View source for Missouri

{{short description|U.S. state}}
{{about|the U.S. state|the river|Missouri River|other uses}}
{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{pp-move}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox U.S. state
| image_flag = Flag of Missouri.svg
| name = Missouri
| image_seal = Seal of Missouri.svg
| nicknames = Show Me State, Cave State, and Mother of the West
| motto = [[Salus populi suprema lex esto]] ([[Latin]]) <br/> ''Let the good of the people be the supreme law''
| anthem = "[[Missouri Waltz]]"
| image_map = Missouri in United States.svg
| OfficialLang = English
| Languages = * English 93.9%
* Spanish 2.6%
* German 0.4%
* [[Missouri French]]
| population_demonym = Missourian
| LargestCity = [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]]
| LargestCounty = [[St. Louis County, Missouri|St. Louis]]
| seat = [[Jefferson City, Missouri|Jefferson City]]
| LargestMetro = [[Greater St. Louis]]
| area_rank = 21st
| area_total_sq_mi = 69,704<ref name = "Section10.095">{{cite web|url=http://www.moga.state.mo.us/statutes/C000-099/0100000095.HTM |title=Missouri Revised Statutes Chapter 10 State Emblems Section 10.095 |publisher=State of Missouri |access-date=July 10, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930153715/http://www.moga.state.mo.us/statutes/C000-099/0100000095.HTM |archive-date=September 30, 2007 }}</ref>
| area_total_km2 = 180,533
| width_mi = 240
| width_km = {{convert|240|mi|km|disp=number}}
| length_mi = 300
| length_km = {{convert|300|mi|km|disp=number}}
| area_water_percent = 1.17
| Latitude = 36° 0′ N to 40° 37′ N
| Longitude = 89° 6′ W to 95° 46′ W
| population_as_of = 2025
| 2020Pop = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 6,270,541<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/MO/PST045224|accessdate=January 9, 2025|title= United States Census Quick Facts Missouri}}</ref>
| population_rank = 18th
| MedianHouseholdIncome = ${{round|68545|-2}} (2<span>0</span>23)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2024/demo/acsbr-023.pdf|title=Household Income in States and Metropolitan Areas: 2023|accessdate=January 12, 2025}}</ref>
| 2020DensityUS = 88.2
| 2020Density = 34.1
| population_density_rank = 30th
| IncomeRank = [[List of U.S. states and territories by income#States and territories ranked by median household income|38th]]
| elevation_max_point = [[Taum Sauk Mountain]]<ref name=USGS>{{cite web|url=http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html |title=Elevations and Distances in the United States |publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]] |year=2001 |access-date=October 24, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015012701/http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html |archive-date=October 15, 2011 }}</ref>
| elevation_max_ft = 1,772
| elevation_max_m = 540
| elevation_ft = 800
| elevation_m = 244
| elevation_min_point = [[St. Francis River]] at [[Arkansas]] border
| elevation_min_m = 70
| elevation_min_ft = 230
| Former = Missouri Territory
| AdmittanceDate = August 10, 1821
| AdmittanceOrder = 24th
| Governor = {{nowrap|[[Mike Kehoe]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]])}}
| Lieutenant Governor = {{nowrap|[[David Wasinger]]  (R)}}
| Legislature = {{nowrap|[[Missouri General Assembly|General Assembly]]}}
| Upperhouse = [[Missouri Senate|Senate]]
| Lowerhouse = [[Missouri House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]
| Judiciary = [[Supreme Court of Missouri]]
| Senators = [[Josh Hawley]] (R) <br />[[Eric Schmitt]]  (R)
| Representative = 6 Republicans <br /> 2 [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]]
| timezone1 = [[Central Time Zone (North America)|Central]]
| utc_offset1 = −06:00
| timezone1_DST = [[Central Daylight Time|CDT]]
| utc_offset1_DST = −05:00
| iso_code = US-MO
| postal_code = MO
| TradAbbreviation = Mo.
| website = mo.gov
| area_land_sq_mi = 68,886
| area_land_km2 = 179,015
| Capital = 
| Representatives = 
}}
{{Infobox region symbols|country=United States
|image_flag = Flag of Missouri.svg
|image_seal = Seal of Missouri.svg
|state = Missouri
|amphibian = [[American bullfrog]]
|bird = [[Eastern bluebird]]
|fish = [[Channel catfish]]
|horse = [[Missouri Fox Trotter]]
|flower = [[Crataegus punctata|White hawthorn]]
|grass = [[Big bluestem]]
|insect = [[Western honey bee]]
|mammal = [[Mule|Missouri Mule]]
|tree = [[Flowering Dogwood]]
|song = [[Missouri Waltz]]
|dance = [[Square dance]]
|food = Dessert: [[Ice cream]]
|dinosaur = ''[[Hypsibema missouriensis]]''<ref name = "Section10.095"/>
|fossil = [[Crinoid]]
|gemstone = [[Beryl]]
|mineral = [[Galena]]
|instrument = [[Fiddle]]
|rock = [[Mozarkite]]
|soil = [[Menfro]]
|fruit = [[Asimina triloba|Paw-paw]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/missouri-governor-declares-not-just-any-bourbon-can-be-called/article_28300047-38b6-5d2c-8029-b8f61d91ea9f.html|title=Missouri Governor declares not just any Bourbon can be called Missouri bourbon|work=[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]|date=July 12, 2019 |access-date=July 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724225710/https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/missouri-governor-declares-not-just-any-bourbon-can-be-called/article_28300047-38b6-5d2c-8029-b8f61d91ea9f.html|archive-date=July 24, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
|image_route = MO-5.svg
|image_quarter = 2003 MO Proof.png
|quarter_release_date = 2003
}}

'''Missouri''' (''see [[#Etymology and pronunciation|pronunciation]]'') is a landlocked [[U.S. state|state]] in the [[Midwestern United States|Midwestern]] region of the [[United States]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Census Regions of the United States|url=https://www.census.gov/const/regionmap.pdf |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=January 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201215949/http://www.census.gov/const/regionmap.pdf|archive-date=February 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Ranking [[List of U.S. states and territories by area|21st in land area]], it borders [[Iowa]] to the north, [[Illinois]], [[Kentucky]] and [[Tennessee]] to the east, [[Arkansas]] to the south and [[Oklahoma]], [[Kansas]], and [[Nebraska]] to the west. With over six million residents, it is the [[List of U.S. states and territories by population|19th-most populous]] state of the country. The largest urban areas are [[St. Louis]], [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]], [[Springfield, Missouri|Springfield]], and [[Columbia, Missouri|Columbia]]. The [[Capital city|capital]] is [[Jefferson City, Missouri|Jefferson City]].

Humans have inhabited present-day Missouri for at least 12,000 years. The [[Mississippian culture]], which emerged in the ninth century, built cities with pyramidal and other ceremonial [[Mound Builders|mounds]] before declining in the 14th century. The Indigenous [[Osage Nation|Osage]] and [[Missouria]] nations inhabited the area when European people arrived in the 17th century. The French incorporated the territory into [[Louisiana (New France)|Louisiana]], founding [[Ste. Genevieve, Missouri|Ste. Genevieve]] in 1735 and [[St. Louis]] in 1764. After a brief period of [[New Spain|Spanish rule]], the United States acquired Missouri as part of the [[Louisiana Purchase]] in 1803. Americans from the [[Upland South]] rushed into the new [[Missouri Territory]], taking advantage of its productive agricultural plains; Missouri played a central role in the westward expansion of the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/poex/index.htm|title=Pony Express National Historic Trail (U.S. National Park Service)|first1=Mailing Address: National Trails Intermountain Region Pony Express National Historic Trail PO Box 728 Santa|last1=Fe|first2=NM 87504 Phone:741-1012 Contact|last2=Us|website=www.nps.gov|access-date=February 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190223120436/https://www.nps.gov/poex/index.htm|archive-date=February 23, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Missouri was admitted as a slave state as part of the [[Missouri Compromise|Missouri Compromise of 1820]]. As a [[Border states (American Civil War)|border state]], [[Missouri in the American Civil War|Missouri's role]] in the [[American Civil War]] was complex, and it was subject to rival governments, raids, and guerilla warfare. After the war, both [[Greater St. Louis]] and the [[Kansas City metropolitan area]] became large centers of industrialization and business.

Today the state is divided into [[List of counties in Missouri|114 counties]] and the [[Independent city (United States)|independent city]] of St. Louis. Missouri has been called the "Gateway to the West",<ref>{{Cite web |title=Timeline of Historic Missouri: 1821-1860 |url=https://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/history/timeline/2 |access-date=April 29, 2025 |website=Missouri Secretary of State}}</ref> the "Mother of the West", the "Cave State", and the "Show Me State".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ksdk.com/article/entertainment/television/show-me-st-louis/hey-heidi-how-did-the-show-me-state-come-about/63-204374324|title=Hey Heidi: How did the Show Me State come about?|website=Ksdk.com|date=May 19, 2016 |access-date=April 17, 2021|archive-date=January 3, 2020|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20200103002718/https://www.ksdk.com/article/entertainment/television/show%2Dme%2Dst%2Dlouis/hey%2Dheidi%2Dhow%2Ddid%2Dthe%2Dshow%2Dme%2Dstate%2Dcome%2Dabout/63%2D204374324|url-status=live}}</ref> Its culture blends elements of the Midwestern and [[Southern United States]]. It is the birthplace of the musical genres [[ragtime]], [[Kansas City jazz]] and [[St. Louis blues (music)|St. Louis blues]]. The well-known [[Kansas City-style barbecue]], and the lesser-known [[St. Louis-style barbecue]], can be found across the state and beyond.

Missouri is a major center of beer brewing and has some of the most permissive [[Missouri's alcohol laws|alcohol laws]] in the U.S.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Matthews|first=Christopher|title=The 3 Best and 3 Worst States in America for Drinking|magazine=Time|url=https://business.time.com/2013/12/05/the-3-best-and-3-worst-states-in-america-for-drinking/|url-status=live|access-date=October 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190901203759/http://business.time.com/2013/12/05/the-3-best-and-3-worst-states-in-america-for-drinking/|archive-date=September 1, 2019|issn=0040-781X}}</ref> It is home to [[Anheuser-Busch]], the world's largest beer producer, and produces [[Missouri wine]], especially in the [[Missouri Rhineland]]. Outside the state's major cities, popular tourist destinations include the [[Lake of the Ozarks]], [[Table Rock Lake]] and [[Branson, Missouri|Branson]]. Some of the largest companies based in the state include [[Cerner]], [[Express Scripts]], [[Monsanto]], [[Emerson Electric]], [[Edward Jones Investments|Edward Jones]], [[H&R Block]], [[Wells Fargo Advisors]], [[Centene Corporation]], and [[O'Reilly Auto Parts]]. Well-known universities in Missouri include the [[University of Missouri]], [[Saint Louis University (United States)|Saint Louis University]], and [[Washington University in St. Louis]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/washington-university-in-st-louis-2520|title=US News—Washington University in St. Louis|website=US News—Best Colleges|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704014936/https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/washington-university-in-st-louis-2520|archive-date=July 4, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Etymology and pronunciation==
The state is named for the [[Missouri River]], which was named after the indigenous [[Missouria]], a [[Siouan languages|Siouan-language]] tribe. French colonists adapted a form of the [[Illinois language]]-name for the people: ''Wimihsoorita''. Their name means 'one who has dugout canoes'.<ref>McCafferty, Michael. 2004. [http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/american_speech/v079/79.1mccafferty.html "Correction: Etymology of Missouri"], ''American Speech,'' 79.1:32</ref>

The name ''Missouri'' has several different pronunciations even among its present-day inhabitants,<ref name="wheaton20121013">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/13/us/politics/missouree-missouruh-to-be-politic-in-missouri-say-both.html | title=Missouree? Missouruh? To Be Politic, Say Both | work=The New York Times | date=October 13, 2012 | access-date=October 14, 2012 | author=Wheaton, Sarah | pages=A1 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013095241/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/13/us/politics/missouree-missouruh-to-be-politic-in-missouri-say-both.html | archive-date=October 13, 2012 | url-status=live }}</ref> the two most common being {{IPAc-en|audio=En-us-Missouri.ogg|m|ᵻ|ˈ|z|ɜːr|i}} {{respell|mih|ZUR|ee}} and {{IPAc-en|audio=En-us-Missouri-2.ogg|m|ᵻ|ˈ|z|ɜːr|ə}} {{respell|mih|ZUR|ə}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/missouri|title=Missouri|work=Merriam-Webster Dictionary|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422002029/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/missouri|archive-date=April 22, 2009|access-date=July 21, 2013}}</ref>{{r|lance2003}} Further pronunciations also exist in Missouri or elsewhere in the United States, involving the realization of the medial consonant as either {{IPAc-en|z}} or {{IPAc-en|s}}; the vowel in the second syllable as either {{IPAc-en|ɜr}} or {{IPAc-en|ʊər}};<ref>{{cite OED|Missouri}}</ref> and the third syllable as {{IPAc-en|i}} or {{IPAc-en|ə}}.<ref name="lance2003">{{cite journal | url=http://missourifolkloresociety.truman.edu/Missouri%20Folklore%20Studies/THE%20PRONONCIATION%20OF%20MISSOURI.htm | title=The Pronunciation of Missouri: Variation and Change in American English | author=Lance, Donald M. | journal=American Speech | date=Fall 2003 | volume=78 | issue=3 | pages=255–284 | doi=10.1215/00031283-78-3-255 | s2cid=143791619 | access-date=October 19, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409214810/http://missourifolkloresociety.truman.edu/Missouri%20Folklore%20Studies/THE%20PRONONCIATION%20OF%20MISSOURI.htm | archive-date=April 9, 2008 | url-status=dead  |issn=0003-1283| url-access=subscription }}</ref> Any combination of these phonetic realizations may be observed coming from speakers of [[American English]]. In British [[Received Pronunciation]], the preferred variant is {{IPAc-en|m|ᵻ|ˈ|z|ʊər|i}}, with {{IPAc-en|m|ᵻ|ˈ|s|ʊər|i}} being a possible alternative.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wells|first=John C.|year=2008|title=Longman Pronunciation Dictionary|edition=3rd|publisher=Longman|isbn=978-1-4058-8118-0}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Roach|first=Peter|year=2011|title=Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary|edition=18th|place=Cambridge|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-15253-2}}</ref>

Donald M. Lance, a professor of English at the [[University of Missouri]], stated that no pronunciation could be declared correct, nor could any be clearly defined as native or outsider, rural or urban, southern or northern, educated or otherwise.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/46835|title=The Pronunciation of Missouri : Variation and Change in American English|first=Donald M.|last=Lance|date=September 17, 2003|journal=American Speech|volume=78|issue=3|pages=255–284|via=Project MUSE|doi=10.1215/00031283-78-3-255|s2cid=143791619|access-date=February 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180225210340/https://muse.jhu.edu/article/46835|archive-date=February 25, 2018|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Politicians often employ multiple pronunciations, even during a single speech, to appeal to a greater number of listeners.{{r|wheaton20121013}} In informal contexts respellings of the state's name, such as "Missour-''ee''" or "Missour-''uh''", are occasionally used to distinguish pronunciations phonetically.

