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Missouri Facts and Figures from Encarta Go to article
General Information
Capital Jefferson City
Statehood August 10, 1821
the 24th state
State nickname The Show Me State
Name for residents Missourians
State motto Salus populi suprema lex esto
(Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law)
Abbreviation MO
Missouri State Flag
Missouri State Flag
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Missouri State FlagMissouri State Flag Missouri State Bird: BluebirdMissouri State Bird: Bluebird Missouri State Flower: White Hawthorn BlossomMissouri State Flower: White Hawthorn Blossom
Missouri State Tree: Flowering DogwoodMissouri State Tree: Flowering Dogwood Missouri State SealMissouri State Seal
Land
Total area 180,533 sq km
69,704 sq mi
Rank among states in total area 21st
Land area 178,446 sq km
68,898 sq mi
Highest point Taum Sauk Mountain
540 m/1,772 ft
Forested land as a share of total area 31.7 percent (2002)
Federally owned land as a share of land area 5.1 percent (2002)
People
Population 5,842,713 (2006 estimate)
Rank among states in population 18th
Ten-year population growth 9.3 percent (1990-2000)
Population density 33 persons per sq km (2006 estimate)
85 persons per sq mi (2006 estimate)
Urban population 69.4 percent (2000)
Largest cities (by population)
Kansas City 444,965 (2005 estimate)
Saint Louis 344,362 (2005 estimate)
Springfield 150,298 (2005 estimate)
Independence 110,208 (2005 estimate)
Columbia 91,814 (2005 estimate)
Ethnic groups
Whites 84.9 percent (2000)
Blacks 11.2 percent (2000)
Asians 1.1 percent (2000)
Native Americans 0.4 percent (2000)
Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders 0.1 percent (2000)
Mixed heritage or not reporting 2.3 percent (2000)
Hispanics (of any race) 2.1 percent (2000)
Health and Education
Life expectancy 75.3 years (1989-1991)
Infant mortality rate 9 deaths per 1,000 live births (2002)
Residents per physician 418 people (2004)
Residents per hospital bed 301 people (2004)
Share of population not covered by health insurance 12.6 percent (2004)
Number of students per teacher (K-12) 13.9 (2003)
Government spending per student (K-12) $8,600 (2002-2003)
Share of students attending private school 13.4 percent (1999)
Share of people over age 25 with high school diploma 87.9 percent (2004)
Government
State government
Governor Matt Blunt
(term ends January, 2009)
Legislature Senate, 34 members
House of Representatives, 163 members
National representation
Members of the U.S. Senate 2
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives 9
Electoral votes 11
Economy
Gross state product (GSP) $216 billion (2005 approximate)
Income per capita $30,516 (2004)
GSP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing 1.3 percent (2004)
Industry
Construction 4.9 percent (2004)
Manufacturing 15.5 percent (2004)
Mining 0.2 percent (2004)
Transportation and utilities 5.6 percent (2004)
Services
Finance, insurance, and real estate 15.9 percent (2004)
Government 11.7 percent (2004)
Information technology 5 percent (2004)
Retail trade 7.2 percent (2004)
Wholesale trade 6.3 percent (2004)
Other services 26.6 percent (2004)
Employment
Number of workers 3,032,000 (2006 estimate)
Unemployment rate 4.8 percent (2006 estimate)
Share of workers in unions 11.5 percent (2005)
Energy, Communications, and Transportation
Electricity production
Share from geothermal, solar, and wind 0.1 percent (2005 estimate)
Share from hydroelectric 1.3 percent (2005 estimate)
Share from nuclear 8.8 percent (2005 estimate)
Share from thermal 89.7 percent (2005 estimate)
Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people 151 newspapers per 1,000 people (2005 estimate)
Share of households with Internet access 53 percent (2003 estimate)
Number of library books circulated per resident 7.7 books per person (2002)
Length of highways 202,653 km (2004)
125,923 mi (2004)
Length of interstate highways 1,901 km (2004)
1,181 mi (2004)
Length of railroad tracks 6,634 km (2004)
4,122 mi (2004)
Airports 11 (2007)
Sources
The Association of American Railroads (www.aar.org), Bureau of Economic Analysis (www.bea.doc.gov), Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov), Census Bureau (www.census.gov), Energy Information Administration (www.eia.doe.gov), Federal Aviation Administration (www.faa.gov), Federal Highway Administration (www.fhwa.dot.gov), Forest Service (www.fs.fed.us), General Services Administration (www.gsa.gov), National Agricultural Statistics Service (www.usda.gov/nass), National Center for Education Statistics (nces.ed.gov), National Center for Health Statistics (www.cdc.gov/nchs), National Telecommunications and Information Administration (www.ntia.doc.gov).
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