Poplar Bluff & Butler County

Economic Statistics

Thank you in advance for considering Poplar Bluff in your location search. We have listed some economic statistics below that we hope will help you in your decision making. As you can imagine, we are very proud of our community and all that it has to offer.

Poplar Bluff is considered a Micropolitan Area, a new designation created by the Office of Management Budget, which is an area that has a population of more than 10,000 but less than 50,000 and must include at least one county, Butler County in our case. These Micropolitans are the regional economic and employment hubs of their areas and provide "big city" benefits on a manageable scale as well as being large enough to attract jobs, restaurants, and community organizations, but small enough to avoid most of the big city problems. Our trade area covers an eight county area with a population of 175,000 people and produces $1.8 billion in annual retail sales, with $685,000,000 of that coming from Butler County.

Population Information:

Poplar Bluff         26,777
Butler County      40,989

Average Daily Population based on traffic counts using a REMI Model:

Poplar Bluff         60,000 +
Butler County      110,000 +

Annual Retail Sales Information:

Poplar Bluff         $470,000,000
Butler County      $685,000,000
Trade Area          $1,800,000,000

Economic Pull Factor:

Butler County is ranked number 1 in the Retail Pull Factor in the south central Missouri area with a pull factor of 1.10 (for every $1 earned in Butler County $1.10 is spent here).  According to Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC), the other 11 counties had a pull factor below 1 indicating residents either spent less than their state counterparts or residents purchased more goods outside their county.

Income Information:

Median Household Income:

Poplar Bluff         $24,068
Butler County      $27,775

Average Household Income:

Poplar Bluff         $31,559
Butler County      $38,000

Per Capita Personal Income:

Poplar Bluff         $15,996
Butler County      $24,618

Total Per Capita Personal Income:

Butler County      $1,005,238

Earnings:

Butler County      $735,538 (An increase of 8.9% from 2002)

Effective Buying Income:

Poplar Bluff         $23,997
Butler County      $27,396

Looking to the Future:

Poplar Bluff is poised to advance even further due to major highway expansions of Highway 67 going north to St. Louis and Highway 60 going east and west. We will truly be a crossroads of opportunity for any business or industry looking to locate operations in Poplar Bluff or Butler County. Some census bureau projections have Butler County growing to a population of 75,000 by the year 2015. With abundant recreational and educational opportunities, and citizens willing to spend their money at our establishments, setting up shop in Poplar Bluff would be beneficial for all parties.