===Nicknames===
There is no official state nickname.<ref name="Slogan" /> However, Missouri's unofficial nickname is the "Show Me State", which appears on its [[Vehicle registration plates of Missouri|license plates]]. This phrase has several origins. One is popularly ascribed to a speech by Congressman [[Willard Vandiver]] in 1899, who declared that "I come from a state that raises corn and cotton, [[cocklebur]]s and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I'm from Missouri, and you have got to show me." This is in keeping with the saying "I'm [[wikt:from Missouri|from Missouri]]", which means "I'm skeptical of the matter and not easily convinced."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/skepticism|title=skepticism|via=The Free Dictionary|access-date=April 19, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140709042936/http://www.thefreedictionary.com/skepticism|archive-date=July 9, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> However, according to researchers, the phrase "show me" was already in use before the 1890s.<ref>{{Citation | title = Barry Popik | contribution = I'm from Missouri—Show Me | url = http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/summary3 | access-date = August 14, 2006 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061028071822/http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/summary3/ | archive-date = October 28, 2006 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Another one states that it is a reference to Missouri miners who were taken to [[Leadville, Colorado]], to replace striking workers. Since the new miners were unfamiliar with the mining methods, they required frequent instruction. Pit bosses began saying, "That man is from Missouri. You'll have to show him."<ref name="Slogan">{{cite web | url = http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/history/slogan.asp | location = MO | website = State Archives Missouri History | type = FAQ | title = Origin of "Show-Me" Slogan | publisher = Secretary of State | access-date = February 20, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100317041335/http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/history/slogan.asp | archive-date = March 17, 2010 | url-status = live }}</ref>

Other nicknames for Missouri include "The Lead State", "The Bullion State", "The Ozark State", "The Mother of the West", "The Iron Mountain State", and "Pennsylvania of the West".<ref>{{Citation | title = Introduction to Missouri | publisher = Netstate | url = http://www.netstate.com/states/intro/mo_intro.htm | access-date = October 18, 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160416074045/http://www.netstate.com/states/intro/mo_intro.htm | archive-date = April 16, 2016 | url-status = live }}</ref> It is also known as the "Cave State"<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Unklesbay|first1=Athel Glyde|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DQ84G83167oC&dq=crevice+cave+missouri&pg=PA58|title=Missouri Geology: Three Billion Years of Volcanoes, Seas, Sediments, and Erosion|last2=Vineyard|first2=Jerry D.|date=1992|publisher=University of Missouri Press|isbn=978-0-8262-0836-1|language=en|access-date=November 15, 2021|archive-date=May 10, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220510011014/https://books.google.com/books?id=DQ84G83167oC&dq=crevice+cave+missouri&pg=PA58|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|53}} because there are more than 7,300 recorded caves in the state (second to [[Tennessee]]). [[Perry County, Missouri|Perry County]] is the county with the most caves and the single longest cave.<ref name="MSS">{{cite web|url=http://www.mospeleo.org/docs/pr6000.htm |title=Fact Sheet on 6000 Caves |first=Scott |last=House |publisher=The Missouri Speleological Survey |date=May 14, 2005 |access-date=March 16, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509132048/http://www.mospeleo.org/docs/pr6000.htm |archive-date=May 9, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dnr.mo.gov/geology/wrc/caves.htm|title=Missouri Department of Natural Resources|website=Dnr.mo.gov|access-date=April 17, 2021|archive-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109115432/https://dnr.mo.gov/geology/wrc/caves.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

The official state motto is "Salus Populi Suprema Lex Esto", [[Latin]] for "Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law."<ref>{{Citation | title = The Great Seal of Missouri | publisher = Secretary of State | place = MO | url = http://www.sos.mo.gov/symbols/symbols.asp?symbol=seal | access-date = March 27, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090130130149/http://sos.mo.gov/symbols/symbols.asp?symbol=seal | archive-date = January 30, 2009 | url-status = live }}</ref>

==History==
{{more citations needed section|date=August 2017}}<!--very few citations here, see [[WP:SUMMARY]]-->
{{Main|History of Missouri}}

===Early history===
[[Archaeology|Archaeological]] excavations along river valleys have shown continuous habitation since about 9000 BCE.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Missouri - History|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Missouri-state|access-date=March 3, 2021|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|archive-date=March 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309080758/https://www.britannica.com/place/Missouri-state|url-status=live}}</ref> Beginning before 1000 [[Common Era|CE]], the people of the [[Mississippian culture]] created regional political centers at present-day [[St. Louis]] and across the [[Mississippi River]] at [[Cahokia]], near present-day [[Collinsville, Illinois]]. Their large cities included thousands of individual residences. Still, they are known for their surviving massive [[Earthwork (archaeology)|earthwork mounds]], built for religious, political and social reasons, in [[Platform mound|platform]], [[ridge]]top and [[Cone (geometry)|conical]] shapes. Cahokia was the center of a regional trading network that reached from the [[Great Lakes]] to the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. The civilization declined by 1400 CE, and most descendants left the area long before the arrival of Europeans. St. Louis was at one time known as Mound City by the European Americans because of the numerous surviving prehistoric mounds since lost to urban development. The Mississippian culture left mounds throughout the middle Mississippi and Ohio river valleys, extending into the southeast and the upper river.

The land that became the state of Missouri was part of numerous different territories, possessed changing and often indeterminate borders, and had many different [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] and European names between the 1600s and statehood. For much of the first half of the 1700s, the west bank of the [[Mississippi River]] that would become Missouri was mostly uninhabited, something of a no man's land that kept peace between the [[Illinois]] on the east bank of the Mississippi River and to the North, and the Osage and Missouri Indians of the lower Missouri Valley. In the early 1700s, French traders and missionaries explored the whole of the Mississippi Valley, and named the region "Louisiana". Around the same time, a different group of French Canadians established five villages on the east bank of the Mississippi River and identified their settlements as being in le pays des Illinois, "the country of the Illinois". When settlers of [[French Canadians|French Canadian]] descent began crossing the Mississippi River to establish settlements such as Ste. Genevieve, they continued to identify their settlements as being in the Illinois Country. At the same time, the French settlements on both sides of the Mississippi River were part of the French province of [[Louisiana]]. To distinguish the settlements in the Middle Mississippi Valley from French settlements in the lower Mississippi Valley around New Orleans, French officials and inhabitants referred to the Middle Mississippi Valley as La Haute Louisiane, "The High Louisiana", or "Upper Louisiana".
[[File:George Caleb Bingham 001.jpg|thumb|''[[Fur Traders Descending the Missouri]]'' by Missouri painter [[George Caleb Bingham]]]]
The first European settlers were mostly ethnic [[French Canadian]]s, who created their first settlement in Missouri at present-day [[Ste. Genevieve, Missouri|Ste. Genevieve]], about {{convert|45|mi|km}} south of St. Louis. They had migrated in about 1750 from the [[Illinois]] Country. They came from colonial villages on the east side of the Mississippi River, where soils were becoming exhausted and there was insufficient river bottom land for the growing population. The early Missouri [[Human settlement|settlements]] included many enslaved Africans and Native Americans, and slave labor was central to both commercial agriculture and the fur trade. Sainte-Geneviève became a thriving agricultural center, producing enough surplus wheat, [[Maize|corn]] and tobacco to ship tons of grain annually downriver to Lower Louisiana for trade. Grain production in the Illinois Country was critical to the survival of Lower Louisiana and especially the city of New Orleans.

St. Louis was founded on February 14, 1764, by French fur traders [[Gilbert Antoine de St. Maxent]], [[Pierre Laclède]], and [[Auguste Chouteau]].<ref name="Cazorla et al">Cazorla, Frank; Baena, Rose; Polo, David; and Reder Gadow, Marion. (2019) ''The governor Louis de Unzaga (1717–1793) Pioneer in the Birth of the United States of America''. Foundation, Malaga, pages 49, 57–65, 70–75, 150, 207</ref> From 1764 to 1803, European control of the area west of the Mississippi to the northernmost part of the Missouri River basin, called Louisiana, was assumed by the Spanish as part of the Viceroyalty of [[New Spain]], due to [[Treaty of Fontainebleau (1762)|Treaty of Fontainebleau]]<ref name="foley 1989 26">Foley (1989), 26.</ref> (in order to have Spain join with France in the war against England). The arrival of the Spanish in St. Louis was in September 1767.

St. Louis became the center of a regional [[fur trade]] with Native American tribes that extended up the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, dominating the regional economy for decades. Trading partners of major firms shipped their furs from St. Louis by river down to New Orleans for export to Europe. They provided a variety of goods to traders for sale and trade with their Native American clients. The fur trade and associated businesses made St. Louis an early financial center and provided the wealth for some to build fine houses and import luxury items. Its location near the confluence of the Illinois River meant it also handled produce from the agricultural areas. River traffic and trade along the Mississippi were integral to the state's economy. As the area's first major city, St. Louis expanded greatly after the invention of the [[steamboat]] and the increased river trade.

===19th century===
[[File:Louisiana Purchase.png|thumb|283x283px|Areas of [[Spanish Louisiana]] around 1803 overlaid over the current American states that it encompassed.]]
Part of the 1803 [[Louisiana Purchase]] by the United States, Missouri earned the nickname ''Gateway to the West'' because it served as a significant departure point for expeditions and settlers heading to the West during the 19th century. [[St. Charles, Missouri|St. Charles]], just west of St. Louis, was the starting point and the return destination of the [[Lewis and Clark Expedition]], which ascended the Missouri River in 1804, to explore the western lands to the Pacific Ocean. For decades, [[St. Louis]] was a major supply point for parties of settlers heading west.

Missouri was historically a Southern state. As many of the early settlers in western and southeastern Missouri migrated from the [[Upper South]] including [[Kentucky]], [[Tennessee]], and [[Virginia]], they brought enslaved [[African American]]s as agricultural laborers, and they desired to continue their culture and the institution of [[Slavery in the United States|slavery]]. They settled predominantly in 17 counties along the [[Missouri River]], in an area of flatlands that enabled [[Plantations in the American South|plantation]] agriculture and became known as "[[Little Dixie (Missouri)|Little Dixie]]".

The state was rocked by the [[1811–12 New Madrid earthquakes]]. Casualties were few due to the sparse population.

===Admission as a state in 1821===
{{See also|History of slavery in Missouri}}
[[File:United States 1821-08-1822.png|thumb|upright=1.2|The states and territories of the United States as a result of Missouri's admission as a state on August 10, 1821. The remainder of the former [[Missouri Territory]] became unorganized territory.]]

In 1821, the former Missouri Territory was admitted as a [[Slave and free states|slave state]], under the [[Missouri Compromise]], and with a temporary state capital in St. Charles. In 1826, the [[Capital city|capital]] was shifted to its permanent location of [[Jefferson City, Missouri|Jefferson City]], also on the Missouri River.

Originally the state's western border was a straight line, defined as the meridian passing through the Kawsmouth,<ref>Hoffhaus. (1984). ''Chez Les Canses: Three Centuries at Kawsmouth'', Kansas City: Lowell Press. {{ISBN|0-913504-91-2}}.</ref> the point where the [[Kansas River]] enters the Missouri River. The river has moved since this designation. This line is known as the Osage Boundary.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://supreme.justia.com/us/48/660/case.html |title=''MISSOURI V. IOWA'', 48 U.S. 660 (1849)—US Supreme Court Cases from Justia & Oyez |publisher=Supreme.justia.com |access-date=July 31, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101111095858/http://supreme.justia.com/us/48/660/case.html |archive-date=November 11, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1836 the [[Platte Purchase]] was added to the northwest corner of the state after purchase of the land from the native tribes, making the Missouri River the border north of the Kansas River. This addition increased the land area of what was already the largest state in the Union at the time (about {{convert|66500|sqmi|km2}} to Virginia's 65,000 square miles, which then included West Virginia).<ref>[[D.W. Meinig|Meinig, D.W.]] (1993). ''The Shaping of America: A Geographical Perspective on 500 Years of History'', ''Volume 2: Continental America, 1800–1867''. New Haven: Yale University Press. {{ISBN|0-300-05658-3}}; pg. 437</ref>

In the early 1830s, [[Mormon]] migrants from northern states and Canada began settling near [[Independence, Missouri|Independence]] and areas just north of there. Conflicts over religion and slavery arose between the 'old settlers' (mainly from the South) and the Mormons (mainly from the North). The [[Mormon War (1838)|Mormon War]] erupted in 1838. By 1839, with the help of an "Extermination Order" by Governor [[Lilburn Boggs]], the old settlers forcibly expelled the Mormons from Missouri and confiscated their lands.

Conflicts over slavery exacerbated border tensions among the states and territories. From 1838 to 1839, a border dispute with [[Iowa]] over the so-called [[Honey Lands]] resulted in both states' calling-up of [[Militia (United States)|militias]] along the border.

With increasing migration, from the 1830s to the 1860s, Missouri's population almost doubled with every decade. Most newcomers were American-born and Southern, but many later arrivals were Northern migrants as well as Irish and German immigrants who arrived in the late 1840s and 1850s. A growing [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] majority established its own institutional infrastructure, altering the religious landscape of the historically [[Protestant]] state. Many settled in cities, creating a regional and then state network of Catholic churches and schools. 19th-century German immigrants created the wine industry along the Missouri River and the beer industry in St. Louis.

While many German immigrants were strongly anti-slavery,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/little-known-history-german-immigrants-missouri-were-anti-slavery-allies|title=A Little-Known History: German Immigrants In Missouri Were Anti-Slavery Allies|last=Davis|first=Chad|website=news.stlpublicradio.org|date=February 21, 2019|access-date=October 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029004344/https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/little-known-history-german-immigrants-missouri-were-anti-slavery-allies|archive-date=October 29, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/planning/cultural-resources/preservation-plan/Part-I-Peopling-St-Louis.cfm|title=Part I: Peopling St. Louis|website=stlouis-mo.gov|access-date=October 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029004330/https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/planning/cultural-resources/preservation-plan/Part-I-Peopling-St-Louis.cfm|archive-date=October 29, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> many Irish immigrants living in cities were pro-slavery, fearing that liberating African-American slaves would create a glut of unskilled labor, driving wages down.<ref name=":1" />

Most Missouri farmers practiced [[subsistence farming]] before the [[American Civil War]]. The majority of those who held slaves had fewer than five each. [[Planter (plantation owner)|Planters]], defined by some historians as those holding 20 slaves or more, were concentrated in the counties known as "[[Little Dixie (Missouri)|Little Dixie]]", in the central part of the state along the [[Missouri River]] as well as southeastern Missouri. The tensions over slavery chiefly had to do with the future of the state and nation. In 1860, enslaved [[African American]]s made up less than 10% of the state's population of 1,182,012.<ref>[http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/histcensus/ Historical Census Browser, 1860 Federal Census, University of Virginia Library] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091206001455/http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/histcensus/ |date=December 6, 2009 }}. Retrieved March 21, 2008.</ref> In order to control the flooding of farmland and low-lying villages along the Mississippi, the state had completed construction of {{convert|140|mi|km}} of [[levee]]s along the river by 1860.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1874/10/13/archives/louisiana-the-levee-system-of-the-state-overflows-and-how-they-are.html "Louisiana: The Levee System of the State"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180721014538/https://www.nytimes.com/1874/10/13/archives/louisiana-the-levee-system-of-the-state-overflows-and-how-they-are.html |date=July 21, 2018 }}, ''New York Times'', October 8, 1874; Retrieved November 15, 2007</ref>

===American Civil War===
{{Main|Ordinance of Secession|Missouri in the American Civil War|Confederate government of Missouri}}

[[File:NPS CW at a Glance Western 1864.jpg|upright=1.2|thumb|[[Price's Raid]] in the [[Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War|Trans-Mississippi Theater]], 1864]]

After the secession of Southern states began in 1861, the Missouri legislature called for the election of a special convention on secession. This convention voted against secession, but also qualified their support of the Union. In the aftermath of [[Battle of Fort Sumter]] Pro-Southern Governor [[Claiborne F. Jackson]] ordered the mobilization of several hundred members of the state militia who had gathered in a camp in [[St. Louis]] for training. In secret, he also requested Confederate arms and artillery to help take the [[St. Louis Arsenal]]. Alarmed at this action, and discovering the Confederate aid, General [[Nathaniel Lyon]] struck first, encircling the camp and forcing the state troops to surrender. Lyon directed his soldiers, largely non-English-speaking German [[immigrants]], to march the prisoners through the streets, and this led to riot by pro-secession citizens. While it is disputed how it started, this riot led to violence and Union soldiers killed by St. Louis civilians. The event as a whole, is called the [[Camp Jackson Affair]].

These events sharpened the divisions within the state. Governor Jackson appointed [[Sterling Price]], president of the convention on secession, as head of the new [[Missouri State Guard]]. In the face of Union General Lyon's rapid advance through the state, Jackson and Price were forced to flee the capital of [[Jefferson City]] on June 14, 1861. In [[Neosho, Missouri]], Jackson called the state legislature into session to call for secession. However, the elected legislative body was split between pro-Union and pro-Confederate. As such, few of the pro-unionist attended the session called in Neosho, and the ordinance of secession was quickly adopted. The Confederacy recognized Missouri secession on October 30, 1861.

With the elected governor absent from the capital and the legislators largely dispersed, the state convention was reassembled with most of its members present, save twenty who fled south with Jackson's forces. The convention declared all offices vacant and installed [[Hamilton Gamble]] as the new governor of Missouri. President Lincoln's administration immediately recognized Gamble's government as the legal Missouri government. The federal government's decision enabled raising pro-Union militia forces for service within the state and volunteer regiments for the Union Army.

Fighting ensued between Union forces and a combined army of General Price's Missouri State Guard and Confederate troops from [[Arkansas]] and Texas under General [[Ben McCulloch]]. After winning victories at the [[battle of Wilson's Creek]] and the siege of [[Lexington, Missouri]] and suffering losses elsewhere, the Confederate forces retreated to Arkansas and later [[Marshall, Texas]], in the face of a largely reinforced Union Army.

Though regular Confederate troops staged some large-scale raids into Missouri, the fighting in the state for the next three years consisted chiefly of [[guerrilla warfare]]. "Citizen soldiers" or insurgents such as Captain [[William Quantrill]], [[Frank James|Frank]] and [[Jesse James]], the [[James-Younger gang|Younger brothers]], and [[William T. Anderson]] made use of quick, small-unit tactics. Pioneered by the Missouri Partisan Rangers, such insurgencies also arose in portions of the Confederacy occupied by the Union during the Civil War. Historians have portrayed stories of the James brothers' outlaw years as an American "Robin Hood" myth.<ref>{{cite journal | author = Steckmesser Kent L | year = 1966 | title = Robin Hood and the American Outlaw: A Note on History and Folklore | journal = Journal of American Folklore | volume = 79 | issue = 312| pages = 348–355 | jstor=538043| doi = 10.2307/538043 }}</ref> The vigilante activities of the [[Bald Knobbers]] of the Ozarks in the 1880s were an unofficial continuation of insurgent mentality long after the official end of the war, and they are a favorite theme in [[Branson, Missouri|Branson's self-image]].<ref>Mary Hartman and Elmo Ingenthron. ''Bald Knobbers: Vigilantes on the Ozarks Frontier'' (1988)</ref>

===Reconstruction and later 19th century===
{{Expand section|date=July 2024}}
[[File:PASSENGERS JAM THE INTERIOR OF THE ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, UNION STATION IN A COPYRIGHTED PICTURE TAKEN BY B.A. ATWATER... - NARA - 556056.jpg|thumb|left|[[Union Station (St. Louis)|Union Station]] in St. Louis was the world's largest and busiest train station when it opened in 1894.]]

