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Osage County, MO

Migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

At a glance (2023)

Cost of living
87
13% below the U.S. average
Median home value
$205,700
national $303,400
Home prices, 5 years
+51.2%
over the 5 years to 2023
Monthly rent
$644
national $1,348
Homeownership
81%
national 65%
Unemployment
2.5%
national 3.6%
Household income
$75,355
national $78,538
Median age
40.8 yrs
national 38.7

Cost of living is the metro-area price level for Jefferson City, MO.

The cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. The median home is valued at $205,700 (nominal). Home prices have risen about 51% over the five years to 2023. Median rent is about $644 a month. Unemployment averaged 2.5% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $75,355. These figures describe all residents, not just tax filers, come from separate sources than the migration data on this page, and do not indicate why anyone moved.

Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, Osage County, MO saw a net loss of 23 tax-filing households and a net loss of 48 individuals. Against a population of about 13,468, that is a net outflow of about 3.6 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area lost $2.3M in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). The largest inflow, about 68 households, came from Cole County; the largest outflow, about 82 households, went to Cole County. In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net loss of 48 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
-$2.3M
nominal dollars
Net households
-23
tax returns
Net people
-48
exemptions

-3.6 net people per 1,000 residents (population 13,468)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$11.9M
Moved out$14.3M
Net -$2.3M (nominal)
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Osage County within Missouri

Osage County is outlined, with arrows tracing its largest moves to and from other Missouri counties. Hover any county for its figures; click to open it.

Net outNet in(AGI $)
Hover an area to trace its top 5 inbound (in) and outbound (out) moves.
Net income (AGI) that moved in minus out, in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation).Net tax returns (filing households) that moved in minus out.Net people per 1,000 residents, so larger and smaller areas compare fairly.
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Where movers came from

  1. 1Cole County, MO68$3.1M
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Where movers went

  1. 1Cole County, MO82$4.4M
  2. 2Boone County, MO21$972K
  3. 3Maries County, MO20$749K
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Churn by county · both directions at once

The biggest two-way exchanges of filing households, 20222023. Moved in and moved out are gross one-way counts; net is the difference. Click a column to sort.

Cole County, MO6882-14-$1.3M
Boone County, MO21
Maries County, MO20

Counts are filing households (IRS returns), matching the lists above; income is nominal AGI. A dash means the IRS published only one direction of that exchange (small flows are suppressed), so no net is computed.

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Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: -$2.3M (-172 people)
20122023
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Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012+$1.1M-4
2013-$3.1M-156
2014-$1.4M-37
2015-$891K-42
2016+$321K+11
2017+$1.1M+18
2018+$1.5M+82
2019+$232K+5
2020-$149K-8
2021+$2.8M+55
2022-$1.4M-48
2023-$2.3M-48
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the county?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 48 more people left Osage County, MO than moved in (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net loss of about $2.3M in income (nominal) — in a county of 13,462 people.

Population
13,462
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
-3.6
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about -36 people.
Net income per resident
−$174
nominal dollars
-$2.3M total across 13,462 residents.

The rate lets you compare Osage County, MO with a countyof any size: it’s the net flow divided by population. The IRS counts tax filers; population counts all residents, so read the rate as a scale indicator, not a literal share of people.

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Components of population change · 2023 (Census)

Where the county’s overall change came from. Census counts all residents; the IRS migration above is one slice of the domestic-migration component.

Births
+164
Deaths
-144
Net domestic migration
+58
Net international migration
-2
Total change
+73

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program. Figures are people, not tax filers.

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Income & cost of living

What a dollar is worth here

Prices around Osage County, MO run about 13% below the national average. In plain terms: $100 spent here buys about what $114 buys in the average American community. The figures below apply that to income, each compared to the U.S. average of $70,002 per person.

Income per person
$56,775
what people here earn (BEA 2023, nominal)
19% below the U.S. average
Price level
87.4
100 = U.S. average prices (BEA price parity)
everyday costs about 12.6% lower than average
What that income buys
$64,943
local income restated at U.S.-average prices
7% below the U.S. average
Cheaper than U.S. avgU.S. average (100)Pricier

Cost of living shown for the Jefferson City, MO metro area (BEA publishes price parities by metro, not by county).

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Where the cost comes from · price parity by category

Index where 100 = U.S. average for that category. Housing is usually what separates one place from another.

Housing & rents57.7
Goods96.6
Utilities86.6
Other services92.3

Housing is measured from rents (including an estimated rental value for owner-occupied homes), so a run-up in purchase prices shows here only as it reaches rents. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer income above. How the data works.

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Who lives here

The people of Osage County, MO

American Community Survey, 2019–2023 (a 5-year average of all residents, not just tax filers).

Median age
40.8
years
Median household income
$75,355
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
4% below the U.S. median
College degree
25%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
10.1%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
25 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
83%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 97%Hispanic 1%Black 0%Asian 0%Other 2%

White, Black, and Asian counts are people who are not Hispanic or Latino; Hispanic or Latino can be of any race. Shares are rounded and may not total 100.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer data. A 5-year estimate is an average over 2019–2023; compare years at least five apart, since consecutive windows overlap. How the data works.

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Housing · what it costs to live here (ACS 2019–2023)

Median home value
$205,700
owner-occupied homes
32% below the U.S. median
Median rent
$644
gross rent per month
52% below the U.S. median
Homeownership
81%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
Home-price appreciation · FHFA index, 2023
Past year
+17.6%
price change, 2022 to 2023
Past 5 years
+51%
price change, 2018 to 2023

A repeat-sales index (how much the same homes changed in price), so it tracks the market over time rather than the current level. Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual all-transactions HPI; the county series is FHFA’s developmental index.

New home construction · building permits, 2023
5new housing units authorized in 2023
Single-family 100%Multifamily 0%

Units authorized by residential building permits (new supply), summed from counties for the state and U.S. Permits are authorizations, not completions. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, not recent sale prices. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023), nominal dollars. How the data works.

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Local economy & risk

Jobs and natural hazards

Unemployment rate
2.5%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
7,129
6,952 employed
Disaster declarations
major federal, 2023

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and FEMA. A disaster declaration marks federal assistance eligibility, not damage severity, and says nothing about why anyone moved. How the data works.

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Unemployment now
2.4%
April 2026 · ▼ 0.5 points vs April 2025
January 2024April 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS). Monthly unemployment for this county, not seasonally adjusted. Updated every month, so it moves faster than the annual average above. How the data works.

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How Osage County, MO has voted. Certified returns, popular vote only. This is a separate dataset from the migration figures on this page.

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
20241,0096,65761R +73.17,727
20201,0376,42577R +71.57,539
20169985,856236R +68.57,090
20121,4735,329117R +55.76,919
20081,9075,062110R +44.67,079
20041,6734,97523R +49.56,671
20001,9384,15486R +35.96,178

Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab county returns (CC0). Margins are the popular-vote gap as a share of all votes cast.

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