ST. LOUIS – If it seems like your town has been growing, there’s a likely chance it has, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. But of the top 10 fastest growing towns in the state, five local to St. Louis took a spot.
The Census Bureau recently released data comparing populations in every incorporated Missouri town and city each year between April 1, 2020 and July 1, 2024. Of those that have a population over 3,000, there are five towns that grew the most in between the time span:
- #9: Lake St. Louis
- From 16,707 in 2020 to 19,160 in 2024 (14.7%)
- #8: Troy
- From 12,683 in 2020 to 14,963 in 2024 (18%)
- #7: Wright City
- From 4,806 in 2020 to 5,723 in 2024 (19.1%)
- #6: Moscow Mills
- From 3,396 in 2020 to 4,144 in 2024 (22%)
- #4: St. Paul
- From 3,005 in 2020 to 3,725 in 2024 (24%)
The number one town in Missouri to grow the most since 2020 was Rogersville, which is in the southern portion of the state near Springfield. The town went from 3,881 residents in 2020 to 5,344 in 2024, which was a 37.7% increase.
Other towns in the top 10 spots included North Kansas City, Parkville, Oronogo, and Republic.
While many spots in Missouri grew, there were also a significant number of towns that saw a decline in their population over the last four years. Below is the list for the top five towns that had a population over 3,000 with the most significant decrease:
- #5: Caruthersville
- From 5,565 in 2020 to 5,170 in 2024 (-7.1%)
- #4: City of St. Louis
- From 301,371 in 2020 to 279,695 in 2024 (-7.2%)
- #3: Charleston
- From 5,053 in 2020 to 4,447 in 2024 (-12%)
- #2: Cameron
- From 8,519 in 2020 to 7,352 in 2024 (-13.7%)
- #1: Vandalia
- From 3,560 in 2020 to 2,939 in 2024 (-17.4%)
Looking at the entire state, Missouri had a 1.5% increase in population, from 6,154,854 in 2020 to 6,245,466 in 2024.
To view the full data set from the Census Bureau, click here.