Missouri remained electorally competitive during the [[Jim Crow laws|Jim Crow era]], and did not disenfranchise African Americans, who comprised less than 10% of the state's population from 1870 to 1960. In particular, Missouri never implemented a [[Poll taxes in the United States|poll tax]] as a requirement to vote.<ref name="Williams 1952">{{cite journal | last1=Williams | first1=Frank B. Jr. |title=The Poll Tax as a Suffrage Requirement in the South, 1870-1901 |journal=[[The Journal of Southern History]] |date=November 1952 |volume=18 |issue=4 |pages=469–496 |doi=10.2307/2955220 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2955220 |access-date=October 28, 2020 |publisher=[[Southern Historical Association]] |location=Athens, Georgia |jstor=2955220 |issn=0022-4642|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

However, Missouri did enact racial segregation. Democratic President [[Harry S. Truman]] grew up in Missouri, where segregation was practiced and largely accepted. Truman would later issue [[Executive Order 9981]] in July 1948, prohibiting racial segregation in the armed forces.<ref>{{cite web |title=Harry S Truman and Civil Rights |url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/harry-s-truman-and-civil-rights.htm |website=U.S. National Park Service |language=en}}</ref>

===20th century===
[[File:Child workers in Kirksville, MO.jpg|thumb|Child shoe workers in [[Kirksville, Missouri]], 1910]]

The [[Progressive Era]] (1890s to 1920s) saw numerous prominent leaders from Missouri trying to end corruption and modernize politics, government, and society. [[Joseph Folk|Joseph "Holy Joe" Folk]] was a key leader who made a strong appeal to the middle class and rural evangelical Protestants. Folk was elected governor as a progressive reformer and [[History of the Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] in the [[Missouri gubernatorial election, 1904|1904 election]]. He promoted what he called "the Missouri Idea", the concept of Missouri as a leader in public morality through popular control of law and strict enforcement. He successfully conducted antitrust prosecutions, ended free railroad passes for state officials, extended bribery statutes, improved election laws, required formal registration for lobbyists, made racetrack gambling illegal and enforced the Sunday-closing law. He helped enact Progressive legislation, including an initiative and referendum provision, regulation of elections, education, employment and child labor, railroads, food, business, and public utilities. Several efficiency-oriented examiner boards and commissions were established during Folk's administration, including many agricultural boards and the Missouri library commission.<ref>Steven L. Piott, ''Holy Joe: Joseph Folk and the Missouri Idea'' (1997)</ref>

[[File:General John Joseph Pershing head on shoulders.jpg|thumb|left|upright|World War I General [[John J. Pershing]] was raised in [[Laclede, Missouri]].]]

Between the Civil War and the end of World War II, Missouri transitioned from a rural southern state to a hybrid industrial-service-agricultural midwestern state as the Midwest rapidly industrialized and expanded into Missouri. The expansion of railroads to the West transformed Kansas City into a major transportation hub within the nation, and led to major Midwestern migration after the war overtaking the state's original Southern population. The growth of the Texas cattle industry along with this increased rail infrastructure and the invention of the [[refrigerated boxcar]] also made Kansas City a major [[meatpacking]] center, as large [[cattle drives]] from Texas brought herds of cattle to [[Dodge City]] and other Kansas towns. There, the cattle were loaded onto trains destined for Kansas City, where they were butchered and distributed to the eastern markets. The first half of the 20th century was the height of Kansas City's prominence, and its downtown became a showcase for stylish [[Art Deco]] [[skyscrapers]] as construction boomed.

In 1930, there was a [[diphtheria]] epidemic in the area around Springfield, which killed approximately 100 people. Serum was rushed to the area, and medical personnel stopped the epidemic.

[[File:Boy resting on bed in attic of sharecropper shack, New Madrid County, Missouri.jpg|thumb|African American boy in a [[sharecropping#United States|sharecropper]] shack, [[New Madrid County]], 1938]]

During the mid-1950s and 1960s, St. Louis and Kansas City suffered deindustrialization and loss of jobs in railroads and manufacturing, as did other [[Midwestern]] industrial cities.  [[St. Charles, Missouri|St. Charles]] claims to be the site of the first [[Interstate Highway System|interstate]] highway project in 1956.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://highways.dot.gov/public-roads/summer-1996/three-states-claim-first-interstate-highway |title=First interstate project |publisher=Fhwa.dot.gov |access-date=May 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607064752/http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/rw96h.cfm |archive-date=June 7, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Such highway construction made it easy for middle-class residents to leave the city for newer housing developed in the suburbs, often former farmland where land was available at lower prices. These major cities have gone through decades of readjustment to develop different economies and adjust to demographic changes. Suburban areas have developed separate job markets, both in knowledge industries and services, such as major retail malls.

===21st century===
In 2014, Missouri received national attention for the [[Ferguson unrest|protests and riots]] that followed the [[shooting of Michael Brown]] by a police officer of [[Ferguson, Missouri|Ferguson]],<ref>{{cite web |first=Eliott C. |last=McLaughlin |title=What we know about Michael Brown's shooting |work=[[CNN]] |date=August 15, 2014 |url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/11/us/missouri-ferguson-michael-brown-what-we-know/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140825101929/http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/11/us/missouri-ferguson-michael-brown-what-we-know/index.html |archive-date=August 25, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=David |last=Carr |title=View of #Ferguson Thrust Michael Brown Shooting to National Attention |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=August 17, 2014 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/18/business/media/view-of-ferguson-thrust-michael-brown-shooting-to-national-attention.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810171608/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/18/business/media/view-of-ferguson-thrust-michael-brown-shooting-to-national-attention.html |archive-date=August 10, 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Jamelle |last=Bouie |title=Why the Fires in Ferguson Won't End Soon |work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |date=August 19, 2014 |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2014/08/ferguson_protests_over_michael_brown_won_t_end_soon_the_black_community.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831214449/http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2014/08/ferguson_protests_over_michael_brown_won_t_end_soon_the_black_community.html |archive-date=August 31, 2017 }}.</ref> which led Governor [[Jay Nixon]] to call out the [[Missouri National Guard]].<ref name=NYTaug19>{{Cite news | last1 = Davey | first1 = Monica | last2 = Eligon | first2 = John | last3 = Blinder | first3 = Alan | title = National Guard Troops Fail to Quell Unrest in Ferguson | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/20/us/ferguson-missouri-protests.html?_r=0 | work = The New York Times | date = August 19, 2014 | access-date = August 19, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140819234813/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/20/us/ferguson-missouri-protests.html?_r=0 | archive-date = August 19, 2014 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Hartmann|first1=Margaret|title=National Guard Deployed After Chaotic, Violent Night in Ferguson|url=https://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/08/national-guard-called-after-more-ferguson-chaos.html|publisher=NY Magazine |work=Intelligencer |date=August 18, 2014 |access-date=August 18, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819102937/http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/08/national-guard-called-after-more-ferguson-chaos.html|archive-date=August 19, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> A [[Grand juries in the United States|grand jury]] declined to [[indict]] the officer, and the [[U.S. Department of Justice]] concluded, after careful investigation, that the police officer legitimately feared for his safety.<ref>{{cite report |publisher=U.S. Department of Justice |title=Department of Justice Report Regarding the Criminal Investigation Into the Shooting Death of Michael Brown by Ferguson, Missouri Police Officer Darren Wilson |date=March 4, 2015 |url=https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/opa/press-releases/attachments/2015/03/04/doj_report_on_shooting_of_michael_brown_1.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731233723/https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/opa/press-releases/attachments/2015/03/04/doj_report_on_shooting_of_michael_brown_1.pdf |archive-date=July 31, 2017}}</ref> However, in a separate investigation, the Department of Justice also found that the Ferguson Police Department and the City of Ferguson relied on unconstitutional practices in order to balance the city's budget through racially motivated excessive fines and punishments,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Apuzzo|first1=Matt|title=Ferguson Police Routinely Violate Rights of Blacks, Justice Dept. Finds|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/04/us/justice-department-finds-pattern-of-police-bias-and-excessive-force-in-ferguson.html|access-date=March 4, 2015|newspaper=The New York Times|date=March 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150303220058/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/04/us/justice-department-finds-pattern-of-police-bias-and-excessive-force-in-ferguson.html|archive-date=March 3, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> that the Ferguson police "had used excessive and dangerous force and had disproportionately targeted blacks,"<ref>{{cite web |work=NBC News |title=Ferguson Officials Suspended After DOJ Report Have Resigned, City Confirms |date=March 7, 2015 |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/michael-brown-shooting/ferguson-officials-suspended-after-doj-report-have-resigned-city-confirms-n318836 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810233038/http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/michael-brown-shooting/ferguson-officials-suspended-after-doj-report-have-resigned-city-confirms-n318836 |archive-date=August 10, 2017 }}</ref> and that the municipal court "emphasized revenue over public safety, leading to routine breaches of citizens' constitutional guarantees of due process and equal protection under the law."<ref>{{cite web |work=NBC News |title=Report on Ferguson Exposes Broader Effort to Reform Municipal Courts |date=March 3, 2015 |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/michael-brown-shooting/report-ferguson-exposes-broader-effort-reform-municipal-courts-n316716 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810031951/http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/michael-brown-shooting/report-ferguson-exposes-broader-effort-reform-municipal-courts-n316716 |archive-date=August 10, 2017 }}.</ref>

[[2015–16 University of Missouri protests|A series of student protests]] at the [[University of Missouri]] against what the protesters viewed as poor response by the administration to racist incidents on campus began in September 2015.<ref name="colu_Stud">{{Cite news |title=Students march through MU Student Center in protest of racial injustice |last=Naskidashvili |first=Nana |work=Columbia Missourian |date=October 1, 2015 |access-date=November 11, 2015 |url=http://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/higher_education/students-march-through-mu-student-center-in-protest-of-racial/article_4b8e3458-688b-11e5-8412-9b38a4d41eb8.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708052809/http://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/higher_education/students-march-through-mu-student-center-in-protest-of-racial/article_4b8e3458-688b-11e5-8412-9b38a4d41eb8.html |archive-date=July 8, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="them_Seco">{{Cite news |title=Second 'Racism Lives Here' event calls for administration to act on social injustices |last=Plaster |first=Madison |work=The Maneater |date=October 1, 2015 |access-date=November 11, 2015 |url=http://www.themaneater.com/stories/2015/10/1/second-racism-lives-here-event-calls-administratio/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151111035002/http://www.themaneater.com/stories/2015/10/1/second-racism-lives-here-event-calls-administratio/ |archive-date=November 11, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On June 7, 2017, the [[National Association for the Advancement of Colored People]] issued a warning to prospective African-American travelers to Missouri. This is the first NAACP warning ever covering an entire state.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.monaacp.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/170605-NAACP-MO-Travel-Advisory.pdf |title=Urgent–Missouri Travel Advisory |publisher=National Association for the Advancement of Colored People |date=June 7, 2017 |access-date=April 17, 2021 |archive-date=February 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225003952/http://www.monaacp.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/170605-NAACP-MO-Travel-Advisory.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Nancy |last=Coleman |title=NAACP issues its first statewide travel advisory, for Missouri |work=[[CNN]] |date=August 3, 2017 |url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/02/us/naacp-missouri-travel-advisory-trnd/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171028030940/http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/02/us/naacp-missouri-travel-advisory-trnd/index.html |archive-date=October 28, 2017}}</ref> According to a 2018 report by the [[Missouri Attorney General]]'s office, for the past 18 years, "African Americans, Hispanics and other people of color are disproportionately affected by stops, searches and arrests."<ref>{{cite news
|title=Black Drivers Stopped in Missouri at a Rate 85 Percent Higher Than Whites
|first=Alison
|last=Gold
|date=June 1, 2018
|newspaper=[[Riverfront Times]]
|url=https://www.riverfronttimes.com/newsblog/2018/06/01/black-drivers-stopped-in-missouri-at-a-rate-85-percent-higher-than-whites
|access-date=July 5, 2018
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705175738/https://www.riverfronttimes.com/newsblog/2018/06/01/black-drivers-stopped-in-missouri-at-a-rate-85-percent-higher-than-whites
|archive-date=July 5, 2018
|url-status=live
}}</ref> The same report found that the biggest discrepancy was in 2017, when "black motorists were 85% more likely to be pulled over in traffic stops".<ref>{{cite news
|title='Predatory police': the high price of driving while black in Missouri
|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]
|first=Jamiles
|last=Lartey
|date=July 5, 2018
|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jul/05/missouri-driving-while-black-st-louis
|access-date=July 5, 2018
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705140213/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jul/05/missouri-driving-while-black-st-louis
|archive-date=July 5, 2018
|url-status=live
}}</ref>

In 2018, the USDA announced its plans to relocate Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Institute of Food & Agriculture (NIFA) to Kansas City. They have since decided on a specific location in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.<ref>{{Cite press release|url=https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2019/10/31/secretary-perdue-announces-lease-ers-and-nifa-kansas-city-mo|title=Secretary Perdue Announces Lease for ERS and NIFA in Kansas City, MO|publisher=US Department of Agriculture|date=October 31, 2019|access-date=December 22, 2019|archive-date=December 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222130126/https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2019/10/31/secretary-perdue-announces-lease-ers-and-nifa-kansas-city-mo|url-status=live}}</ref> With the addition of the KC Streetcar project and construction of the Sprint Center Arena, the downtown area in KC has attracted investment in new offices, hotels, and residential complexes. Both Kansas City and St. Louis are undergoing a rebirth in their downtown areas with the addition of the new Power & Light (KC) and Ballpark Village (STL) districts and the renovation of existing historical buildings in each downtown area.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kmov.com/news/nearly-billion-in-development-underway-in-st-louis-city/article_5da13736-0571-11e9-bd69-cbe203940e16.html|title=Nearly $8 billion in development underway in St. Louis City|website=KMOV.com|access-date=December 22, 2019|archive-date=December 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222130126/https://www.kmov.com/news/nearly-billion-in-development-underway-in-st-louis-city/article_5da13736-0571-11e9-bd69-cbe203940e16.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The 2019 announcement of an MLS expansion team in St. Louis is driving even more development in the downtown west area of St. Louis.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2019/11/07/mls-updates-a-timeline-for-a-team-name-and-how-the.html#g/458875/28|date=November 7, 2019|first=Erik|last=Siemers|work=St. Louis Business Journal|title=MLS: A timeline for a team name & how the stadium project expanded|access-date=December 22, 2019|archive-date=September 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919034227/https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2019/11/07/mls-updates-a-timeline-for-a-team-name-and-how-the.html#g/458875/28|url-status=live}}</ref> Kansas City has experienced a boom in population, with new developments such as Three Light apartments being centered in [[Downtown Kansas City]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://flatlandkc.org/people-places/migration-patterns-kansas-city/ |title=Is Kansas City's Population Growing? |website=Flatland |last=Huth |first=Lindsay |date=September 3, 2018 |access-date=October 2, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://fox4kc.com/business/three-light-apartment-tower-set-to-open-soon-in-downtown-kansas-city/ |title=Three Light apartment tower set to open soon in downtown Kansas City |date=August 17, 2023 |work=Fox 4 ([[WDAF-TV]]) |last=Kittilstad |first=Jacob |access-date=September 2, 2024 |archive-date=September 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240902001934/https://fox4kc.com/business/three-light-apartment-tower-set-to-open-soon-in-downtown-kansas-city/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> as well as suburban development in the [[Northland, Kansas City|Northland]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://fox4kc.com/business/kansas-citys-northland-booms-as-more-people-search-for-land-cheaper-homes/ |title=Kansas City's Northland booms as more people search for land, cheaper homes |last=Cagle |first=Ellen |date=September 9, 2022 |work=Fox 4 ([[WDAF-TV]]) |access-date=September 2, 2024 |archive-date=September 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927124416/https://fox4kc.com/business/kansas-citys-northland-booms-as-more-people-search-for-land-cheaper-homes/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[File:Greatestshowunderearth.jpg|thumb|[[Meramec Caverns]]]]

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Missouri}}

Missouri borders eight different states, a figure equaled only by its neighbor, [[Tennessee]]. Missouri is bounded by [[Iowa]] on the north; by [[Illinois]], [[Kentucky]], and Tennessee across the Mississippi River on the east; on the south by [[Arkansas]]; and by [[Oklahoma]], [[Kansas]], and [[Nebraska]] (the last across the Missouri River) on the west. Whereas the northern and southern boundaries are straight lines, the [[Missouri Bootheel]] extends south between the [[St. Francis River|St. Francis]] and the [[Mississippi River|Mississippi]] rivers. The two largest rivers are the Mississippi (which defines the eastern boundary of the state) and the Missouri River (which flows from west to east through the state), essentially connecting the two largest metros of Kansas City and St. Louis.

