St. Louis County had the highest per capita income in Missouri in 2003, according to recently released data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The county's per capita income of $43,225 was more than $13,000 higher than the state average of $29,464. Eleven counties in Missouri and St. Louis City had per capita incomes of $26,000 or higher. DeKalb County, at $14,577, had the lowest per capita income. Twenty-six counties in Missouri had per capita incomes below $20,000.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
| Missouri Per Capita Income 2003 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ten Highest Counties | Ten Lowest Counties | ||
| County | PCI 2003 | County | PCI 2003 |
| St. Louis | 43,225 | Wayne | 18,649 |
| Platte | 35,174 | Douglas | 18,187 |
| Clay | 32,285 | Washington | 18,174 |
| Cole | 32,120 | Ozark | 17,797 |
| Jackson | 31,966 | Hickory | 17,562 |
| St. Charles | 31,587 | Wright | 17,559 |
| Greene | 28,847 | Oregon | 17,523 |
| Cass | 28,032 | Shannon | 17,191 |
| Boone | 27,991 | Texas | 17,107 |
| Cape Girardeau | 27,895 | DeKalb | 14,577 |
Missouri's per capita income rose by 2.6 percent from $28,719 in 2002 to $29,464 in 2003. The greatest increase was in Atchison County at 14.0 percent, with an increase of $3,151 in per capita income. Thirty-four Missouri counties had an increase of 5 percent or higher. Per capita income decreased only in Grundy County, by a slight 0.2 percent. However, even this decrease was a result of population changes in the county, as all Missouri counties experienced an increase in total personal income in 2003.
| Missouri Per Capita Income Percent Change 2002 - 2003 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ten Highest Counties | Ten Lowest Counties | ||||||
| County | 2002 | 2003 | % Chg | County | 2002 | 2003 | % Chg |
| Atchison | 22,434 | 25,585 | 14.0% | Boone | 27,623 | 27,991 | 1.3% |
| Stoddard | 20,493 | 23,206 | 13.2% | St. Louis City | 26,878 | 27,236 | 1.3% |
| Knox | 19,764 | 22,343 | 13.0% | Clay | 31,875 | 32,285 | 1.3% |
| New Madrid | 20,196 | 22,680 | 12.3% | Clinton | 25,102 | 25,403 | 1.2% |
| Clark | 19,421 | 21,629 | 11.4% | Reynolds | 19,109 | 19,337 | 1.2% |
| Dunklin | 20,247 | 22,451 | 10.9% | Mercer | 19,705 | 19,936 | 1.2% |
| Pemiscot | 20,078 | 22,228 | 10.7% | Cass | 27,726 | 28,032 | 1.1% |
| Nodaway | 19,087 | 20,914 | 9.6% | Dent | 20,103 | 20,208 | 0.5% |
| Holt | 21,604 | 23,600 | 9.2% | Livingston | 24,255 | 24,368 | 0.5% |
| Shelby | 20,969 | 22,837 | 8.9% | Grundy | 21,152 | 21,117 | -0.2% |
Counties with the greatest increases in per capita income were in extreme northern and southern Missouri. Many of these counties had decreases in per capita income in 2002 and likely began catching up with the economic recovery of the rest of the state in 2003.
| Missouri Per Capita Income Change 2002-2003 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | 2002 | 2003 | %Chg 02-03 | County | 2002 | 2003 | %Chg 02-03 |
| Missouri | 28,719 | 29,464 | 2.6% | Linn | 21,854 | 22,824 | 4.4% |
| Adair | 20,569 | 21,015 | 2.2% | Livingston | 24,255 | 24,368 | 0.5% |
| Andrew | 25,507 | 26,321 | 3.2% | Macon | 21,563 | 22,455 | 4.1% |
| Atchison | 22,434 | 25,585 | 14.0% | Madison | 18,417 | 19,309 | 4.8% |
| Audrain | 21,314 | 22,026 | 3.3% | Maries | 21,232 | 22,182 | 4.5% |
| Barry | 21,250 | 21,819 | 2.7% | Marion | 23,214 | 24,069 | 3.7% |
| Barton | 20,294 | 21,703 | 6.9% | McDonald | 19,774 | 20,395 | 3.1% |
| Bates | 22,338 | 23,378 | 4.7% | Mercer | 19,705 | 19,936 | 1.2% |
