Population Profile

Missouri’s population increased by 478,000, or nine percent, between 1990 and 2000.

A marker of the impact of immigration on the Missouri’s population size: The state’s Hispanic population nearly doubled during the 1990s, to 118,592. Fifty-six Missouri counties had Hispanic population growth exceeding 100 percent.4/ While the Hispanic population includes many native-born residents, it is an indicator of the dramatic contribution immigration has made to population growth in the area.

Foreign-Born Population 

Missouri’s foreign-born population increased by 28.6 percent between 2000 and 2006. During that period Missouri gained over 43,000 immigrants, bringing the total number of foreign-born residents in the state to over 194,000.

Environmental and Quality of Life Profile

Water: Between 2000 and 2006 the population of foreign-born persons increased in Missouri by 28.1 percent.^5/ In contrast, the native-born population increased by 3.8 percent and that included the children born to immigrants. When the U.S. born children of these immigrants are included, immigrants account for nearly 30 percent of the state’s over all population growth.^6/Missouri has a per-capita, water demand of nearly 156 gallons per day.⁷ By 2050, if current growth trends continue Missouri’s population will have topped 7 million, more than a 21 percent increase from 2006 estimates.⁸

Traffic: As population growth put more traffic on the roads, the average commute for Missouri residents increased ten percent during the 1990s, from 22 minutes to 24 minutes in 2000. /9,10/ 30% of Missouri's major urban roads are congested and 46% of Missouri's major roads are in poor or mediocre condition. Vehicle travel on Missouri's highways increased 34% from 1990 to 2003. Driving on roads in need of repair costs Missouri motorists $1.5 billion a year in extra vehicle repairs and operating costs --- $383 per motorist. Congestion in the Kansas City metropolitan area costs commuters $503 per person in excess fuel and lost time, and congestion in the St. Louis metropolitan area costs commuters $647 per person per year in excess fuel and lost time. 11/

Travelers in the St. Louis, MO-IL area experience an annual delay of 35 hours, and travelers in the Kansas City, MO-Kansas area experience an annual delay of 17 hours. 12/ 12 percent of commuters in Missouri experience a commute that is 45 minutes or more. 13/

In Jefferson County, traffic counts on most highways doubled between 1985 and 1995. 14/

Disappearing Open Space: Each year, Missouri loses 44,800 acres due to development.15/

Crowded Housing: In 2005 over 31,000 Missouri households are defined as crowded or severely crowded by housing authorities. 16/ Studies show that a rise in crowded housing often correlates with an increase in the number of foreign-born.17/, 18/

Sprawl: Population growth in Missouri is threatening the state’s natural areas and rural character, according to a study from the Brookings Institution. Development is encroaching upon treasures like the Lone Jack battlefield and Philips Farm and Rock Bridge Memorial State Park.19/ Many of the of the state’s forests and streams are threatened, and twelve of its 29 battlefields are listed as either threatened or highly threatened by the population shift.20/

A study of urban sprawl between 1970 and 1990 that calculated the impact of population increase and per capita land use found that 267.6 square miles of additional land were consumed by urban sprawl in the St. Louis, MO metropolitan area, with crosses into Illinois, and 7.3 percent of that sprawl was attributable to population increase. In the Kansas City metro area, which crosses into Kansas, sprawl consumed an additional 268.6 square miles and population increase accounted for 33.6 percent of the increase. 21/

Poverty: In 2005 16.6 percent of the state’s immigrant residents had incomes below poverty level, and increase of 19.6. Among foreign-born non-citizens, the poverty rate climbs to 22.4.22/

Air Quality: Clay, Jefferson, Saint Charles, St. Louis, St. Louis City, and Sainte Genevieve counties all received a grade of “F” from the American Lung Associations “State of the Air 2005” report. 23/

Solid Waste: Missouri generates 1.28 tons of solid waste per capita. 24/

Schools: Between 1990 and 2000, Missouri’s elementary and high school enrollment increased 14 percent, 25/ and increased by almost 3,600 students from 2000 and 2006 26/, 27/, and is projected to increase by an additional 9,000 students by 2015. 28/

Across the state, communities are struggling with overcrowded classrooms and are holding classes in temporary trailers. In some areas, the problem is particularly pronounced; for instance, in north St. Louis County, the Riverview Gardens School District enrollment has jumped by 46 percent in ten years, with an additional eight percent increase expected by 2005. 29/

Endnotes:

1. FAIR estimate based on the 2006 Current Population Survey.
2. "Estimates of the Unauthorized Migrant Population for States based on the March 2005 CPS", Pew Hispanic Center.
3. Martin, Jack. “Breaking the Piggy Bank: How Illegal Immigration is Sending Schools into the Red,” A Report by the Federation for American Immigration Reform.
4. Scott Charton, “Missouri Growth During ‘90s Beats Baby Boom,” Associated Press, December 27, 2001.
5. U.S. Census Bureau 2006
6. Jack Martin. Issue Brief: Estimation of Foreign Born Birthrate. FAIR.  2008.
7. U.S. Geological Survey 2000.  
8. Jack Martin and Stanley Fogel, “Projecting the U.S. Population to 2050,” FAIR, March 2006
9. “Table DP-1-4, Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000,” Census 2000, U.S. Census Bureau.
10. “Table DP-1-4, Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 1990,” 1990 Census, U.S. Census Bureau.
11. Report Card for America's Infrastructure 2005," American Society of Civil Engineers.
12. "The 2005 Urban Mobility Report", Texas Transportation Institute.
13. “U.S. Population 2007 Data Sheet,” Population Reference Bureau.
14. Jeremy Kohler, “Jefferson County’s Explosive Growth Produces Challenges, Complications,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 22, 2001.
15. “State Rankings by Acreage and Rate of Non-federal Land Developed,” Natural Resources Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
16. Selected Housing Characteristics: 2005 Data Set - 2005 American Community Survey, American Fact Finder, U.S. Census Bureau.
17. Haya El Nasser, “U.S. Neighborhoods Grow More Crowded,” USA Today, July 7, 2002.
18. Randy Capps, “Hardship Among Children of Immigrants: Findings from the 1999 National Survey of America’s Families,” Urban Institute, 2001.
19. Jeffrey Spivak, op. cit.
20. Bill Draper, “Fixing Missouri’s Growth Patterns Comes Down to Leadership,” Associated Press, December 9, 2002.
21. Beck, Roy and Leon Kolankiewicz, “Weighing Sprawl Factors in Large U.S. Cities,” NumbersUSA, March 2001.
22. “Missouri State Factsheet,” Migration Information Source, Migration Policy Institute.
23. “State of the Air 2005: Missouri”, American Lung Association.
24. Report Card for America's Infrastructure 2005," American Society of Civil Engineers.
25. Table DP-1-4, Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 1990 and 2000, Census 2000, U.S. Census Bureau.
26. "Overview of Public Elementary and Secondary Schools and Districts: School Year 1999-2000," National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education.
27. "Public Elementary and Secondary School Student Enrollment, High School Completions, and Staff From the Common Core of Data: School Year 2005-06', National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, June 2007.
28. Projections of Education Statistics to 2015, National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education.
29. Sterling Levy, “River View Schools Are Gearing Up to Seek Bond Issue Next Year as Enrollment Grows,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 28, 2002.