Jury Pool Profile
Howell County, Missouri
- County seat
- West Plains
- Judicial district
- 37th Judicial Circuit Court
- Population (July 2025 estimate)
- 40,798
- Census PEP. The five-year ACS survey average is 40,383.
At a glance
Howell County is a 40,798-person venue. The county population is 92% White (Census race-alone categories). Median household income is $50,137, $21,446 below the MO state median of $71,583; 17.8% of residents 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher. 3.1% of residents 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, most commonly Spanish. The largest employment sector is Education & health services, at 32.5% of covered employment, average pay $49,336/year. Trailing-12-month unemployment is 4.39%, above the 3.85% state average. The county carried the Republican presidential candidate in 2016, 2020, and 2024, taking 80% to 83% of the vote across the three.
- Population
- 40,383
- Median household income
- $50,993
- Unemployment
- 4.4%
Who sits on a jury?
≥70% White (race-alone) and <20% Black. This county: 92% / 1%.
Howell County has a population of 40,383, with a median age of 40.3. By Census race-alone categories, White residents make up 92.0%; Black residents 0.5%. Independently, 2.6% of residents identify as Hispanic or Latino of any race.
The median household earns $50,137; 17.8% of residents 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher; 18.6% live below the federal poverty line.
Economic context
Largest sector in BLS QCEW: Education & health services, about 33% of covered jobs.
Education & health services is the largest employment sector at 32.5% of covered employment, followed by Trade, transportation & utilities at 20.8%. Trailing-12-month unemployment is 4.39%, above the Missouri state average.
Political composition
Republican candidate carried this county in 2016, 2020, and 2024 (avg winning share: 81%). 'Strongly' threshold: ≥60% avg.
Howell County was carried by the Republican candidate in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 cycles, with 83.0% in 2024, 81.4% in 2020, 79.7% in 2016.
Languages, households, faith & health
Family households are 65% of all households (thresholds: ≥70% = 'family-dominant'; 50–70% = 'family-majority'; <50% = 'singles/nonfamily-majority'). 3.1% of residents 5 and older speak a language other than English at home (threshold for 'linguistically diverse' is ≥10%).
3.1% of residents 5 years and older speak a language other than English at home. The most common are Spanish, Russian, Polish, or other Slavic, French, Haitian, or Cajun. Veterans account for 9.2% of the adult civilian population (2,808 individuals).