What is the median household income in Cape Girardeau, MO?

Name: Income and affordability in Cape Girardeau, MO, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

The median household income in Cape Girardeau, MO is $55,658 (±$2,313) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Paying the median gross rent of $876 a month would take about $35,000 a year at the common guideline of spending no more than 30% of income on rent.

In Cape Girardeau, the median household income went from $45,733 in 2015–2019 to $55,658 in 2020–2024 (+21.7%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median household income: $55,658 (±$2,313)
Median renter income: $36,139 (±$3,431)
Income to afford median rent: about $35,000

Income in Cape Girardeau against Cape Girardeau County, its state and the nation

Income, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Cape Girardeau	Cape Girardeau County	Missouri	United States
Median household income	$55,658 (±$2,313)	$68,464 (±$3,198)	$70,702 (±$325)	$80,734
Median renter household income	$36,139 (±$3,431)	$37,782 (±$3,159)	$43,288 (±$509)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$79,297 (±$6,428)	$87,135 (±$3,494)	$87,780 (±$425)	$100,009
Median gross rent	$876 (±$45)	$881 (±$37)	$1,033 (±$6)	$1,413

In Cape Girardeau, median household income is lower than in Cape Girardeau County ($68,464).

It is also lower than in Missouri ($70,702).

It is lower than the national figure ($80,734).

In Cape Girardeau County, Cape Girardeau ranks 5 of 9 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median household income.

Statewide, it ranks 609 of 1,154.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How much you need to earn to rent in Cape Girardeau

Many landlords and housing programs use 30% of gross income as the most a household should spend on rent.

At that guideline, the median gross rent of $876 a month ($10,512 a year) needs an income of about $35,000 a year.

The median renting household in Cape Girardeau earns $36,139 a year.

This is arithmetic on the published medians, not a rule any landlord must follow; screening criteria vary and some places limit how income may be weighed.

Income against housing costs since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Median household income	$45,733 (±$3,960)	$55,658 (±$2,313)	+21.7%	No measurable change after inflation
Median gross rent	$794 (±$47)	$876 (±$45)	+10.3%	Down after inflation
Median home value	$151,800 (±$5,401)	$196,300 (±$11,289)	+29.3%	No measurable change after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Median household income in places near Cape Girardeau

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Cape Girardeau
Place	Distance	Median household income	Compared with this place
Cape Girardeau	—	$55,658 (±$2,313)	—
East Cape Girardeau	4.4 mi	$42,188 (±$4,769)	Lower
Scott City	6.0 mi	$62,599 (±$10,915)	Not measurably different
Gordonville	6.4 mi	$82,750 (±$7,609)	Higher
McClure	7.0 mi	$75,385 (±$59,039)	Not measurably different
Jackson	7.2 mi	$77,105 (±$7,262)	Higher
Kelso	8.1 mi	$56,875 (±$15,849)	Not measurably different
Thebes	8.9 mi	$40,917 (±$8,829)	Lower
Chaffee	11 mi	$43,542 (±$16,266)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: East Cape Girardeau, IL ($42,188), Thebes, IL ($40,917).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Gordonville, MO ($82,750), Jackson, MO ($77,105).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Median household income across Cape Girardeau County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median household income
1	Pocahontas	$106,875 (±$63,895)
2	Gordonville	$82,750 (±$7,609)
3	Jackson	$77,105 (±$7,262)
4	Oak Ridge	$71,458 (±$17,798)
5	Cape Girardeau	$55,658 (±$2,313)
6	Old Appleton	$54,306 (±$34,530)
7	Allenville	$51,071 (±$13,181)
8	Whitewater	$49,038 (±$7,487)
9	Delta	$45,625 (±$31,458)

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Cape Girardeau

What is the median household income in Cape Girardeau?

The median household income in Cape Girardeau is $55,658 (±$2,313) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

How much do you need to make to afford rent in Cape Girardeau?

About $35,000 a year, if rent is to stay at or below 30% of income at the median gross rent of $876 a month.

Have incomes in Cape Girardeau kept up with inflation?

In Cape Girardeau, the median household income went from $45,733 in 2015–2019 to $55,658 in 2020–2024 (+21.7%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

What do renters earn in Cape Girardeau?

The median renting household in Cape Girardeau, MO earns $36,139 (±$3,431) a year.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Cape Girardeau city, Missouri (place:11242, in state:29).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are B19013_001E, B19013_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B25077_001E, B25077_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.