Although today it is usually considered part of the [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.midwest.htm |title=Midwest Region Economy at a Glance |publisher=Bls.gov |access-date=July 31, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100917003753/http://bls.gov/eag/eag.midwest.htm |archive-date=September 17, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> Missouri was historically seen by many as a [[Border states (American Civil War)|border state]], chiefly because of the settlement of migrants from the South and its status as a slave state before the Civil War, balanced by the influence of St. Louis. The counties that made up "[[Little Dixie (Missouri)|Little Dixie]]" were those along the Missouri River in the center of the state, settled by Southern migrants who held the greatest concentration of slaves.

In 2005, Missouri received 16,695,000 visitors to its national parks and other recreational areas totaling {{convert|101000|acre|km2}}, giving it $7.41&nbsp;million in annual revenues, 26.6% of its operating expenditures.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite book |title=''Almanac of the 50 States'' (Missouri) |publisher=Information Publications (Woodside, California) |year=2008 |page=203}}</ref>

===Topography===
[[File:US mo physiographic map.jpg|thumb|A physiographic map of Missouri]]
North of, and in some cases just south of, the Missouri River lie the Northern Plains that stretch into Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas. Here, rolling hills remain from the [[glaciation]] that once extended from the Canadian Shield to the Missouri River. Missouri has many large river bluffs along the Mississippi, Missouri, and [[Meramec River]]s. Southern Missouri rises to the [[Ozark Mountains]], a [[dissected plateau]] surrounding the [[Precambrian]] [[igneous]] [[St. Francois Mountains]]. This region also hosts [[karst topography]] characterized by high limestone content with the formation of sinkholes and caves.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mostateparks.com/karst.htm |title=Missouri's Karst Wonderland—Missouri State Parks and Historic Sites, DNR |publisher=Mostateparks.com |date=June 6, 2008 |access-date=February 20, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100228195535/http://www.mostateparks.com/karst.htm |archive-date=February 28, 2010 }}</ref>

The southeastern part of the state is known as the [[Missouri Bootheel]] region, which is part of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain or [[Mississippi embayment]]. This region is the lowest, flattest, warmest, and wettest part of the state. It is also among the poorest, as the economy there is mostly agricultural.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ded.mo.gov/researchandplanning/community/misc/sa-1102-1.stm |title=Income Inequality in Missouri |publisher=Ded.mo.gov |date=December 21, 2001 |access-date=July 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107144051/http://ded.mo.gov/researchandplanning/community/misc/sa-1102-1.stm |archive-date=January 7, 2010 }}</ref> It is also the most fertile, with cotton and rice crops predominant. The Bootheel was the epicenter of the four [[1811–12 New Madrid earthquakes|New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811 and 1812]].

[[File:Bell Mountain.jpg|center|thumb|upright=2|The [[Bell Mountain Wilderness]] of southern Missouri's [[Mark Twain National Forest]]]]

===Climate===
{{Main|Climate of Missouri}}

[[File:Missouri Köppen.svg|thumb|Köppen climate types of Missouri]]

Missouri generally has a [[humid continental climate]] with cool, sometimes cold, winters and hot, humid, and wet summers. In the southern part of the state, particularly in the [[Missouri Bootheel|Bootheel]], the climate becomes [[humid subtropical climate|humid subtropical]]. Located in the interior United States, Missouri often experiences extreme temperatures. Without high mountains or oceans nearby to moderate temperature, its climate is alternately influenced by air from the cold Arctic and the hot and humid Gulf of Mexico. Missouri's highest recorded temperature is {{convert|118|F|C}} at [[Warsaw, Missouri|Warsaw]] and [[Union, Missouri|Union]] on July 14, 1954, while the lowest recorded temperature is {{convert|-40|F|C}} also at Warsaw on February 13, 1905.

Located in [[Tornado Alley]], Missouri also receives extreme weather in the form of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. On May 22, 2011, a [[2011 Joplin tornado|massive EF-5 tornado]] killed 158 people and destroyed roughly one-third of the city of [[Joplin, Missouri|Joplin]]. The tornado caused an estimated $1–3&nbsp;billion in damages, killed 159 people and injured more than a thousand. It was the first EF5 to hit the state since 1957 and the deadliest in the U.S. since 1947, making it the seventh deadliest tornado in American history and 27th deadliest in the world. [[St. Louis]] and its suburbs also have a history of experiencing particularly severe tornadoes, the most recent one of note being an EF4 that damaged [[Lambert-St. Louis International Airport]] on April 22, 2011. [[1896 St. Louis–East St. Louis tornado|One of the worst tornadoes in American history]] struck St. Louis on May 27, 1896, killing at least 255 people and causing $10&nbsp;million in damage (equivalent to $3.9&nbsp;billion in 2009 or ${{Formatprice| {{Inflation|US|3900000000|2009|r=2}}}} in today's dollars).

{| class="wikitable" "text-align:center;font-size:88%;"
| colspan="16" style="text-align:center;font-size:120%;background:#E8EAFA;"|'''Monthly normal high and low temperatures for various Missouri cities in °F (°C).'''
|-
! City !! Avg. !! Jan!! Feb!! Mar!! Apr!! May!! Jun!! Jul!! Aug!! Sep!! Oct!! Nov!! Dec !!Year !!
|-
{{Average temperature table/row/F| [[Columbia, Missouri|Columbia]]|High|37 44 55 66 75 84 89 87 79 68 53 42 65.0}}
{{Average temperature table/row/F| Columbia|Low|18 23 33 43 53 62 66 64 55 44 33 22 43.0}}
|-
{{Average temperature table/row/F| [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]]|High|36 43 54 65 75 84 89 87 79 68 52 40 64.4}}
{{Average temperature table/row/F| Kansas City|Low|18 23 33 44 54 63 68 66 57 46 33 22 44.0}}
|-
{{Average temperature table/row/F| [[Springfield, Missouri|Springfield]]|High|42 48 58 68 76 85 90 90 81 71 56 46 67.6}}
{{Average temperature table/row/F| Springfield|Low|22 26 35 44 53 62 67 66 57 46 35 26 45.0}}
|-
{{Average temperature table/row/F| [[St. Louis]]|High|40 45 56 67 76 85 89 88 80 69 56 43 66.2}}
{{Average temperature table/row/F| St. Louis|Low|24 28 37 47 57 67 71 69 61 49 38 27 48.0}}
|-
| colspan="16" style="text-align:center;font-size:90%;background:#E8EAFA;"|Source:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ustravelweather.com/weather-missouri/ |title=Missouri Weather And Climate |access-date=July 17, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110505201459/http://www.ustravelweather.com/missouri |archive-date=May 5, 2011 }}</ref>
<!--<ref name="weather.com">{{cite web
|url=http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USMO0787?from=36hr_bottomnav_undeclared |title=Average Weather for St. Louis, MO—Temperature and Precipitation |publisher=Weather.com |access-date=December 31, 2011}}</ref>-->
|}

===Flora and fauna===
{{Main|Wildlife of Missouri}}

{{multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| total_width       = 230
| image1            = Lake Ozarks aerial view.jpg
| caption1          = The [[Lake of the Ozarks]] is one of several man-made lakes in Missouri, created by the damming of several rivers and tributaries.
| image2            = Lower Missouri River.jpg
| caption2          = Missouri River near [[Rocheport, Missouri]]
}}

Missouri is home to diverse [[flora]] and [[fauna]], including several [[Endemism|endemic]] species.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Missouri's High Country|url=https://mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2005/10/missouris-high-country|access-date=June 19, 2020|website=Missouri Department of Conservation|archive-date=June 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622033327/https://mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2005/10/missouris-high-country|url-status=dead}}</ref> There is a large amount of [[fresh water]] present due to the [[Mississippi River]], [[Missouri River]], [[Table Rock Lake]] and [[Lake of the Ozarks]], with numerous smaller tributary rivers, streams, and lakes. North of the Missouri River, the state is primarily rolling hills of the [[Great Plains]], whereas south of the Missouri River, the state is dominated by the Oak-Hickory [[Central U.S. hardwood forest]].

Recreational and commercial uses of public forests, including grazing, logging, and mining, increased after World War{{spaces}}II. Fishermen, hikers, campers, and others started lobbying to protect forest areas with a "wilderness character". During the 1930s and 1940s, [[Aldo Leopold]], [[Arthur Carhart]] and [[Bob Marshall (wilderness activist)|Bob Marshall]] developed a "wilderness" policy for the Forest Service. Their efforts bore fruit with the [[Wilderness Act of 1964]], which designated wilderness areas "where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by men, where man himself is a visitor and does not remain." This included [[secondary forest|second growth]] public forests like the [[Mark Twain National Forest]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Farmer |first1=Charles J. |title=A Personal Guide to Missouri Wilderness |date=1999 |publisher=University of Missouri Press |pages=9–13}}</ref>

===Counties===
{{See also|List of counties in Missouri}}

Missouri has 114 counties and one [[Independent city (United States)|independent city]], [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]]. The three largest counties by population are [[St. Louis County, Missouri|St. Louis]] (1,004,125), [[Jackson County, Missouri|Jackson]] (717,204), and [[St. Charles County, Missouri|St. Charles]] (406,262); [[Worth County, Missouri|Worth County]] has the smallest population (1,973). The largest counties by area are [[Texas County, Missouri|Texas]] at {{Convert|1,179|sqmi|km2}} and [[Shannon County, Missouri|Shannon]] at {{Convert|1,004|sqmi|km2}}, while Worth County is the smallest at {{Convert|266|sqmi|km2}}. The city of St. Louis, with 5,140 people per square mile, is the most densely populated [[administrative unit]] in the state, St. Louis County is the most densely populated county with 1,943 people per square mile, and Worth County is the most sparsely populated with approximately 7 people per square mile.

===Cities and towns===
{{See also|List of cities in Missouri|List of towns and villages in Missouri}}

Jefferson City is the capital city of Missouri, while the state's five largest cities are Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield, [[Columbia, Missouri|Columbia]], and Independence.<ref name=largest />

St. Louis is the principal city of the largest metropolitan area in Missouri, composed of 17 counties and the independent city of St. Louis; eight of its counties are in Illinois. As of 2022, St. Louis was the [[United States metropolitan area#Top|21st-largest metropolitan area]] in the nation with 2.80&nbsp;million people. If ranked using [[Combined Statistical Area]], it is also the [[Table of United States Combined Statistical Areas|21st-largest with 2.91 million people]] in 2022. Some of the major cities making up the St. Louis metro area in Missouri are [[O'Fallon, Missouri|O'Fallon]], [[St. Charles, Missouri|St. Charles]], [[St. Peters, Missouri|St. Peters]], [[Florissant, Missouri|Florissant]], [[Chesterfield, Missouri|Chesterfield]], [[Wentzville, Missouri|Wentzville]], [[Wildwood, Missouri|Wildwood]], [[University City, Missouri|University City]], [[Ballwin, Missouri|Ballwin]], and [[Kirkwood, Missouri|Kirkwood]].

Kansas City is Missouri's largest city and the principal city of the fourteen-county [[Kansas City Metropolitan Area|Kansas City Metropolitan Statistical Area]], including five counties in the state of Kansas. As of 2022, it was the 31st-largest metropolitan area in the U.S., with 2.21&nbsp;million people. In the [[Combined Statistical Area]] in 2022, it ranked 29th with 2.55&nbsp;million. Some of the other major cities comprising the Kansas City metro area in Missouri include [[Independence, Missouri|Independence]], [[Lee's Summit, Missouri|Lee's Summit]], [[Blue Springs, Missouri|Blue Springs]], [[Liberty, Missouri|Liberty]], [[Raytown, Missouri|Raytown]], [[Gladstone, Missouri|Gladstone]], [[Grandview, Missouri|Grandview]], and [[Belton, Missouri|Belton]].

Springfield is Missouri's third-largest city and the principal city of the [[Springfield-Branson, Missouri metropolitan area|Springfield-Branson Metropolitan Area]], which has a population of 549,423 and includes seven counties in southwestern Missouri. [[Branson, Missouri|Branson]] is a major tourist attraction in the [[The Ozarks|Ozarks]] in southwest Missouri. Some of the other major cities comprising the Springfield-Branson metro area include [[Nixa, Missouri|Nixa]], [[Ozark, Missouri|Ozark]], and [[Republic, Missouri|Republic]].

{{Largest cities
| country = Missouri
| stat_ref = Source:<ref name=largest>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/data/datasets/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html |title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020–2022 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=January 4, 2024 |archive-date=September 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928171234/https://www.census.gov/data/datasets/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
| list_by_pop =
| div_name =
| div_link = Counties of Missouri{{!}}County
| city_1 = Kansas City, Missouri{{!}}Kansas City
| div_1 = Kansas City, Missouri{{!}}Jackson, Clay, Platte, and Cass
| pop_1 = 509,297

| city_2 = St. Louis, Missouri{{!}}St. Louis
| div_2 = St. Louis, Missouri{{!}}Independent city
| pop_2 = 286,578

| city_3 = Springfield, Missouri{{!}}Springfield
| div_3 = Greene County, Missouri{{!}}Greene
| pop_3 = 170,067

| city_4 = Columbia, Missouri{{!}}Columbia
| div_4 = Boone County, Missouri{{!}}Boone
| pop_4 = 128,555

| city_5 = Independence, Missouri{{!}}Independence
| div_5 = Jackson County, Missouri{{!}}Jackson
| pop_5 = 121,202
| city_6 = Lee's Summit, Missouri{{!}}Lee's Summit
| div_6 = Jackson County, Missouri{{!}}Jackson and Cass
| pop_6 = 103,465
| city_7 = O'Fallon, Missouri{{!}}O'Fallon
| div_7 = Saint Charles County, Missouri{{!}}St. Charles
| pop_7 = 93,663
| city_8 = St. Charles, Missouri{{!}}St. Charles
| div_8 = Saint Charles County, Missouri{{!}}St. Charles
| pop_8 = 71,184
| city_9 = St. Joseph, Missouri{{!}}St. Joseph
| div_9 = Buchanan County, Missouri{{!}}Buchanan
| pop_9 = 70,656
| city_10 = Blue Springs, Missouri{{!}}Blue Springs
| div_10 = Jackson County, Missouri{{!}}Jackson
| pop_10 = 59,518
}}

==Demographics==
{{See also|African Americans in Missouri}}
{{US Census population
|1810= 19783
|1820= 66586
|1830= 140455
|1840= 383702
|1850= 682044
|1860= 1182012
|1870= 1721295
|1880= 2168380
|1890= 2679185
|1900= 3106665
|1910= 3293335
|1920= 3404055
|1930= 3629367
|1940= 3784664
|1950= 3954653
|1960= 4319813
|1970= 4676501
|1980= 4916686
|1990= 5117073
|2000= 5595211
|2010= 5988927
|2020= 6154913
| estyear = 2025
| estimate = 6270541
| estref = <ref>{{Cite web |title=QuickFacts: Indiana |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/IN | website=Census.gov | publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=December 20, 2024}}</ref>
|align-fn=center
|footnote=Source: 1910–2020<ref>{{cite web |title=Historical Population Change Data (1910–2020) |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html |website=Census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=May 1, 2021 |archive-date=April 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429012609/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
}}

The [[United States Census Bureau]] estimates that the population of Missouri was 6,137,428 on July 1, 2019, a 2.48% increase since the [[2010 United States Census|2010 United States census]].<ref name="PopEstUS">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/MO,US/PST045219|title=QuickFacts Missouri; UNITED STATES|website=2019 Population Estimates|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division|date=February 6, 2019|access-date=February 6, 2019|archive-date=January 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103003640/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/MO,US/PST045219|url-status=live}}</ref>

