services———2Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc.Financial Services———HQ-based placement with total (global) headcount — local employment attribution needs firmographic data; the industry mix at right is measured county data (CBP).
Industry mix · employment
Health care28%
Retail trade21%
Food & accommodation16%
Manufacturing13%
Construction11%
Information11%
share of top-6 sector employment · CBP 2023
Population & migration
Census PEP · 2020–2025
77,908
residents · 2025 · +1.7% since 2020
Income per capita $64.6k · BEA 2024
COMPONENTS OF CHANGE · 2021–2025
Domestic migration+499
International migration+697
Natural change+110
GDP trend
2019–2024 · nominal
$5.7B2019
$5.7B2020
$6.0B2021
$6.4B2022
$6.9B2023
$7.4B2024
Real estate & risk
FHFA · ACS · FEMA
Median home value
$229.6k±$6.8k
Median gross rent
$834/mo±$25/mo
Vacancy rate
7.3%±1.0%
Affordability
4.3× wages
Residential permits
$51.8M
154 units · 2.0/1k pop
FEMA risk score
73.4
HUD Fair Market Rent (2BR):$910/mo · 2026
TOP PERILS · FEMA NRI
Heat wave 94Ice storm 91Tornado 84
FHFA HOUSE PRICE INDEX · 2016–2025
2802016
2832017
2962018
3072019
3132020
3512021
4062022
4582023
4882024
5202025
RESIDENTIAL PERMITS · 2021–2025
↓ -20% since 20211932021
1462022
1622023
1712024
1542025
Transport access
BTS · FAA · USACE
Nearest interstate
50.7 km
I-70
Nearest freight rail
11.1 km
UP
Nearest port
13.0 km
Capital Sand Co. Jefferson City Lower Dock.
Nearest commercial airport
35.2 km
COLUMBIA RGNL
Filing activity
SEC EDGAR1 filing from 1 company here in the last 90 days.
Wage trend
BLS QCEW · 2019–2023$53.3k
avg. annual pay · +24% since 2019
Similar US counties
nearest by GDPNearby & same-state counties
by GDP rankThe read
What is the GDP of Cole?
Cole's economy produced $7.4B in 2024, growing 7.1% year over year — faster than most US counties. Its largest employment sector is health care.
GDP: BEA (2024), USD-normalized · Jobs/employers/wages & industry mix: Census CBP (2023) · Population & migration: Census PEP · Income: BEA CAINC1 · Companies: SEC EDGAR + FMP, by HQ.