† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupWest PlainsMissouriUnited States
English15.5%11.9%9.5%
German14.0%21.3%12.5%
Irish12.5%11.8%9.4%
American9.3%6.8%5.3%
Italian2.4%3.2%4.8%
French2.1%2.2%1.6%
Dutch1.4%——
Norwegian1.4%——
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
West Plains
Missouri
United States
Median age
36.3
39.2
39.1
Age 18–24
9.5%
9.2%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
19.0%
17.9%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
West Plains
Missouri
United States
Median household income
$44,002
$70,702
$84,427
Poverty rate
28.1%
12.6%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
17.1%
32.4%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
West Plains
Missouri
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
3.3%
6.7%
22.3%
Spanish
1.6%
2.9%
13.6%
Religious landscape
Measure
West Plains
Missouri
United States
Catholic
—
12.5%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
24.1%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
51.7%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
West Plains, Missouri
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
−32.2%
2008
−25.3%
2012
−36.9%
2016
−51.7%
2020
−48.5%
2024
−50.0%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
R
24.3%Harris1,245
74.4%Trump3,807
1.3%
R+50.0
R+1.5
R+48.6
5,119
R
24.7%Biden1,194
73.2%Trump3,538
2.1%
R+48.5
D+3.1
R+53.0
4,832
R
21.7%Clinton1,015
73.3%Trump3,435
5.0%
R+51.7
R+14.7
R+53.7
4,685
R
30.3%Obama1,277
67.2%Romney2,835
2.5%
R+36.9
R+11.6
R+40.8
4,217
R
36.4%Obama1,631
61.7%McCain2,765
1.9%
R+25.3
D+6.9
R+32.6
4,481
R
33.8%Kerry1,431
66.0%Bush2,794
0.1%
R+32.2
—
R+29.8
4,231
West Plains anchors Howell County as a regional center for the Missouri Ozarks, a territory that has shifted toward lopsided Republican margins over the past two decades as rural realignment accelerated statewide.
Across the recorded series it reached a Republican high of 51.7 points in 2016. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 1.5 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 50.0 points.
A population of 12,441, a 95% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $44,002 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Hannibal and Athens.
Akashic
Political twins — cities
The cities whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
In 2024, West Plains, Missouri voted Republican by 50.0 points (R+50.0), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 5,119 votes cast, 1,245 went Democratic and 3,807 went Republican.
How many people live in West Plains, Missouri?
West Plains, Missouri has a population of 12,441 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in West Plains, Missouri?
Median household income in West Plains, Missouri is $44,002 — below the national median of $80,734. The Missouri state median is $70,702.
What is the political history of West Plains, Missouri?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in West Plains, Missouri from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 0 went Democratic and 6 went Republican.