| Benton | 20,209 | 20,543 | 1.7% | Miller | 18,918 | 19,832 | 4.8% |
| Bollinger | 18,420 | 19,190 | 4.2% | Mississippi | 19,584 | 21,132 | 7.9% |
| Boone | 27,623 | 27,991 | 1.3% | Moniteau | 20,856 | 21,973 | 5.4% |
| Buchanan | 25,334 | 25,919 | 2.3% | Monroe | 20,156 | 20,756 | 3.0% |
| Butler | 23,032 | 24,618 | 6.9% | Montgomery | 22,428 | 23,808 | 6.2% |
| Caldwell | 22,638 | 23,208 | 2.5% | Morgan | 20,628 | 21,368 | 3.6% |
| Callaway | 20,771 | 21,562 | 3.8% | New Madrid | 20,196 | 22,680 | 12.3% |
| Camden | 26,001 | 26,822 | 3.2% | Newton | 22,948 | 23,489 | 2.4% |
| Cape Girardeau | 26,999 | 27,895 | 3.3% | Nodaway | 19,087 | 20,914 | 9.6% |
| Carroll | 21,063 | 22,543 | 7.0% | Oregon | 16,986 | 17,523 | 3.2% |
| Carter | 19,254 | 19,864 | 3.2% | Osage | 24,392 | 25,374 | 4.0% |
| Cass | 27,726 | 28,032 | 1.1% | Ozark | 17,342 | 17,797 | 2.6% |
| Cedar | 18,979 | 19,925 | 5.0% | Pemiscot | 20,078 | 22,228 | 10.7% |
| Chariton | 22,945 | 24,087 | 5.0% | Perry | 21,715 | 22,918 | 5.5% |
| Christian | 23,270 | 23,634 | 1.6% | Pettis | 24,119 | 24,813 | 2.9% |
| Clark | 19,421 | 21,629 | 11.4% | Phelps | 23,248 | 24,052 | 3.5% |
| Clay | 31,875 | 32,285 | 1.3% | Pike | 19,295 | 20,338 | 5.4% |
| Clinton | 25,102 | 25,403 | 1.2% | Platte | 34,700 | 35,174 | 1.4% |
| Cole | 30,932 | 32,120 | 3.8% | Polk | 18,816 | 19,595 | 4.1% |
| Cooper | 20,887 | 21,989 | 5.3% | Pulaski | 23,458 | 24,327 | 3.7% |
| Crawford | 23,005 | 23,604 | 2.6% | Putnam | 18,029 | 19,304 | 7.1% |
| Dade | 20,280 | 22,003 | 8.5% | Ralls | 21,044 | 22,341 | 6.2% |
| Dallas | 20,802 | 21,692 | 4.3% | Randolph | 21,281 | 22,154 | 4.1% |
| Daviess | 19,762 | 21,082 | 6.7% | Ray | 24,448 | 25,286 | 3.4% |
| DeKalb | 14,059 | 14,577 | 3.7% | Reynolds | 19,109 | 19,337 | 1.2% |
| Dent | 20,103 | 20,208 | 0.5% | Ripley | 18,086 | 18,719 | 3.5% |
| Douglas | 17,384 | 18,187 | 4.6% | Saline | 24,111 | 25,592 | 6.1% |
| Dunklin | 20,247 | 22,451 | 10.9% | Schuyler | 19,288 | 20,263 | 5.1% |
| Franklin | 27,088 | 27,728 | 2.4% | Scotland | 19,396 | 21,113 | 8.9% |
| Gasconade | 22,880 | 23,237 | 1.6% | Scott | 23,166 | 24,083 | 4.0% |
| Gentry | 21,630 | 23,234 | 7.4% | Shannon | 16,542 | 17,191 | 3.9% |
| Greene | 28,130 | 28,847 | 2.5% | Shelby | 20,969 | 22,837 | 8.9% |
| Grundy | 21,152 | 21,117 | -0.2% | St. Charles | 30,829 | 31,587 | 2.5% |
| Harrison | 19,487 | 19,782 | 1.5% | St. Clair | 18,705 | 19,861 | 6.2% |
| Henry | 22,475 | 23,092 | 2.7% | St. Francois | 20,849 | 21,391 | 2.6% |
| Hickory | 17,225 | 17,562 | 2.0% | St. Louis | 42,196 | 43,225 | 2.4% |
| Holt | 21,604 | 23,600 | 9.2% | St. Louis City | 26,878 | 27,236 | 1.3% |
| Howard | 22,691 | 23,319 | 2.8% | Ste. Genevieve | 22,535 | 23,254 | 3.2% |
| Howell | 19,851 | 20,763 | 4.6% | Stoddard | 20,493 | 23,206 | 13.2% |
| Iron | 19,537 | 20,417 | 4.5% | Stone | 23,719 | 24,503 | 3.3% |
| Jackson | 31,394 | 31,966 | 1.8% | Sullivan | 20,062 | 20,855 | 4.0% |
| Jasper | 23,513 | 24,176 | 2.8% | Taney | 22,927 | 23,509 | 2.5% |
| Jefferson | 25,818 | 26,352 | 2.1% | Texas | 16,298 | 17,107 | 5.0% |
| Johnson | 21,717 | 22,213 | 2.3% | Vernon | 21,130 | 22,475 | 6.4% |
| Knox | 19,764 | 22,343 | 13.0% | Warren | 25,031 | 25,656 | 2.5% |
| Laclede | 20,555 | 21,156 | 2.9% | Washington | 17,770 | 18,174 | 2.3% |
| Lafayette | 25,866 | 26,518 | 2.5% | Wayne | 17,938 | 18,649 | 4.0% |
| Lawrence | 19,055 | 19,725 | 3.5% | Webster | 18,508 | 19,249 | 4.0% |
| Lewis | 18,393 | 19,851 | 7.9% | Worth | 18,592 | 19,559 | 5.2% |
| Lincoln | 23,002 | 23,946 | 4.1% | Wright | 16,945 | 17,559 | 3.6% |
