You’re probably never going to make enough money to live in the richest counties in Missouri.
The median household income in St. Charles County, the richest county in Missouri is $104,692, significantly higher than the US median of $74,580, which means based purely on math most people never make enough to live there.
And that’s okay because it’s still fun to look at the people living in the lap of luxury.
So we used Saturday Night Science and the most recent Census to rank home prices and incomes for all 115 counties in the Show Me State. Let’s star gaze together.
What is the richest county in Missouri? The richest county in Missouri is St. Charles County. In contrast, the poorest county in the state is Pemiscot County, according to the Census data.
$104,692 median income · $366,406 median home price
$96,227 median income · $386,137 median home price
$87,535 median income · $338,098 median home price
$88,468 median income · $315,755 median home price
$81,209 median income · $331,588 median home price
$89,278 median income · $308,176 median home price
$82,936 median income · $316,151 median home price
$83,437 median income · $313,158 median home price
$82,851 median income · $290,756 median home price
$72,758 median income · $327,640 median home price
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Missouri’s statewide median.
Missouri statewide median: $70,702
Missouri statewide median: $263,040
On the map
Where Missouri’s richest counties are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine which Missouri county is the richest?
To determine the richest county in Missouri, we have to look at a handful of metrics that correlate with how rich people are. To do that, we made assumptions about what makes a county rich. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.
With that in mind, we went to the American Community Survey data and Zillow for the most recent reporting period for data on the following:
- Average Home Price
- Median Income
We then ranked each county in Missouri for each of the criteria from one to 115, with one being the richest.
Taking the average rank across the two criteria, we created a Rich Score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Richest County In Missouri.”
The result is some of the places with the most expensive real estate and highest earners in the Show Me State.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our first time ranking the richest counties to live in Missouri. The median Missouri home is 48 years old — old enough that it pays to compare home warranty plans before something expensive breaks.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Richest Counties In Missouri
Click any column to sort. Search by county name.
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Charles County | 414,535 | $104,692 | $366,406 |
| 1 | Platte County | 110,371 | $96,227 | $386,137 |
| 3 | Cass County | 110,773 | $87,535 | $338,098 |
| 4 | Clay County | 258,122 | $88,468 | $315,755 |
| 5 | Warren County | 37,177 | $81,209 | $331,588 |
| 6 | Lincoln County | 63,057 | $89,278 | $308,176 |
| 6 | St. Louis County | 995,569 | $82,936 | $316,151 |
| 8 | Christian County | 92,915 | $83,437 | $313,158 |
| 9 | Jefferson County | 229,458 | $82,851 | $290,756 |
| 10 | Boone County | 188,043 | $72,758 | $327,640 |
| 11 | Andrew County | 18,065 | $75,625 | $292,856 |
| 12 | Cole County | 77,032 | $74,876 | $280,484 |
| 13 | Osage County | 13,402 | $76,681 | $260,766 |
| 13 | Clinton County | 21,414 | $70,627 | $286,444 |
| 15 | Camden County | 43,667 | $66,387 | $314,097 |
| 16 | Franklin County | 105,950 | $73,165 | $264,893 |
| 16 | Callaway County | 44,741 | $74,176 | $264,041 |
| 18 | Ray County | 23,145 | $74,573 | $260,455 |
| 19 | Webster County | 40,500 | $71,155 | $260,887 |
| 20 | Johnson County | 54,732 | $67,272 | $280,798 |
| 21 | Lafayette County | 33,115 | $80,612 | $243,027 |
| 22 | Stone County | 32,048 | $63,520 | $316,884 |
| 23 | Daviess County | 8,477 | $63,984 | $287,275 |
| 24 | Jackson County | 719,976 | $68,577 | $246,135 |
| 24 | Ste. Genevieve County | 18,571 | $66,339 | $253,789 |
| 26 | Cape Girardeau County | 82,735 | $68,464 | $245,092 |
| 27 | Cooper County | 16,824 | $70,625 | $240,297 |
| 28 | Ralls County | 10,428 | $65,388 | $253,566 |
| 29 | Newton County | 60,118 | $66,301 | $242,431 |
| 30 | DeKalb County | 10,876 | $69,826 | $233,725 |
| 31 | Caldwell County | 8,927 | $64,806 | $244,690 |
| 32 | Howard County | 10,147 | $65,938 | $232,616 |
| 33 | Gasconade County | 14,746 | $64,232 | $235,328 |
| 34 | Moniteau County | 15,262 | $65,715 | $231,571 |
| 35 | Greene County | 303,375 | $61,479 | $254,958 |
| 36 | Polk County | 32,444 | $59,647 | $268,066 |
| 37 | Pulaski County | 53,894 | $64,466 | $225,353 |
| 38 | Montgomery County | 11,426 | $65,500 | $220,702 |
| 39 | Maries County | 8,450 | $59,455 | $248,943 |
| 40 | Miller County | 25,269 | $56,736 | $270,633 |
| 41 | Perry County | 18,976 | $62,981 | $224,005 |
