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 EDGARWage 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.