Missouri had a population of 5,988,927, according to the 2010 census; an increase of 137,525 (2.3 percent) since the year 2010. From 2010 to 2018, this includes a natural increase of 137,564 people since the last census (480,763 births less 343,199 deaths) and an increase of 88,088 people due to net [[Human migration|migration]] into the state. [[Immigration to the United States|Immigration]] from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 50,450 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 37,638 people. More than half of Missourians (3,294,936 people, or 55.0%) live within the state's two largest metropolitan areas—[[Missouri census statistical areas|St. Louis and Kansas City]]. The state's population density of 86.9 people per square mile in 2009, was also [[List of U.S. states by population density|closer to the national average (86.8 in 2009) than any other state]]. The top countries of origin for Missouri's immigrants in 2018 were [[Mexico]], [[China]], [[India]], [[Vietnam]] and [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/immigrants_in_missouri.pdf|title=Immigrants in Missouri|access-date=January 4, 2024|archive-date=March 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230324160126/https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/immigrants_in_missouri.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to [[United States Department of Housing and Urban Development|HUD]]'s 2022 [[Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress|Annual Homeless Assessment Report]], there were an estimated 5,992 [[Homelessness|homeless]] people in Missouri.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2007-2022 PIT Counts by State |url=https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |access-date=March 11, 2023 |archive-date=March 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314020239/https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress |url=https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf |access-date=March 11, 2023 |archive-date=March 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311234217/https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{multiple image
| align             = center
| total_width       = 400
| image1            = Missouri population density 2020.png
| caption1          = Missouri population density map
| image2            = Missouri population pyramid.webp
| caption2          = Missouri [[population pyramid]]
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Missouri – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 1980<ref name=1980Census>{{Cite web|title=1980 Census of Population - General Social and Economic Characteristics - Missouri- Table 16 - Persons by Spanish Origin, Race, and Sex: 1980 |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1980/volume-1/missouri/1980a_moabc-02.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|pages=20–25}}</ref>
!Pop 1990<ref>{{Cite web |title=1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Missouri: Table 5 - Race and Hispanic Origin |website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1990/cp-1/cp-1-27.pdf|access-date=|pages=13–63}}</ref>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Missouri|url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=040XX00US29&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|website=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date= }}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Missouri|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=040XX00US29&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date= }}</ref>
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Missouri|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=040XX00US29&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date= }}</ref>
!% 1980
!% 1990
!% 2000
!% 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|4,311,598
|4,448,465
|4,686,474
|4,850,748
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4,663,907
|87.69%
|86.93%
|83.76%
|81.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |75.78%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|510,885
|545,527
|625,667
|687,149
|style='background: #ffffe6; |692,774
|10.39%
|10.66%
|11.18%
|11.47%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |11.26%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|12,310
|18,873
|23,302
|24,062
|style='background: #ffffe6; |23,496
|0.25%
|0.37%
|0.42%
|0.40%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.38%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|23,088
|40,087
|61,041
|97,221
|style='background: #ffffe6; |132,158
|0.47%
|0.78%
|1.09%
|1.62%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.15%
|-
|[[Native Hawaiian]] or [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census</ref>
|x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census</ref>
|2,939
|5,763
|style='background: #ffffe6; |9,293
|x
|x
|0.05%
|0.10%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.15%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other race]] alone (NH)
|7,152
|2,419
|5,291
|5,372
|style='background: #ffffe6; |22,377
|0.15%
|0.05%
|0.09%
|0.09%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.36%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or Multiracial]] (NH)
|x <ref>not an option in the 1980 Census</ref>
|x <ref>not an option in the 1990 Census</ref>
|71,905
|106,142
|style='background: #ffffe6; |307,840
|x
|x
|1.29%
|1.77%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.00%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|51,653
|61,702
|118,592
|212,470
|style='background: #ffffe6; |303,068
|1.05%
|1.21%
|2.12%
|3.55%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.92%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''4,916,686'''
|'''5,117,073'''
|'''5,595,211'''
|'''5,988,927'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''6,154,913 '''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}

The U.S. census of 2010 found that the [[Mean center of United States population|population center]] of the United States is in [[Texas County, Missouri|Texas County]], while the 2000 census found the mean population center to be in [[Phelps County, Missouri|Phelps County]]. The [[center of population]] of Missouri is in [[Osage County, Missouri|Osage County]], in the city of [[Westphalia, Missouri|Westphalia]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Population and Population Centers by State |year=2000 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=December 5, 2008 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011212170351/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 12, 2001 }}</ref>

In 2004, the population included 194,000 foreign-born people (3.4 percent of the state population).

The five largest ancestry groups in Missouri are: [[German American|German]] (27.4 percent), [[Irish American|Irish]] (14.8 percent), [[English American|English]] (10.2 percent), [[American ancestry|American]] (8.5 percent) and [[French American|French]] (3.7 percent).
[[File:Ethnic Origins in Missouri.png|thumb|upright=1.2|Ethnic origins in Missouri]]
[[File:Ethnic origins in Missouri (2020).jpg|thumb|Largest alone or in any combination ethnic origin by county in Missouri, per the 2020 census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/detailed-race-ethnicities-2020-census.html|title=Detailed Races and Ethnicities in the United States and Puerto Rico: 2020 Census|website=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>]]
German Americans are an ancestry group present throughout Missouri. African Americans are a substantial part of the population in St. Louis (56.6% of African Americans in the state lived in [[St. Louis]] or [[St. Louis County, Missouri|St. Louis County]] as of the 2010 census), Kansas City, Boone County and in the southeastern Bootheel and some parts of the Missouri River Valley, where plantation agriculture was once important. Missouri [[Creole peoples|Creoles]] of French ancestry are concentrated in the [[Mississippi River Valley]] south of St. Louis (see [[Missouri French]]). Kansas City is home to large and growing immigrant communities from Latin America esp. [[Mexico]] and [[Colombia]], Africa (i.e. [[Sudan]], Somalia and [[Nigeria]]), and Southeast Asia including China and the [[Philippines]]; and Europe like the former [[Yugoslavia]] (see [[Bosnian American]]). A notable [[Cherokee]] Indian population exists in Missouri, and 30,518 identified as being Native American alone in 2020, while 152,917 did in combination with one or more other races.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html|title=Race and Ethnicity in the United States: 2010 Census and 2020 Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|website=Census.gov}}</ref>

In 2004, 6.6 percent of the state's population was reported as younger than{{nbsp}}5, 25.5 percent younger than 18, and 13.5 percent 65 or older. Females were approximately 51.4 percent of the population. 81.3 percent of Missouri residents were high school graduates (more than the national average), and 21.6 percent had a bachelor's degree or higher. 3.4 percent of Missourians were foreign-born, and 5.1 percent reported speaking a language other than English at home.

In 2010, there were 2,349,955 households in Missouri, with 2.45 people per household. The homeownership rate was 70.0 percent, and the median value of an owner-occupied housing unit was $137,700. The median household income for 2010 was $46,262, or $24,724 per capita. There was 14.0 percent (1,018,118) of Missourians living below the poverty line in 2010.

The mean commute time to work was 23.8 minutes.
[[File:Missouri counties by race.svg|thumb|Map of counties in Missouri by racial plurality, per the 2020 U.S. census
{{Collapsible list
| title = Legend|{{col-begin}}{{col-2}}

'''Non-Hispanic White'''

{{legend|#cc4125|50–60%}}

{{legend|#a61c00|60–70%}}

{{legend|#85200c|70–80%}}

{{legend|#5b0f00|80–90%}}

{{legend|#410b00|90%+}}

{{col-2}}

'''Black or African American'''

{{legend|#ffe599|40–50%}}

{{col-end}}
}}|172x172px]]

===Birth data===
In 2011, 28.1% of Missouri's population younger than age{{nbsp}}1 were minorities.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2012/06/americas_under_age_1_populatio.html|title=Americans under age 1 now mostly minorities, but not in Ohio: Statistical Snapshot|last=Exner|first=Rich|date=June 3, 2012|work=[[The Plain Dealer]]|access-date=August 17, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160714084214/http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2012/06/americas_under_age_1_populatio.html|archive-date=July 14, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

''Note: Births in table do not add up, because Hispanics are counted both by their ethnicity and by their race, giving a higher overall number.''
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;"
|+ Live Births by Single Race/Ethnicity of Mother
|-
! [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|Race]]
! 2013<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr64_01.pdf |title=data |website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |access-date=September 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925215939/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr64_01.pdf |archive-date=September 25, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>
! 2014<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr64_12.pdf |title=data |website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |access-date=September 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926014027/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr64_12.pdf |archive-date=September 26, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>
! 2015<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr66_01.pdf |title=data |website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |access-date=September 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926014144/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr66_01.pdf |archive-date=September 26, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>
! 2016<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_01.pdf |title=data |website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |access-date=May 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180603002249/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_01.pdf |archive-date=June 3, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>
! 2017<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_08-508.pdf |title=Births: Final Data for 2017 |website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |access-date=February 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201210916/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_08-508.pdf |archive-date=February 1, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>
! 2018<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_13-508.pdf |title=Data |website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |access-date=December 21, 2019 |archive-date=November 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191128161211/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_13-508.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
! 2019<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/nvsr70-02-508.pdf |title=Data |website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |access-date=March 30, 2021 |archive-date=June 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623200707/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/nvsr70-02-508.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
! 2020<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/nvsr70-17.pdf |title=Data |website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |access-date=February 20, 2022 |archive-date=February 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210175206/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/NVSR70-17.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
! 2021<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr72/nvsr72-01.pdf |title=Data |website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |access-date=February 3, 2022 |archive-date=February 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201003942/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr72/nvsr72-01.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
! 2022<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr73/nvsr73-02.pdf |title=Data |website=www.cdc.gov |access-date=April 5, 2024 |archive-date=April 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240404230758/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr73/nvsr73-02.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
! 2023<ref>
{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr74/nvsr74-1.pdf |title=Data |website=www.cdc.gov |access-date=April 11, 2025}}</ref>
|-
| [[Non-Hispanic whites|White]]
| 57,361 (76.2%)
| 57,150 (75.8%)
| 57,092 (76.1%)
| 55,455 (74.2%)
| 53,800 (73.7%)
| 53,697 (73.3%)
| 52,523 (72.8%)
| 50,190 (72.4%)
| 50,705 (73.0%)
| 49,846 (72.3%)
| 48,538 (72.3%)
|-
| [[African Americans|Black]]
| 11,722 (15.6%)
| 11,783 (15.6%)
| 11,660 (15.5%)
| 10,445 (14.0%)
| 10,495 (14.4%)
| 10,589 (14.4%)
| 10,501 (14.6%)
| 10,156 (14.6%)
| 9,443 (13.6%)
| 9,188 (13.3%)
| 8,506 (12.7%)
|-
| [[Asian Americans|Asian]]
| 2,075 (2.8%)
| 2,186 (2.9%)
| 2,129 (2.8%)
| 1,852 (2.5%)
| 1,773 (2.4%)
| 1,698 (2.3%)
| 1,814 (2.5%)
| 1,610 (2.3%)
| 1,625 (2.3%)
| 1,684 (2.4%)
| 1,543 (2.3%)
|-
| [[Pacific Islands Americans|Pacific Islander]]
| ...
| ...
| ...
| 199 (0.3%)
| 183 (0.3%)
| 199 (0.3%)
| 228 (0.3%)
| 249 (0.3%)
| 246 (0.3%)
| 265 (0.4%)
| 260 (0.4%)
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian]]
| 402 (0.5%)
| 423 (0.6%)
| 359 (0.5%)
| 156 (0.2%)
| 167 (0.2%)
| 140 (0.2%)
| 145 (0.2%)
| 163 (0.2%)
| 184 (0.2%)
| 160 (0.2%)
| 169 (0.2%)
|-
| ''[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic]]'' (any race)
| ''3,931'' (5.2%)
| ''3,959'' (5.3%)
| ''4,042'' (5.4%)
| ''4,136'' (5.5%)
| ''4,156'' (5.7%)
| ''4,409'' (6.0%)
| ''4,386'' (6.1%)
| ''4,469'' (6.4%)
| ''4,606'' (6.6%)
| ''5,224'' (7.6%)
| ''5,518'' (8.2%)
|-
| '''Total'''
| '''75,296''' (100%)
| '''75,360''' (100%)
| '''75,061''' (100%)
| '''74,705''' (100%)
| '''73,034''' (100%)
| '''73,269''' (100%)
| '''72,127''' (100%)
| '''69,285''' (100%)
| '''69,453''' (100%)
| '''68,985''' (100%)
| '''67,123''' (100%)
|}

* Since 2016, data for births of [[White Hispanic and Latino Americans|White Hispanic]] origin are not collected, but included in one ''Hispanic'' group; persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

===Language===
[[File:US-Population-Center-Illinois-and-Missouri.png|left|thumb|The population center for the United States has been in Missouri since 1980.  As of 2020, it is near [[Interstate 44 in Missouri]] as it approaches [[Springfield, Missouri|Springfield]].]]

The vast majority of people in Missouri speak English. Approximately 5.1% of the population reported speaking a language other than English at home. The Spanish language is spoken in small Latino communities in the St. Louis and Kansas City Metro areas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cambio.missouri.edu/Library/Publications/2006-08CambioDeColoresAbstractsBookWEB.pdf|title=Latinos in Missouri|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525203034/http://www.cambio.missouri.edu/Library/Publications/2006-08CambioDeColoresAbstractsBookWEB.pdf|archive-date=May 25, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

Missouri is home to an endangered dialect of the French language known as [[Missouri French]]. Speakers of the dialect, who call themselves ''[[Creole peoples|Créoles]]'', are descendants of the French pioneers who settled the area then known as the [[Illinois Country]] beginning in the late 17th century. It developed in isolation from French speakers in Canada and [[Louisiana]], becoming quite distinct from the varieties of [[Canadian French]] and [[Louisiana French]]. Once widely spoken throughout the area, Missouri French is now nearly extinct, with only a few elderly speakers able to use it.<ref name= Ammon>{{cite book|title= Status and Function of Languages and Language Varieties|last1= Ammon|first1= Ulrich|year= 1989|publisher= Walter de Gruyter|isbn= 978-0-89925-356-5|pages= 306–8|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=geh261xgI8sC|access-date= September 3, 2010|archive-date= December 20, 2012|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121220231510/http://books.google.com/books?id=geh261xgI8sC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0|url-status= live}}; International Sociological Association.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1= Carrière|first1= J-M|year= 1939|title= Creole Dialect of Missouri |journal=American Speech |volume= 14 |issue= 2|pages= 109–19|jstor= 451217|doi=10.2307/451217}}</ref>

===Religion===
{{Pie chart
| thumb = right
| caption = Religion in Missouri (2014)<ref name="pew2014">{{cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/missouri/|title=Religious Landscape Study|date=May 11, 2015|access-date=August 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905090451/http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/missouri/|archive-date=September 5, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
| label1 = [[Protestantism]]
| value1 = 58
| color1 = DodgerBlue
| label2 = [[Roman Catholicism]]
| value2 = 16
| color2 = #d4213d
| label3 = [[Mormonism]]
| value3 = 1
| color3 = DeepSkyBlue
| label4 = Other Christian
| value4 = 2
| color4 = Aquamarine
| label5 = [[Irreligious|No religion]]
| value5 = 20
| color5 = Honeydew
| label6 = [[Buddhism]]
| value6 = 1
| color6 = Gold
| label7 = Other religion
| value7 = 2
| color7 = Orange
}}
According to a Pew Research study<ref name="pew2014" /> conducted in 2014, 80% of Missourians identify with a religion. 77% affiliate with Christianity and its various denominations and the other 3% are adherents of non-Christian religions. The remaining 20% have no religion, with 2% specifically identifying as atheists and 3% identifying as agnostics (the other 15% do not identify as "anything in particular").

The religious demographics of Missouri are as follows:
* Christian 77%
** Protestant 58%
*** Evangelical Protestant 36%
*** Mainline Protestant 16%
*** Historically Black Protestant 6%
** Catholic 16%
** Mormon 1%
** Orthodox Christian <1%
** Jehovah's Witness <1%
** Other Christian <1%
* Non-Christian Religions 3%
** Jewish <1%
** Muslim <1%
** Buddhist 1%
** Hindu <1%
** Other World Religions <1%
* Unaffiliated (No religion) 20%
** Atheist 2%
** Agnostic 3%
** Nothing in particular 15%
* Don't know <1%

The largest denominations by number of adherents in 2010 were the [[Southern Baptist Convention]] with 749,685; the [[Roman Catholic Church]] with 724,315; and the [[United Methodist Church]] with 226,409.<ref name="www.thearda.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/29/rcms2010_29_state_adh_2010.asp |title=The Association of Religion Data Archives &#124; State Membership Report |publisher=www.thearda.com |access-date=November 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202233840/http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/29/rcms2010_29_state_adh_2010.asp |archive-date=December 2, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Among the other denominations there are approximately 93,000 Mormons in 253 congregations, 25,000 Jewish adherents in 21 [[synagogue]]s, 12,000 Muslims in 39 [[masjid]]s, 7,000 Buddhists in 34 temples, 20,000 Hindus in 17 temples, 2,500 [[Unitarian Universalism|Unitarians]] in nine congregations, 2,000 of the [[Baháʼí Faith]] in 17 temples, five [[Sikh]] temples, a [[Zoroastrian]] temple, a [[Jain]] temple and an uncounted number of [[neopagans]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Fox apologizes for comments on Wiccans at University of Missouri|author=Kellie Moore|publisher=Religious News Service|url=http://www.religionnews.com/2013/02/25/fox-apologizes-for-comments-on-wiccans-at-university-of-missouri/|date=February 25, 2013|access-date=December 23, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224122607/http://www.religionnews.com/2013/02/25/fox-apologizes-for-comments-on-wiccans-at-university-of-missouri/|archive-date=December 24, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

Several religious organizations have headquarters in Missouri, including the [[Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod]], which has its headquarters in [[Kirkwood, Missouri|Kirkwood]], as well as the [[United Pentecostal Church International]] in [[Hazelwood, Missouri|Hazelwood]], both outside St. Louis.

[[Independence, Missouri|Independence]], near Kansas City, is the headquarters for the [[Community of Christ]] (formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), the [[Church of Christ (Temple Lot)]] and the group [[Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints|Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]. This area and other parts of Missouri are also of significant religious and historical importance to [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church), which maintains several sites and visitor centers.

