The People

Missouri had a population of 5,595,211 in 2000, an increase of 478,138, or 9.3 per cent, over 1990. The state ranked 17th in population. With 81.2 persons per square mile (31.4 per km2), Missouri had a population density that was slightly greater than that of the nation as a whole. Whites made up about 85 per cent of the population and blacks, about 11 per cent.