Putnam County, Missouri

MO · FIPS 29171 Republican

Located in Missouri, Putnam County has a population of 4,642 residents and a median age of 45.9 years, making it the #2,926 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 15.5%. The median home value is $119,500, and the median household income is $63,510, which is 15% below the national median.

4,642
Population
#2,926 of 3,222
$63,510
Median Income
-15.5% #1,753 of 3,222
45.9 years
Median Age
+18.0% #613 of 3,222
15.5%
Poverty Rate
+23.2% #2,044 of 3,222

Demographics

Putnam County has a population of 4,642, making it the #2,926 most populous county in the US. The median age is 45.9 years, which is 18.0% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

98.8%
Native Born
1.2%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Putnam County is $63,510, ranking #1,753 out of 3,222 counties — 15.5% below the national median. The poverty rate is 15.5% and unemployment stands at 4.0%.

Income#1,753
$63,510
-15.5%
vs nation
46th percentile
Per Capita#1,468
$35,778
-13.3%
vs nation
54th percentile
Poverty#2,044
15.5%
+23.2%
vs nation
37th percentile
Unemployment#1,317
4.0%
-24.8%
vs nation
59th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Putnam County is $119,500 (-57.6% vs national). Renters pay a median of $521/mo and the homeownership rate is 83.0%.

Home Value#2,682
$119,500
-57.6%
vs nation
17th percentile
Rent#3,152
$521
-55.2%
vs nation
2th percentile
Homeownership#251
83.0%
+28.9%
vs nation
92th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Putnam County, 22.6% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 33.1% below the national average, ranking #1,570 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
22.6% −33.1% vs nation
Rank #1,570 of 3,222
51th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Putnam County is 73.4 years. 16.7% of adults report poor or fair health and 10.6% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#2,137
73.4
-2.4%
vs nation
30th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#989
16.7%
-14.6%
vs nation
69th percentile
Diabetes#829
9.5%
-14.7%
vs nation
74th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#1,893
38.6%
+3.5%
vs nation
40th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#1,295
5.5
-2.3%
vs nation
59th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#1,734
4.5
+1.2%
vs nation
45th percentile
Uninsured Rate#1,831
10.6%
+0.9%
vs nation
42th percentile
Physical Inactivity#1,251
24.7%
-6.4%
vs nation
60th percentile
Food Insecurity#1,546
14.1%
-2.1%
vs nation
51th percentile

Substance Use

19.6% of adults in Putnam County smoke , 40.7% are obese , and 21.5% report excessive drinking.

Adult Smoking#2,161
19.6%
+9.1%
vs nation
31th percentile
Adult Obesity#2,280
40.7%
+7.4%
vs nation
28th percentile
Excessive Drinking#2,193
21.5%
+8.0%
vs nation
30th percentile

Safety

.

Families & Children

20.8% of children in Putnam County live in poverty . The teen birth rate is 26.7 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Teen Birth Rate#2,091
26.7
+22.4%
vs nation
30th percentile
Child Poverty#2,013
20.8%
+9.5%
vs nation
36th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Putnam County is 64.7%. The mean commute time is 21.7 min, which is 21.4% below the national average.

Voter Turnout
64.7% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
21.7 min −21.4% vs nation
Rank #2,584 of 3,222
20th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Putnam County voted Republican with a margin of 70.3%. The vote was 14.6% Dem / 84.9% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 1.6 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +70.3%
14.6% 84.9%
Dem 2,380 votes Rep
2020 REP +68.7%
15.3% 84%
Dem 2,361 votes Rep
2016 REP +67.7%
15% 82.7%
Dem 2,342 votes Rep
2012 REP +47.1%
25.4% 72.5%
Dem 2,309 votes Rep
2008 REP +38.3%
29.7% 68%
Dem 2,339 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Putnam County, Missouri

Putnam County, Missouri has a total population of 4,642, making it the 2,926th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Putnam County is 45.9 years, which is 18.0% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Putnam County is $63,510, which ranks #1,753 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 15.5% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 15.5%, higher than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 4.0%.

The median home value in Putnam County is $119,500, 57.6% below the national median. Renters in Putnam County pay a median gross rent of $521 per month. The homeownership rate is 83.0%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Putnam County, 22.6% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 33.1% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 90.4% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 21.7 min.

Putnam County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 95.1% of the population, followed by Hispanic or Latino (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).

All data for Putnam County, Missouri comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.