[[Springfield, Missouri|Springfield]] is the headquarters of the [[Assemblies of God USA]] and the [[Baptist Bible Fellowship International]]. The [[General Association of General Baptists]] has its headquarters in [[Poplar Bluff, Missouri|Poplar Bluff]]. The [[Unity Church]] is headquartered in [[Unity Village, Missouri|Unity Village]]. Springfield is particularly known as a Christian center in the state<ref>{{Cite web|last=Pokin|first=Steve|title=Which do we have more of? Churches or Chinese restaurants?|url=https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/local/ozarks/2018/02/09/pokin-around-whos-no-1-springfield-which-do-we-have-more/310688002/|access-date=March 22, 2021|website=Springfield News-Leader|archive-date=April 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415182328/https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/local/ozarks/2018/02/09/pokin-around-whos-no-1-springfield-which-do-we-have-more/310688002/|url-status=live}}</ref> and is considered by some to be a "buckle" of the [[Bible Belt]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Springfield Area Congregations Study: Profile and Community Engagement|url=https://sociology.missouristate.edu/Assets/soc-ant/SpringfieldCongregationsStudy_small.pdf|url-status=live|access-date=March 22, 2021|archive-date=April 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415182330/https://sociology.missouristate.edu/Assets/soc-ant/SpringfieldCongregationsStudy_small.pdf}}</ref>

The [[Hindu Temple of St. Louis]] is the largest Hindu Temple in Missouri, serving more than 14,000 Hindus.

==Economy==
{{See also|Missouri locations by per capita income}}
[[File:Missouri quarter, reverse side, 2003.jpg|thumb|upright|Missouri State quarter featuring the [[Lewis and Clark Expedition]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usmint.gov/coins/coin-medal-programs/50-state-quarters/missouri |title=Missouri State Quarter |publisher=United States Mint |access-date=September 21, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-date=November 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118235752/https://www.usmint.gov/coins/coin-medal-programs/50-state-quarters/missouri }}</ref>]]
* Total employment in 2016: 2,494,720
* Total Number of employer establishments in 2016: 160,912<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/MO |title=Missouri |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=November 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101090051/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/MO |archive-date=November 1, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2025, the [[Bureau of Economic Analysis]] estimated Missouri's [[gross domestic product|gross state product]] was $468.4 billion and the state's [[per capita personal income in the United States|per capita personal income]] was $67,587.<ref>{{cite web |title=SASUMMARY State annual summary statistics: personal income, GDP, consumer spending, price indexes, and employment |url=https://apps.bea.gov/itable/?ReqID=70&step=1&_gl=1*5t5jhs*_ga*MTMwNTU5NTYxMC4xNzc2ODY1NjY1*_ga_J4698JNNFT*czE3NzczMzE3MTEkbzI0JGcxJHQxNzc3MzMyMzEyJGo1NCRsMCRoMA..#eyJhcHBpZCI6NzAsInN0ZXBzIjpbMSwyOSwyNSwzMSwyNiwyNywzMF0sImRhdGEiOltbIlRhYmxlSWQiLCI2MDAiXSxbIk1ham9yX0FyZWEiLCIwIl0sWyJTdGF0ZSIsWyIwIl1dLFsiQXJlYSIsWyIyOTAwMCJdXSxbIlN0YXRpc3RpYyIsWyItMSJdXSxbIlVuaXRfb2ZfbWVhc3VyZSIsIkxldmVscyJdLFsiWWVhciIsWyIyMDI1Il1dLFsiWWVhckJlZ2luIiwiLTEiXSxbIlllYXJfRW5kIiwiLTEiXV19 |website=U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis |access-date=April 29, 2026}}</ref> 

Major industries include [[agriculture]], [[aerospace]], [[Vehicles|transportation equipment]], [[food processing]], [[chemical industry|chemicals]], printing/publishing, [[electrical equipment]], [[light manufacturing]], and financial services.

The agriculture products of the state are beef, [[soybeans]], pork, [[dairy products]], [[hay]], [[maize|corn]], poultry, [[sorghum]], [[cotton]], [[rice]], and [[Egg (food)|eggs]]. Missouri is ranked sixth in the nation for the production of hogs and seventh for cattle. Missouri is ranked in the top five states in the nation for production of soy beans, and it is ranked fourth in the nation for the production of rice. In 2001, there were 108,000 farms, the second-largest number in any state after Texas. Missouri actively promotes its rapidly growing [[Missouri wine|wine industry]]. According to the Missouri Partnership, Missouri's agriculture industry contributes $33&nbsp;billion in GDP to Missouri's economy, and generates $88&nbsp;billion in sales and more than 378,000 jobs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.missouripartnership.com/industry-strengths/global-agtech-leader/|title=Missouri Partnership {{!}} Economic Development {{!}} Global Agtech Leader|website=www.missouripartnership.com|access-date=May 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525202724/http://www.missouripartnership.com/industry-strengths/global-agtech-leader/|archive-date=May 25, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2025, [[Small business|small businesses]] made up 99.4% of Missouri businesses, and employed 1.1 million people, or 44.4% of the state's workforce.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2025 Small Business Profile - Missouri |url=https://advocacy.sba.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Missouri_2025-State-Profile.pdf |access-date=February 17, 2026 |website=U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy}}</ref>

[[File:Gateway Arch edit1.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Gateway Arch]] in St. Louis]]
Missouri has vast quantities of [[limestone]]. Other resources mined are lead, coal, and crushed [[Rock (geology)|stone]]. Missouri produces the most lead of all the states. Most of the lead mines are in the [[Lead Belt|central eastern portion]] of the state. Missouri also ranks first or near first in the production of [[Lime (mineral)|lime]], a key ingredient in [[Portland cement]].

Missouri also has a growing science, agricultural technology, and biotechnology field. [[Monsanto]], formerly one of the largest biotech companies in America, was based in [[St. Louis]] until it was acquired by [[Bayer AG]] in 2018. It is now part of the Crop Science Division of [[Bayer Corporation]], Bayer's U.S. subsidiary.

Tourism, services, and wholesale/retail trade follow manufacturing in importance; tourism benefits from the many rivers, lakes, caves, and parks throughout the state. In addition to a network of state parks, Missouri is home to [[Gateway Arch National Park]] in St. Louis and the [[Ozark National Scenic Riverways]]. A much-visited show cave is [[Meramec Caverns]], near [[Stanton, Missouri|Stanton]].

[[File:New Federal Reserve Bank Kansas City MO.jpg|thumb|Missouri is the only state to have two main [[Federal Reserve Bank]]s ([[Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City|Kansas City]] bank pictured).]]
Missouri is the only state in the Union to have two [[Federal Reserve Bank]]s: one in [[Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City|Kansas City]] (serving western Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Colorado, northern New Mexico, and Wyoming) and one in [[Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis|St. Louis]] (serving eastern Missouri, southern Illinois, southern Indiana, western Kentucky, western Tennessee, northern Mississippi, and all of Arkansas).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.federalreserve.gov/OTHERFRB.HTM |title=FRB: Federal Reserve Districts and Banks |publisher=Federalreserve.gov |date=December 13, 2005 |access-date=February 20, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130826151002/http://www.federalreserve.gov/otherfrb.htm |archive-date=August 26, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The state's unemployment rate as of May 2025 was 4.0 percent.<ref>{{Cite web |last=staff |first=CNBC com |date=2025-07-10 |title=34. Missouri |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/10/missouri-top-states-for-business-ranking.html |access-date=2026-01-16 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref> In 2017, Missouri became a right-to-work state,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.missouripartnership.com/governor-greitens-signs-right-to-work-into-missouri-law/|title=Governor Greitens Signs Right To Work into Missouri Law—Missouri Partnership|website=www.missouripartnership.com|date=February 6, 2017|access-date=May 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525212023/http://www.missouripartnership.com/governor-greitens-signs-right-to-work-into-missouri-law/|archive-date=May 25, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> but in August 2018, Missouri voters rejected a [[right-to-work law]] with 67% to 33%.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fox2now.com/2018/08/07/right-to-work-overturned-as-prop-a-fails/|title=Right-to-work overturned as Prop A fails|date=August 8, 2018|access-date=August 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809060334/https://fox2now.com/2018/08/07/right-to-work-overturned-as-prop-a-fails/|archive-date=August 9, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/07/politics/missouri-right-to-work-vote/index.html/ |title=Unions notch win in deep-red Missouri with rejection of right-to-work law |last=Watkins |first=Eli |work=CNN |access-date=August 10, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180810105132/https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/07/politics/missouri-right-to-work-vote/index.html |archive-date=August 10, 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2018/08/07/missouri-voters-reject-right-to-work.html |title=Missouri voters reject right-to-work, McCulloch loses, Stenger wins |date=2018 |work=St. Louis Business Journal |access-date=August 10, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215023921/https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2018/08/07/missouri-voters-reject-right-to-work.html |archive-date=February 15, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Taxation===
{{main|Taxation in Missouri}}

Personal [[Income tax|income]] is taxed in ten different earning brackets, ranging from 1.5% to 6.0%. Missouri's state [[sales tax]] rate for most items is 4.225%, with some additional local levies. More than 2,500 Missouri local governments rely on [[property tax]]es levied on real property (real estate) and [[personal property]].

Most personal property is exempt, except for motorized vehicles. Exempt real estate includes property owned by governments and property used as nonprofit cemeteries, exclusively for religious worship, for schools and colleges, and purely charitable purposes. There is no [[inheritance tax]] and limited Missouri [[estate tax]] related to [[Estate tax (United States)|federal estate tax]] collection.

In 2017, the Tax Foundation rated Missouri as having the fifth-best corporate tax index,<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://taxfoundation.org/2017-state-business-tax-climate-index|title=2017 State Business Tax Climate Index—Tax Foundation|date=September 28, 2016|work=Tax Foundation|access-date=May 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170516153755/https://taxfoundation.org/2017-state-business-tax-climate-index|archive-date=May 16, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> and the 15th-best overall tax climate.<ref name=":0" /> Missouri's corporate income tax rate is 6.25%; however, 50% of federal income tax payments may be deducted before computing taxable income, leading to an effective rate of 5.2%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.missouripartnership.com/prime-business-location/low-business-costs/|title=Missouri Partnership {{!}} Economic Development {{!}} Location {{!}} Low Business Costs|website=missouripartnership.com|access-date=May 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525213301/http://www.missouripartnership.com/prime-business-location/low-business-costs/|archive-date=May 25, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Energy===

In 2012, Missouri had roughly 22,000 MW of installed electricity generation capacity.<ref name=EIAMissouri>{{cite web |url=http://www.eia.gov/electricity/state/Missouri/ |title=Missouri Electricity Profile 2012 |publisher=U.S. Energy Information Administration |date=May 1, 2014 |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429173448/http://www.eia.gov/electricity/state/missouri/ |archive-date=April 29, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2011, 82% of Missouri's electricity was generated by [[Fossil-fuel power station|coal]].<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=https://www.ded.mo.gov/energy/docs/Missouri_Energy_Profile_9_6_2012a.pdf|title=Missouri Energy Profile|author=National Association for State Energy Officials and the Kentucky Department for Energy Development and Independence|access-date=July 14, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140603002338/http://ded.mo.gov/energy/docs/Missouri_Energy_Profile_9_6_2012a.pdf|archive-date=June 3, 2014}}</ref> Ten percent was generated from the state's only [[nuclear power plant]],<ref name="autogenerated1" /> the [[Callaway Nuclear Generating Station|Callaway Plant]] in Callaway County, northeast of [[Jefferson City]]. Five percent was generated by [[natural gas]].<ref name="autogenerated1" /> One percent was generated by [[hydroelectric]] sources,<ref name="autogenerated1" /> such as the dams for [[Truman Reservoir|Truman Lake]] and [[Lake of the Ozarks]]. Missouri has a small but growing amount of wind and solar power—wind capacity increased from 309 MW in 2009 to 459 MW in 2011, while photovoltaics have increased from 0.2 MW to 1.3 MW over the same period.<ref>[http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/wind_installed_capacity.asp U.S. Installed Wind Capacity] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140314233108/http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/wind_installed_capacity.asp |date=March 14, 2014 }}</ref><ref name="Sherwood, Larry">{{cite web|url=http://irecusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IREC-Solar-Market-Trends-Report-2010_7-27-10_web1.pdf|title=U.S. Solar Market Trends 2009|last=Sherwood |first=Larry|publisher=Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC)|date=July 2010|access-date=July 28, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100925184512/http://irecusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IREC-Solar-Market-Trends-Report-2010_7-27-10_web1.pdf|archive-date=September 25, 2010}}</ref> As of 2016, Missouri's solar installations had reached 141 MW.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.missouripartnership.com/industry-strengths/empowered-energy-solutions/|title=Missouri Partnership {{!}} Economic Development {{!}} Empowered Energy Solutions|website=www.missouripartnership.com|access-date=May 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170523182113/http://www.missouripartnership.com/industry-strengths/empowered-energy-solutions/|archive-date=May 23, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Oil well]]s in Missouri produced 120,000 barrels of [[crude oil]] in fiscal 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dnr.mo.gov/geology/geosrv/ogc/|title=Geologicaly Survey Program—Oil and Gas in Missouri|author=Missouri Department of Natural Resources|access-date=July 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130716084546/http://www.dnr.mo.gov/geology/geosrv/ogc/|archive-date=July 16, 2013|url-status=live|author-link=Missouri Department of Natural Resources}}</ref> There are no oil refineries in Missouri.<ref name="Sherwood, Larry" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_pnp_cap1_dcu_smo_a.htm|title=Petroleum and Other Liquids—Number and Capacity of Petroleum Refineries|author=United States Energy Information Administration|access-date=July 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140529123304/http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_pnp_cap1_dcu_smo_a.htm|archive-date=May 29, 2014|url-status=live|author-link=United States Energy Information Administration}}</ref>

==Culture==

===Music===
{{main|Music of Missouri}}

[[File:The Gem Theatre.jpg|thumb|The historic Gem Theatre, located in Kansas City's renowned [[18th and Vine Jazz District]]]]

Many well-known musicians were born or have lived in Missouri. These include guitarist and rock pioneer [[Chuck Berry]], singer and actress [[Josephine Baker]], "Queen of Rock" [[Tina Turner]], pop singer-songwriter [[Sheryl Crow]], [[Michael McDonald (singer)|Michael McDonald]] of the [[Doobie Brothers]], rap producer [[Metro Boomin]], and rappers [[Nelly]], [[Chingy]], and [[Akon]], all of whom are either current or former residents of St. Louis.

Country singers from Missouri include Perryville native [[Chris Janson]], [[New Franklin, Missouri|New Franklin]] native [[Sara Evans]], [[St. Francois County, Missouri|Cantwell]] native [[Ferlin Husky]], [[West Plains, Missouri|West Plains]] native [[Porter Wagoner]], [[Tyler Farr]] of [[Garden City, Missouri|Garden City]], and [[Mora, Missouri|Mora]] native [[Leroy Van Dyke]], along with bluegrass musician [[Rhonda Vincent]], a native of [[Greentop, Missouri|Greentop]]. Rapper [[Eminem]] was born in St. Joseph and also lived in Savannah and Kansas City. Ragtime composer [[Scott Joplin]] lived in St. Louis and Sedalia. Jazz saxophonist [[Charlie Parker]] lived in Kansas City. Rock and Roll singer [[Steve Walsh (musician)|Steve Walsh]] of the group [[Kansas (band)|Kansas]] was born in St. Louis and grew up in St. Joseph. Singer-songwriter [[Chappell Roan]] was born in [[Willard, Missouri|Willard]], and used to perform in the [[Springfield metropolitan area, Missouri|Springfield metropolitan area]] from 2012 to 2015, before signing up with her first label.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Roan |first=Chappell |date=August 31, 2013 |title=Kayleigh Rose has many upcoming shows in the next few months! Check her out at the following venues: Cider Days- Walnut Street - in front of the Walnut Street Inn September 21 & 22- Saturday and Sunday 11:00-11:30. First Friday Art Walk October 4 - RSVPaint First Friday Art Walk November 1- Nomad Friday, November 15th - The Bean in Bolivar Friday, December 20th - The Bean in Bolivar -Special Christmas Show! More information to follow, but mark your calendars now to be sure you don't miss her! |url=https://www.facebook.com/share/p/JQhh89wxM2soJaeD |access-date=October 19, 2024 |via=[[Facebook]]}}</ref>

The [[Kansas City Symphony]] and the [[St. Louis Symphony Orchestra]] are the state's major orchestras. The latter is the nation's second-oldest symphony orchestra and achieved prominence in recent years under conductor [[Leonard Slatkin]]. [[Branson, Missouri|Branson]] is well known for its music theaters, most of which bear the name of a star performer or musical group.

===Literature===
[[File:TwainBoyhoodHomeMuseum.jpg|thumb|[[Mark Twain]]'s boyhood home in [[Hannibal, Missouri|Hannibal]]]]

Missouri is the native state of [[Mark Twain]]. His novels ''[[The Adventures of Tom Sawyer]]'' and ''[[The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn]]'' are set in his boyhood hometown of [[Hannibal, Missouri|Hannibal]]. Authors [[Kate Chopin]], [[T. S. Eliot]] and [[Tennessee Williams]] were from St. Louis. Kansas City-born writer [[William Least Heat-Moon]] resides in [[Rocheport, Missouri|Rocheport]]. He is best known for ''[[Blue Highways]]'', a chronicle of his travels to small towns across America, which was on The New York Times Bestseller list for 42 weeks in 1982–1983. Novelist [[Daniel Woodrell]], known for depicting life in the Missouri Ozarks, was born in Springfield and lives in West Plains.

