Cape Girardeau, Missouri Population and Demographics

Published: October 1, 2020 6:02 pm

Population, Race and Ethnicity

Cape Girardeau is a city in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, with a population of 39,323. According to the most recent estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, 78.90% of residents identify as white, 13.20% as Black or African American, 0.20% as American Indian or Alaska Native, 2.60% as Asian, 0.00% as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 2.50% as Hispanic or Latino, and 2.40% as some other race or combination of races.

Nationally, some 61.1% of Americans identify as white, 12.3% as Black or African American, 0.7% as American Indian or Alaska Native, 5.4% as Asian, 0.2% as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 17.8% as Hispanic or Latino, and 2.6% as some other race or combination of races.

Ancestry

Census respondents are also asked to report ancestry. Some of the most commonly reported ancestries in Cape Girardeau include German, American, Irish, English, and European. Measured by location quotient — comparing the city share to the national share — some of the most highly concentrated ancestries in city are Zimbabwean, Other Arab, and Moroccan.

Native and foreign-born population

An estimated 95.30% of Cape Girardeau residents are native-born, meaning they were born in the United States, Puerto Rico, a U.S. Island Area, or abroad to a U.S. citizen. Of the 4.70% of the population that is foreign-born, 14.60% have become naturalized U.S. citizens. Nationwide, 86.5% of Americans are native-born. And of the 13.5% of Americans who are foreign-born, 48.5% have become naturalized U.S. citizens.

Age

The population of Cape Girardeau is younger than the United States as a whole. The median age is 33 years, 4.9 years less than the national median age of 37.9 years. An estimated 16.30% of the population is 65 years and over, compared to 15.2% of the U.S. population.

Family and household composition

Family and household composition also varies heavily across the United States. In Cape Girardeau, 37.70% of households are occupied by married-couple families, compared to the 48.3% national figure. Some 4.60% of households are occupied by single male householders, 11.30% by single female householders, and 46.40% by non-family occupants. Nationwide, 4.9% of households are occupied by single male householders, 12.6% by single female householders, and 34.3% by non-family occupants. An estimated 54.10% of heads of household own their homes, compared to the national homeownership rate of 63.8%.

Language spoken

English is by far the most commonly spoken language in Missouri and across the U.S. as a whole. Similarly, in Cape Girardeau, 97.9% of local residents aged 5 and up speak English exclusively, or, if they are multilingual, speak English very well. For context, 97.8% of the 5 and older population across Missouri only speaks English, or speak it very well, and 91.5% of the same age group nationwide do.

Marital status

Residents of Cape Girardeau are less likely than the typical American to be married. Of all local residents aged 15 and older, 36.6% are currently married, compared to 48.1% of Americans nationwide in the same age group. Across Missouri as a whole, 49.4% of residents 15 and older are married.

Divorce is more common in Cape Girardeau than it is across the U.S. as a whole. According to Census estimates, 12% of residents 15 and older are divorced — compared to 10.8% of the U.S. population in the same age group. In Missouri, 12.2% of the 15 and older population is divorced.

An estimated 43% of Cape Girardeau residents 15 and older have never married, compared to one-third of all Americans in the same age group.

Veterans

In Cape Girardeau, 7.1% of the 18 and older civilian population are veterans — compared to 7.5% of adult civilians nationwide and 8.8% of the civilian population in all of Missouri.

Educational attainment

In Cape Girardeau, adults are more likely to have a high school education than the typical American adult, and are also more likely to have a four-year college education. Among Cape Girardeau residents 25 and older, 91.00% have a high school diploma or equivalent, and 34.20% have a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 87.7% and 31.5% of adults nationwide, respectively. Across Missouri, 89.6% of adults have graduated high school, and 28.6 have a bachelor’s degree.

Income

The typical household in Cape Girardeau earns $44,383 a year, about $15,900 less than the national median of $60,293 and $9,200 less than the median household income across the state of $53,560.

Poverty

Serious financial hardship is more common in Cape Girardeau than it is nationwide. The local poverty rate stands at 23.40%, while the national poverty rate is 14.1%. Across the state as a whole, 14.2% of the population lives below the poverty line.

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