| 42 | Barry County | 35,033 | $58,346 | $240,818 |
| 43 | Morgan County | 21,717 | $53,412 | $286,047 |
| 44 | Putnam County | 4,642 | $63,510 | $202,875 |
| 45 | Taney County | 56,529 | $56,497 | $247,668 |
| 46 | Bollinger County | 10,559 | $63,814 | $192,650 |
| 47 | Phelps County | 45,194 | $58,396 | $229,919 |
| 48 | Bates County | 16,186 | $60,733 | $219,870 |
| 49 | Livingston County | 14,364 | $63,627 | $190,537 |
| 50 | Lawrence County | 38,593 | $61,215 | $202,572 |
| 51 | Jasper County | 124,357 | $60,694 | $212,445 |
| 51 | Marion County | 28,457 | $62,903 | $192,172 |
| 53 | Nodaway County | 20,774 | $59,315 | $220,506 |
| 54 | Lewis County | 9,924 | $59,934 | $204,648 |
| 55 | Henry County | 22,328 | $57,926 | $221,455 |
| 56 | Crawford County | 22,797 | $57,629 | $222,831 |
| 57 | Buchanan County | 83,568 | $62,158 | $189,270 |
| 58 | St. Louis city | 288,512 | $56,160 | $225,577 |
| 60 | Pettis County | 43,397 | $60,430 | $193,123 |
| 60 | Chariton County | 7,390 | $71,520 | $117,248 |
| 60 | Macon County | 15,163 | $62,357 | $185,235 |
| 60 | Dallas County | 17,551 | $53,464 | $235,068 |
| 64 | Adair County | 25,301 | $61,536 | $187,347 |
| 64 | McDonald County | 23,701 | $52,375 | $239,554 |
| 64 | Laclede County | 36,390 | $53,282 | $234,639 |
| 66 | Scotland County | 4,686 | $68,913 | $129,624 |
| 67 | Monroe County | 8,734 | $54,516 | $223,194 |
| 68 | Pike County | 17,711 | $54,989 | $215,605 |
| 68 | St. Francois County | 66,999 | $57,477 | $193,368 |
| 70 | Scott County | 37,933 | $62,782 | $159,684 |
| 71 | Schuyler County | 4,038 | $61,205 | $172,279 |
| 71 | Carroll County | 8,411 | $62,154 | $164,473 |
| 73 | Audrain County | 24,548 | $59,448 | $184,383 |
| 74 | Knox County | 3,756 | $57,788 | $190,316 |
| 75 | Dent County | 14,539 | $56,312 | $192,564 |
| 76 | Mercer County | 3,482 | $62,679 | $139,851 |
| 77 | Douglas County | 11,965 | $45,985 | $235,304 |
| 79 | Holt County | 4,240 | $61,187 | $157,847 |
| 79 | Cedar County | 14,615 | $48,181 | $228,646 |
| 79 | Dade County | 7,641 | $53,750 | $197,189 |
| 79 | Linn County | 11,852 | $61,635 | $144,272 |
| 82 | Saline County | 23,231 | $57,931 | $177,112 |
| 83 | Shannon County | 7,177 | $55,222 | $190,478 |
| 84 | Howell County | 40,383 | $50,993 | $215,651 |
| 85 | Ozark County | 8,873 | $44,163 | $230,336 |
| 86 | Washington County | 23,470 | $56,043 | $184,052 |
| 87 | Texas County | 25,161 | $50,036 | $202,214 |
| 88 | Atchison County | 5,187 | $58,750 | $145,412 |
| 89 | Stoddard County | 28,470 | $57,957 | $148,245 |
| 90 | Benton County | 20,151 | $52,567 | $188,776 |
| 91 | Shelby County | 5,986 | $51,594 | $192,336 |
| 92 | Wright County | 18,965 | $47,909 | $199,339 |
| 93 | St. Clair County | 9,587 | $53,043 | $179,434 |
| 94 | Madison County | 12,729 | $54,434 | $169,792 |
| 95 | Randolph County | 24,365 | $53,033 | $176,844 |
| 96 | Barton County | 11,690 | $51,635 | $185,001 |
| 97 | Vernon County | 19,687 | $52,230 | $175,200 |
| 98 | Hickory County | 8,585 | $39,390 | $201,011 |
| 99 | Clark County | 6,675 | $51,781 | $174,083 |
| 99 | Gentry County | 6,245 | $55,848 | $130,750 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS + Zillow via Saturday Night Science. All 115 Missouri counties.
Summary
Summary: The Richest Counties In Missouri For 2026
Living in Missouri can vary from one part of the state to the next, with pretty extreme variance in home prices and incomes across counties.
The richest counties in Missouri are St. Charles County, Platte County, Cass County, Clay County, Warren County, Lincoln County, St. Louis County, Christian County, Jefferson County, and Boone County.
Now you know the parts of the state where Goodwill will have the best goodies, and that’s what you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome. Not sold on Missouri? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Richest Counties In Missouri FAQs
What is the richest county in Missouri?
St. Charles County is the richest county in Missouri for 2026, with a median household income of $104,692. Platte County and Cass County are next.
What are the richest counties in Missouri?
The richest counties in Missouri are St. Charles County, Platte County, Cass County, Clay County, Warren County, Lincoln County, St. Louis County, Christian County, Jefferson County, and Boone County. We ranked all 115 Missouri counties on average home price and median income.
How much do people make in St. Charles County?
The median household in St. Charles County earns $104,692 a year, against a Missouri statewide median of $70,702. The US median household income is $74,580.
What do homes cost in the richest counties of Missouri?
The median home across the ten richest Missouri counties is $321,896, versus $263,040 statewide. In St. Charles County, the typical home runs $366,406.
What is the poorest county in Missouri?
Pemiscot County is the poorest county in Missouri by this ranking, coming in last of the 115 counties we scored on income and home prices.