===Sports===
{{Main|Sports in Missouri}}

{{multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| total_width       = 230
| image1            = Art Wall KC Chiefs Westport Alehouse.jpg
| caption1          = A mural honoring the [[Kansas City Chiefs]] on the wall of the Westport Alehouse in Kansas City
| image2            = Busch Pano 2022.jpg
| caption2          = [[Busch Stadium]], where the [[St. Louis Cardinals]] play
}}

Missouri hosted the [[1904 Summer Olympics]] in [[St. Louis]], the first time the games were hosted in the United States.

Professional major league teams:
* [[Major League Baseball|MLB]]: '''[[St. Louis Cardinals]]''', '''[[Kansas City Royals]]'''
* [[National Football League|NFL]]: '''[[Kansas City Chiefs]]'''
* [[National Hockey League|NHL]]: '''[[St. Louis Blues]]'''
* [[Major League Soccer|MLS]]: '''[[St. Louis City SC]]'''

Former professional major league teams:
* '''[[National Football League]]''':
** [[St. Louis Cardinals (NFL)|St. Louis Cardinals]] (moved from Chicago in 1960; moved to [[Tempe, Arizona]], in 1988 and are now the [[Arizona Cardinals]])
** [[St. Louis All Stars]] (active in 1923 only)
** [[Kansas City Blues/Cowboys]] (active 1924–1926, folded)
** [[St. Louis Gunners]] (independent team, joined the NFL for the last three weeks of the 1934 season and folded thereafter)
** [[St. Louis Rams]] 1995–2015 moved from Los Angeles and then back to Los Angeles
* '''[[Major League Baseball]] ([[American League]])''':
** [[St. Louis Browns]] (moved from [[Milwaukee]] in 1902; moved to [[Baltimore]], Maryland after the 1953 season and are now the [[Baltimore Orioles]])
** [[Kansas City Athletics]] (moved from [[Philadelphia]] in 1955; moved to [[Oakland]], California after the 1967 season and are now the [[Oakland Athletics]])
* '''[[National Basketball Association]]''':
** [[St. Louis Bombers (NBA)|St. Louis Bombers]] (charter [[Basketball Association of America|BAA]] franchise in 1946, joined the NBA when it formed in 1949; ceased operations in 1950)
** [[St. Louis Hawks]] (moved from [[Milwaukee]] in 1955; moved to [[Atlanta]] in 1968 and are now the [[Atlanta Hawks]])
** [[Kansas City Kings]] (moved from [[Cincinnati]] in 1972; moved to [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]] in 1985 and are now the [[Sacramento Kings]]; prior to locating in Kansas City, they were known as the [[Cincinnati Royals]])
* '''[[National Hockey League]]''':
** [[Kansas City Scouts]] (1974 expansion team, moved to [[Denver]], Colorado in 1976 and became the [[Colorado Rockies (NHL)|Colorado Rockies]], and would move again to [[Newark, New Jersey]]; now called the [[New Jersey Devils]])
** [[St. Louis Eagles]] (1934 relocation of the [[Ottawa Senators (original)|original Ottawa Senators]], folded after the 1934–35 season)
* '''[[Major League Soccer]]''':
** [[Sporting Kansas City#Early years (1996–1999)|Kansas City Wiz/Kansas City Wizards]] (founded in 1995, but moved from [[Kansas City, Missouri]], to [[Kansas City, Kansas]], in 2010 and became [[Sporting Kansas City]])

=== Heritage ===
[[Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park|Ste. Geneviève National Historical Park]], which preserves the story of Missouri's oldest permanent European settlement.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Missouri's Historic Sites {{!}} Research Starters {{!}} EBSCO Research |url=https://www.ebsco.com/ |access-date=2025-09-12 |website=EBSCO |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Missouri's Historic Places and Famous Faces |url=https://www.visitmo.com/itineraries/missouris-historic-sites-and-famous-faces |access-date=2025-09-12 |website=Visit Missouri |language=en-US}}</ref> The park's historic buildings, like the [[Amoureux House]], showcase rare [[French colonial architecture|French Colonial architecture]], including a unique "poteaux-en-terre" or "post-in-ground" construction style.<ref>{{Citation |title=Ste. Genevieve |date=2020-11-03 |work=Show Me Small-Town Missouri |pages=216–218 |url=https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv153k6h0.80 |access-date=2025-09-12 |publisher=Indiana University Press |doi=10.2307/j.ctv153k6h0.80 |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Burkhardt |first1=Jesse |last2=Richardson |first2=Leslie |last3=Enriquez |first3=Aaron |last4=Lallament |first4=Luc |date=2025 |title=Economic Benefits of the U.S. National Park System: Travel Costs, Machine Learning, and Social Surplus |url=https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5175381 |access-date=2025-09-12 |website=doi.org |doi=10.2139/ssrn.5175381 }}</ref>

==Government and politics==
{{Main|Government of Missouri|List of governors of Missouri}}

{{Missouri Government}}
{{multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| total_width       = 230
| image1            = MissouriCapitol.jpg
| caption1          = The [[Missouri State Capitol]] in [[Jefferson City, Missouri|Jefferson City]]
| image2            = Missouri-governor-mansion.jpg
| caption2          = The [[Missouri Governor's Mansion]] is included in the [[Missouri State Capitol Historic District]].
}}

The Constitution of Missouri, the fourth constitution for the state, was adopted in 1945. It provides for three branches of government: the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. The legislative branch consists of two bodies: the [[Missouri House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] and the [[Missouri Senate|Senate]]. These bodies comprise the [[Missouri General Assembly]].

The House of Representatives has 163 members apportioned based on the last [[United States Census|decennial census]]. The Senate consists of 34 members from districts of approximately equal populations. The judicial department comprises the [[Supreme Court of Missouri]], which has seven judges, the [[Missouri Court of Appeals]] (an intermediate [[appellate court]] divided into three districts), sitting in Kansas City, St. Louis, and Springfield, and 45 Circuit Courts which function as local trial courts. The executive branch is headed by the [[List of Governors of Missouri|Governor of Missouri]] and includes five other statewide elected offices. Following the departure from office of State Auditor [[Nicole Galloway]] on January 9, 2023, there are no Democrats holding statewide elected positions in Missouri.<ref>[https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2023-01-09/scott-fitzpatrick-sworn-in-as-missouri-auditor-vows-to-monitor-school-spending "Scott Fitzpatrick sworn in as Missouri Auditor, vows to monitor school spending"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230110135817/https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2023-01-09/scott-fitzpatrick-sworn-in-as-missouri-auditor-vows-to-monitor-school-spending |date=January 10, 2023 }}, [[KCUR]], January 9, 2023</ref>

[[Harry S Truman]] (1884–1972), the 33rd President of the United States (Democrat, 1945–1953), was born in [[Lamar, Missouri|Lamar]]. He was a judge in [[Jackson County, Missouri|Jackson County]] and then [[List of United States senators from Missouri|represented the state]] in the [[United States Senate]] for ten years, before being elected vice-president in [[1944 United States presidential election|1944]]. He lived in Independence after retiring as president in 1953.

In a 2020 study, Missouri was ranked as 48th on the [[Cost of Voting Index]] with only Texas and Georgia ranking higher.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=J. Pomante II |first1=Michael |last2=Li |first2=Quan |title=Cost of Voting in the American States: 2020 |journal=Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics, and Policy |date=December 15, 2020 |volume=19 |issue=4 |pages=503–509 |doi=10.1089/elj.2020.0666 |s2cid=225139517 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

Missouri retains the [[death penalty]]. Authorized methods of execution include the [[gas chamber]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions/methods-of-execution | title=Methods of Execution | access-date=March 20, 2023 | archive-date=July 1, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701043600/https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/methods-execution | url-status=live }}</ref> [[Abortion in Missouri]] is legal as a result of [[2024 Missouri Amendment 3]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/state_news/abortion-is-again-legal-in-missouri-but-availability-hinges-on-judges-ruling/article_97f86670-b367-11ef-af47-47a4a088fdd8.html|title=Abortion is again legal in Missouri, but availability hinges on judge's ruling|date=December 6, 2024|first1=Anna|last1=Spoerre|website=Columbia Missourian}}</ref>

===Former status as a political bellwether===
{{Main|Missouri bellwether}}

{{further|Political party strength in Missouri}}
[[File:Missouri Presidential Election Results 2024.svg|thumb|2024 United States presidential election results by county {{leftlegend|#4389E3|Democratic}}{{leftlegend|#AA0000|Republican}}]]

Prior to 2008, Missouri had been widely regarded as a bellwether in American politics, often making it a [[swing state]]. The state had a longer stretch of supporting the winning presidential candidate than any other state, having voted for the winning candidate in every election from 1904 to 2004 with a single exception: [[1956 United States presidential election|1956]] when Democratic candidate [[Adlai Stevenson II|Adlai Stevenson]] of neighboring Illinois lost the election despite carrying Missouri. However, since 2000, Missouri has always voted for the Republican presidential candidate, with the last Democrat winning the state being [[1996 United States presidential election in Missouri|Bill Clinton in 1996]]. Missouri voted for [[John McCain]] and [[Mitt Romney]] over Democrat [[Barack Obama]] of neighboring Illinois, despite Obama being elected to the Presidency in both 2008 and 2012. Missouri voted for [[Mitt Romney]] by nearly 10% in 2012 and voted for [[Donald Trump]] by over 18% in 2016 and 2024, and 15% in 2020.

On October 24, 2012, there were 4,190,936 registered voters.<ref name="registered">{{cite web |url=http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/registeredvoters.asp?rvmID=0012 |title=Registered Voters in Missouri 2012 |publisher=Missouri Secretary of State |date=October 24, 2012 |access-date=October 28, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025023240/http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/registeredvoters.asp?rvmID=0012 |archive-date=October 25, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> At the state level, both Democratic Senator [[Claire McCaskill]] and Democratic Governor [[Jay Nixon]] were re-elected.

On November 3, 2020, there were 4,318,758 registered voters, with 3,026,028 voting (70.1%).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sos.mo.gov/CMSImages/ElectionResultStatistics/Nov2020OfficialVoterTurnout.pdf |title=Voter Turnout Report: 2020 General Election |publisher=Missouri Secretary of State |date=December 8, 2020 |access-date=June 14, 2021 }}{{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>  By this time, the state had favored more Republican candidates for federal offices.  The offices held by Democratic party officials a decade before were subsequently held by Republican Senator [[Josh Hawley]] and Republican Governor [[Mike Parson]].

Missouri's accuracy rate for the last 29 presidential elections is now 89.66%. This percentage is on par with that of Ohio, which has voted for the winner of every presidential election since 1896, except in [[1944 United States presidential election|1944]], [[1960 United States presidential election|1960]] and [[2020 United States presidential election|2020]].

===Alcohol and tobacco laws===
{{Main|Alcohol laws of Missouri|List of smoking bans in the United States#Missouri}}

Missouri has been known for its population's generally "stalwart, conservative, noncredulous" attitude toward regulatory regimes, which is one of the origins of the state's unofficial nickname, the "Show-Me State".<ref name="Slogan" /> As a result, and combined with the fact that Missouri is one of America's leading alcohol states, regulation of alcohol and tobacco in Missouri is among the most [[laissez-faire]] in America. In 2013, the [[Mercatus Center]] ranked Missouri third for alcohol freedom and first for tobacco freedom.<ref name=gmufreedom>{{cite web |url=http://freedominthe50states.org/overall/missouri |title=''Freedom in the 50 States-Missouri'' |author=Mercatus Center |date=March 28, 2013 |website=Freedom in the 50 States |publisher=[[George Mason University]] |access-date=March 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130407162026/http://freedominthe50states.org/overall/missouri |archive-date=April 7, 2013 |url-status=live |author-link=Mercatus Center }}</ref> The state's alcohol laws are notably lax, with no blue laws, low taxes, and broad access to alcohol in locations like drugstores and gas stations. Additionally, Missouri's tobacco laws are equally permissive, including the lowest cigarette excise tax in the nation.<ref name=gmufreedom /> Missouri law makes it "an improper employment practice" for an employer to refuse to hire, to fire, or otherwise to disadvantage any person because that person lawfully uses alcohol or tobacco products outside of work.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://moga.mo.gov/statutes/C200-299/2900000145.HTM |title=Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.145 |publisher=Moga.mo.gov |date=August 28, 2009 |access-date=July 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100808034636/http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/C200-299/2900000145.HTM |archive-date=August 8, 2010 }}</ref>

With a large German immigrant population and the development of a brewing industry, Missouri always has had among the most permissive [[alcohol laws of the United States by state|alcohol laws in the United States]]. It has never enacted statewide [[prohibition in the United States|prohibition]]. Missouri has no statewide [[United States open container laws|open container law]] or prohibition on [[drinking in public]], no alcohol-related [[blue law]]s, no [[local option]], no precise locations for selling liquor by the package (allowing even [[drug store]]s and [[filling station]]s to sell any kind of liquor), and no differentiation of laws based on alcohol percentage. State law protects persons from arrest or criminal penalty for [[public intoxication]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://moga.mo.gov/statutes/C000-099/0670000305.HTM |title=Mo. Rev. Stat. § 67.305 |publisher=Moga.mo.gov |date=August 28, 2009 |access-date=July 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100701093303/http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/C000-099/0670000305.HTM |archive-date=July 1, 2010 }}</ref>

Missouri law expressly prohibits any jurisdiction from going [[dry county|dry]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://moga.mo.gov/statutes/C300-399/3110000170.HTM |title=Mo. Rev. Stat. § 311.170 |publisher=Moga.mo.gov |date=August 28, 2009 |access-date=July 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100830160839/http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/C300-399/3110000170.HTM |archive-date=August 30, 2010 }}</ref> Missouri law also expressly allows parents and guardians to serve alcohol to their children.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://moga.mo.gov/statutes/C300-399/3110000310.HTM |title=Mo. Rev. Stat. § 311.310 |publisher=Moga.mo.gov |date=August 28, 2009 |access-date=July 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527124105/http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/C300-399/3110000310.HTM |archive-date=May 27, 2010 }}</ref> The [[Power & Light District]] in Kansas City is one of the few places in the United States where a state law explicitly allows persons over 21 to possess and consume open containers of alcohol in the street (as long as the beverage is in a plastic cup).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://moga.mo.gov/statutes/C300-399/3110000086.HTM |title=Mo. Rev. Stat. § 311.086 |publisher=Moga.mo.gov |date=August 28, 2009 |access-date=July 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100829203656/http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/C300-399/3110000086.HTM |archive-date=August 29, 2010 }}</ref>

Missouri had the lowest cigarette excise taxes in the United States in 2016, at 17 cents per pack,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0097.pdf |title=State Cigarette Excise Tax Rates |access-date=November 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161004215627/http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0097.pdf |archive-date=October 4, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the state electorate voted in 2002, 2006, 2012, and twice in 2016 to keep it that way.<ref>"A burning issue", ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'', November 12, 2006</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/missouri-keeps-tobacco-tax-as-the-lowest-in-the-nation/article_636bb3bb-4634-5eea-adf7-51f16cc0b333.html|title=Missouri keeps tobacco tax as the lowest in the nation|first=Tim|last=O'Neil|website=stltoday.com|date=November 6, 2012 |access-date=February 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180713143016/https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/missouri-keeps-tobacco-tax-as-the-lowest-in-the-nation/article_636bb3bb-4634-5eea-adf7-51f16cc0b333.html|archive-date=July 13, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> According to the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]], in 2008 Missouri had the fourth highest percentage of adult smokers among U.S. states, at 24.5%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/brfss/list.asp?cat=TU&yr=2008&qkey=4396&state=All |title=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System—Adults who are current smokers", September 19, 2008 |publisher=Apps.nccd.cdc.gov |date=May 15, 2009 |access-date=July 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100310192932/http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/brfss/list.asp?cat=TU&yr=2008&qkey=4396&state=All |archive-date=March 10, 2010 }}</ref> Although federal law prohibits the sale of tobacco to persons under 21, tobacco products can be distributed to persons under 21 by family members on private property.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://moga.mo.gov/statutes/C400-499/4070000931.HTM |title=Mo. Rev. Stat. § 407.931.3 |publisher=Moga.mo.gov |access-date=July 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100815012627/http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/C400-499/4070000931.HTM |archive-date=August 15, 2010 }}</ref>

No statewide [[smoking ban]] ever has been seriously entertained before the [[Missouri General Assembly]], and in October 2008, a statewide survey by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services found that only 27.5% of Missourians support a statewide ban on smoking in all bars and restaurants.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dhss.mo.gov/County_level_study/header.php?cnty=929&profile_type=2&chkBox=C |title=Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, ''County Level Survey 2007: Secondhand Smoke for Missouri Adults'', October 1, 2008 |publisher=Dhss.mo.gov |access-date=July 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216141745/http://www.dhss.mo.gov/County_level_study/header.php?cnty=929&profile_type=2&chkBox=C |archive-date=December 16, 2008 }}</ref> Missouri state law permits restaurants seating less than 50 people, bars, bowling alleys, and billiard parlors to decide their own smoking policies, without limitation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://moga.mo.gov/statutes/C100-199/1910000769.HTM |title=Mo. Rev. Stat. § 191.769 |publisher=Moga.mo.gov |date=August 28, 2009 |access-date=July 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111210110244/http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/C100-199/1910000769.HTM |archive-date=December 10, 2011 }}</ref>

===Cannabis laws===
{{See also|Cannabis in Missouri}}

In 2014, a Republican-led legislature and Democratic governor [[Jay Nixon]] enacted a series of laws to partially decriminalize possession of cannabis by making first-time possession of up to 10 grams no longer punishable with jail time and legalizing [[Cannabidiol|CBD]] oil. In November 2018, [[Cannabis in Missouri|66% of voters approved]] a constitutional amendment that established a right to medical marijuana and a system for licensing, regulating, and taxing medical marijuana.

