Missouri

The state of Missouri the 21st-largest U.S. state in land area, with 69,704 square miles (180,533 square kilometers). Located in the heart of the continental United States and near the country's population center point, Missouri has 5,988,277 citizens, ranking the state 18th in population.

Missouri's population is predominantly white (4,958,770, or 82.8 percent). African Americans make up the next-largest group at 693,391 (11.6 percent). Hispanic or Latinos represent the fastest-growing group, currently at 212,470 (3.5 percent). Asians number 98,083 and represent 1.6 percent. The remainder is made up of American Indians, Pacific Islanders, and others. In educational attainment, 86.8 percent of all Missourians have completed a high school education or higher. College degrees are held by more than 25 percent of the population, and 9.5 percent ...