==Education==
{{More citations needed section|date=August 2020}}
{{Main|Education in Missouri}}

{{Further|Missouri Virtual Instruction Program}}
{{external media | width = 210px | headerimage = [[File:Westminister College gym from NE 1.JPG|210px]] | float = right | video1 = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Hr9gyOVJYM&list=TL4qgywHm9Vt3C-vp93BZxQK7D55YBIGI_ Missouri], Westminster College Gymnasium in Fulton, Missouri}}

The [[Missouri State Board of Education]] has general authority over all public education in the state of Missouri. It is made up of eight citizens appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Missouri Senate.

===Primary and secondary schools===
{{See also|List of school districts in Missouri|List of high schools in Missouri}}

Education is compulsory from ages seven to seventeen. It is required that any parent, guardian, or another person with custody of a child between the ages of seven and seventeen, the compulsory attendance age for the district, must ensure the child is enrolled in and regularly attends public, private, parochial school, home school or a combination of schools for the full term of the school year. Compulsory attendance also ends when children complete sixteen credits in high school.

Children in Missouri between the ages of five and seven are not required to be enrolled in school. However, if they are enrolled in a public school, their parent, guardian, or custodian must ensure they regularly attend.

Missouri schools are commonly but not exclusively divided into three tiers of primary and secondary education: elementary school, [[middle school]] or [[junior high school]] and high school. The public school system includes kindergarten to 12th grade. District territories are often complex in structure. In some cases, elementary, middle, and junior high schools of a single district feed into high schools in another district. As another example, special education and related services for students in the twenty-two school districts of St. Louis County are provided by staff employed by a special school district, a local education agency that serves students county-wide. High school athletics and competitions are governed by the [[Missouri State High School Activities Association]] (MSHSAA).

[[Homeschooling]] is legal in Missouri and is an option to meet the compulsory education requirement. It is neither monitored nor regulated by the state's Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.<ref>{{cite web |author=Missouri Department Of Elementary And Secondary Education |url=http://www.dese.mo.gov/schoollaw/HomeSch/ |title=Home Schooling |publisher=Dese.mo.gov |date=September 2, 2009 |access-date=February 20, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514195922/http://dese.mo.gov/schoollaw/HomeSch/ |archive-date=May 14, 2011 }}</ref>

Another gifted school is the [[Missouri Academy of Science, Mathematics and Computing]], which is at the [[Northwest Missouri State University]].

===Colleges and universities===
{{See also|List of colleges and universities in Missouri|List of defunct colleges and universities in Missouri}}
{{multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| total_width       = 230
| image1            = University of Missouri - Jesse Hall.jpg
| caption1          = [[Jesse Hall]] on the [[University of Missouri]] campus
| image2            = Brookings.jpg
| caption2          = Brookings Hall at [[Washington University in St. Louis]]
}}

The [[University of Missouri System]] is Missouri's statewide public university system. The flagship institution and largest university in the state is the [[University of Missouri]] in [[Columbia, Missouri|Columbia]]. The others in the system are [[University of Missouri–Kansas City]], [[University of Missouri–St. Louis]], and [[Missouri University of Science and Technology]] in [[Rolla, Missouri|Rolla]].

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the state established a series of [[normal school]]s in each region of the state, originally named after the geographic districts: Northeast Missouri State University (now [[Truman State University]]) (1867), Central Missouri State University (now the [[University of Central Missouri]]) (1871), [[Southeast Missouri State University]] (1873), Southwest Missouri State University (now [[Missouri State University]]) (1905), [[Northwest Missouri State University]] (1905), [[Missouri Western State University]] (1915), [[Maryville University]] (1872) and [[Missouri Southern State University]] (1937). [[Lincoln University (Missouri)|Lincoln University]] and [[Harris–Stowe State University]] were established in the mid-nineteenth century and are [[historically black colleges and universities]].

Among private institutions [[Washington University in St. Louis]] and [[Saint Louis University (United States)|Saint Louis University]] are two top ranked schools in the US.<ref>"[http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/t1natudoc_brief.php America's Best Colleges 2008: National Universities: Top Schools.]" USNews.com: . January 18, 2008. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080730131502/http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/t1natudoc_brief.php |date=July 30, 2008 }}</ref> There are numerous junior colleges, trade schools, church universities, and other private universities in the state. Founded in 1858, [[Hannibal–LaGrange University]] in Hannibal, Missouri, was one of the first colleges west of the Mississippi.<ref>{{cite web |author=Don Colborn, PhD |url=http://www.hlg.edu/newsinfo/about.php |title=HLGU—About HLG |publisher=Hlg.edu |access-date=December 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111122153408/http://www.hlg.edu/newsinfo/about.php |archive-date=November 22, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[A.T. Still University]] was the first [[osteopathic]] medical school in the world.

The state funds a $3000, renewable merit-based scholarship, [[Bright Flight (Missouri scholarship)|Bright Flight]], given to the top three percent of Missouri high school graduates who attend a university in-state.

The 19th-century border wars between Missouri and Kansas have continued as a sports rivalry between the [[University of Missouri]] and [[University of Kansas]]. The rivalry was chiefly expressed through football and basketball games between the two universities, but since Missouri left the [[Big 12 Conference]] in 2012, the teams no longer regularly play one another. It was the oldest college rivalry west of the [[Mississippi River]] and the second-oldest in the nation. Each year when the universities met to play, the game was coined the "Border War". Following the game, an exchange occurred where the winner took a historic Indian War Drum, which had been passed back and forth for decades.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Arnet |first=Ben |date=3 September 2025 |title=How a historic trophy symbolizes the Mizzou-Kansas football rivalry |url=https://www.komu.com/sports/rivalryweek/how-a-historic-trophy-symbolizes-the-mizzou-kansas-football-rivalry/article_e6201914-cc1f-456e-be89-3a2a5408f512.html |access-date=27 April 2026 |work=KOMU 8 |location=Columbia, Missouri}}</ref> Though Missouri and Kansas no longer have an annual game after the University of Missouri moved to the [[Southeastern Conference]], rivalry still exists between them.

==Transportation==
{{update|reference from 2010 about Chicago Hub Network high-speed rail|date=June 2023}}

===Airports===
Missouri has two major airport hubs: [[St. Louis Lambert International Airport]] and [[Kansas City International Airport]]. Southern Missouri has the [[Springfield–Branson National Airport]] (SGF) with multiple non-stop destinations.<ref>{{cite web|title = Non-stop Destinations {{!}} Springfield-Branson National Airport (SGF)|url = http://flyspringfield.com/destinations|website = flyspringfield.com|access-date = January 18, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160112113203/http://flyspringfield.com/destinations|archive-date = January 12, 2016|url-status = live}}</ref> Residents of Mid-Missouri use [[Columbia Regional Airport]] (COU) to fly to Chicago (ORD), Dallas (DFW) or Denver (DEN).<ref>{{cite web|title = Columbia Regional Airport|url = http://www.flycou.com/|website = www.flycou.com|access-date = January 18, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160112183459/http://www.flycou.com/|archive-date = January 12, 2016|url-status = live}}</ref>

===Rail===
{{Missouri rail network}}
{{multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| total_width       = 230
| image1            = Kirkwood Train Station.jpg|
| caption1          = Amtrak station in [[Kirkwood, Missouri|Kirkwood]]
| image2            = KC Streetcar (26813012241).jpg
| caption2          = Kansas City Streetcar near [[Union Station (Kansas City)|Union Station]]
}}

Two of the nation's three busiest rail centers are in Missouri. [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]] is a major railroad hub for [[BNSF Railway]], [[Norfolk Southern Railway]], [[Kansas City Southern Railway]], and [[Union Pacific Railroad]], and every class{{nbsp}}1 railroad serves Missouri. Kansas City is the second-largest freight rail center in the U.S. (but is first in the amount of tonnage handled). Like Kansas City, St. Louis is a major destination for train freight. Springfield remains an operational hub for BNSF Railway.

[[Amtrak]] passenger trains serve [[Union Station (Kansas City, Missouri)|Kansas City]], [[La Plata (Amtrak station)|La Plata]], [[Jefferson City station|Jefferson City]], [[Gateway Multimodal Transportation Center|St. Louis]], [[Lee's Summit, Missouri|Lee's Summit]], [[Independence (Amtrak station)|Independence]], [[Warrensburg, Missouri|Warrensburg]], [[Hermann, Missouri|Hermann]], [[Washington, Missouri|Washington]], Kirkwood, [[Sedalia, Missouri|Sedalia]], and [[Poplar Bluff, Missouri|Poplar Bluff]]. A proposed [[high-speed rail]] route in Missouri as part of the [[Chicago Hub Network]] has received $31&nbsp;million in funding.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/realitycheck/the-press-office/fact-sheet-high-speed-intercity-passenger-rail-program-chicago-st-louis-kansas-city|title=Fact Sheet: High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program: Chicago–St. Louis–Kansas City|access-date=January 28, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170128213342/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/realitycheck/the-press-office/fact-sheet-high-speed-intercity-passenger-rail-program-chicago-st-louis-kansas-city|archive-date=January 28, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

The only urban light rail/subway system operating in Missouri is [[MetroLink (St. Louis)|MetroLink]], which connects the city of St. Louis with suburbs in Illinois and St. Louis County. It is one of the largest systems (by track mileage) in the United States. The [[KC Streetcar]] in downtown Kansas City opened in May 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kcstreetcar.org/about-kc-streetcar.htm |title=KC Streetcar—About KC Streetcar |access-date=October 27, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029200707/http://kcstreetcar.org/about-kc-streetcar.htm |archive-date=October 29, 2013 }}</ref>

The [[Gateway Multimodal Transportation Center]] in St. Louis is the largest active multi-use transportation center in the state. It is in downtown St. Louis, next to the historic [[Union Station (St. Louis)|Union Station]] complex. It serves as a hub center/station for MetroLink, the [[St. Louis MetroBus|MetroBus]] regional bus system, [[Greyhound Lines|Greyhound]], Amtrak, and taxi services.

In 2018, a [[Missouri Hyperloop]] was proposed to connect St. Louis, Kansas City, and Columbia, reducing travel time across the entire state to around a half hour.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2018/01/30/missouri-ready-700-mph-commutes/1078842001/|title=Is Missouri ready for 700 mph hyperloop commutes?|website=USA Today|last=della Cava|first=Marco|date=January 30, 2018|access-date=March 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328225952/https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2018/01/30/missouri-ready-700-mph-commutes/1078842001/|archive-date=March 28, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The project stalled in December 2023, with the shutdown of the corporate partner [[Hyperloop One]].

===Bus===
Many cities have regular fixed-route systems, and many rural counties have rural public transit services. [[Greyhound Lines|Greyhound]] and [[Trailways]] provide inter-city bus service in Missouri. [[Megabus (North America)|Megabus]] serves St. Louis, but discontinued service to Columbia and Kansas City in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|title = Megabus canceling service in Kansas City, Columbia|url = http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article35600877.html|website = kansascity|access-date = January 18, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160201133341/http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article35600877.html|archive-date = February 1, 2016|url-status = live}}</ref>

===Rivers===
[[File:Mississippi from Cardiff Hill in Hannibal.jpg|thumb|The [[Mississippi River]] at [[Hannibal, Missouri|Hannibal]]]]
The Mississippi River and Missouri River are commercially navigable over their entire lengths in Missouri. The Missouri was channelized through dredging and jetties, and the Mississippi was given a series of [[lock (water transport)|locks]] and dams to avoid rocks and deepen the river. St. Louis is a major destination for barge traffic on the Mississippi.

===Roads===
{{Main|Missouri State Highway System|List of Interstate Highways in Missouri|List of U.S. Routes in Missouri|List of state highways in Missouri|Missouri supplemental route}}

Following the passage of Amendment 3 in late 2004, the [[Missouri Department of Transportation]] (MoDOT) began its Smoother, Safer, Sooner road-building program with a goal of bringing {{convert|2200|mi|km}} of highways up to good condition by December 2007. From 2006 to 2011 traffic deaths have decreased annually from 1,257 in 2005, to 1,096 in 2006, to 992 in 2007, to 960 in 2008, to 878 in 2009, to 821 in 2010, to 786 in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|title=Number of Persons Killed or Injured in Missouri Crashes by Year|url=http://www.mshp.dps.missouri.gov/MSHPWeb/SAC/crash_data_severity_960grid.html|publisher=Missouri State Highway Patrol|access-date=September 30, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117094406/http://www.mshp.dps.missouri.gov/MSHPWeb/SAC/crash_data_severity_960grid.html|archive-date=January 17, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Missouri|United States}}
* [[Index of Missouri-related articles]]
* [[List of people from Missouri]]
* [[Outline of Missouri]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|Missouri|voy=Missouri}}
* {{Citation | url = http://www.mo.gov/ | title = Missouri Government}}<!--Note that the oldest Wayback Machine page is at http://web.archive.org/web/19970106102423/http://state.mo.us-->
* {{Citation | url = http://www.sos.mo.gov/mdh/ | title = Missouri Digital Heritage | publisher = Missouri Government | access-date = December 4, 2009 | archive-date = February 15, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210215020057/https://www.sos.mo.gov/mdh | url-status = live }}
* [https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/states/missouri/index.html Missouri State Guide, from the Library of Congress] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191201181904/https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/states/missouri/index.html |date=December 1, 2019 }}
* {{Citation | url = http://www.visitmo.com/ | title = Missouri State Tourism Office | access-date = July 31, 2010 | archive-date = February 17, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210217110347/https://www.visitmo.com/ | url-status = live }}
* {{Citation | url = http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=MO | title = Energy & Environmental Data for Missouri | publisher = DoE | place = US | access-date = December 6, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101229184317/http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=MO | archive-date = December 29, 2010 | url-status = dead | df = mdy-all }}
* {{Citation | url = http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-fact-sheets/state-data.aspx?StateFIPS=29&Statestate=Missouri#.U8Us1rEXtQs | title = Missouri State Facts | publisher = USDA }}{{dead link|date=June 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
* {{Citation | url = http://godort.libguides.com/missouridbs | work = List of searchable databases produced by Missouri state agencies | title = American Library Association Government Documents Roundtable | access-date = April 2, 2018 | archive-date = October 31, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201031020958/https://godort.libguides.com/missouridbs | url-status = live }}
* {{Citation | url = http://digital.library.umsystem.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=umlib;cc=umlib;tpl=home.tpl | title = Missouri History, Geology, Culture | publisher = UM system | access-date = March 14, 2011 | archive-date = March 26, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160326222421/http://digital.library.umsystem.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=umlib;cc=umlib;tpl=home.tpl | url-status = live }}
* {{Citation | url = http://digital.library.umsystem.edu/cgi/i/image/image-idx?page=index;c=umcscsanic | title = Historic Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Missouri | publisher = UM system | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110410001038/http://digital.library.umsystem.edu/cgi/i/image/image-idx?page=index%3Bc%3Dumcscsanic | archive-date = April 10, 2011 | df = mdy-all }}
* {{Citation | url = http://digital.library.umsystem.edu/cgi/i/image/image-idx?c=platic; | title = 1930 Platbooks of Missouri Counties | publisher = UM system | access-date = March 14, 2011 | archive-date = October 21, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161021135427/http://digital.library.umsystem.edu/cgi/i/image/image-idx?c=platic; | url-status = live }}
*''[[Scientific American]]'', "[https://books.google.com/books?id=6ok9AQAAIAAJ Ancient Man in Missouri] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112202810/https://books.google.com/books?id=6ok9AQAAIAAJ |date=January 12, 2023 }}", September 11, 1880, p.&nbsp;169

{{s-start}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Maine]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union]]|years=Admitted on August 10, 1821 (24th)}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Arkansas]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Missouri}}
{{Protected areas of Missouri}}
{{Midwestern United States}}
{{New France}}
{{New Spain}}
{{United States political divisions}}

{{Authority control}}
{{coord|38|-92|dim:300000_region:US-MO_type:adm1st|name=State of Missouri|display=title}}

[[Category:Missouri| ]]
[[Category:1821 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1821]]
[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:Midwestern United States]]
[[Category:Contiguous United States]]