Missouri

State Office of Rural Health

Missouri Office of Rural Health and Primary Care

Phone: 573.751.6441
Email: ORHPCinfo@health.mo.gov

Serves as the Missouri State Office of Rural Health (SORH). Helps rural areas provide access to healthcare services through community-based systems. Provides information on recruitment, loan repayment programs, and Missouri's Rural Health Clinics (RHCs).
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Missouri Nonmetro Population

6,124,160

Estimated population

1,535,132 (25.1%)

People living in nonmetro areas

Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020 estimate

Missouri Rural Healthcare Facilities

35

Critical Access Hospitals

330

Rural Health Clinics

177

Federally Qualified Health Centers*

26

Short Term/PPS Hospitals*

*Sites according to data.HRSA.gov (July 2023), showing only locations outside of U.S Census Bureau Urban Areas with a population of 50,000 or more

Selected Social Determinants of Health for Rural Missouri

8.4% of Missouri residents lack health insurance (Kaiser, 2022). According to the USDA Economic Research Service, the average per capita income for Missourians in 2021 was $55,325 with the rural per capita income at $43,803. The ERS reports, based on 2021 ACS data, that the poverty rate in rural Missouri is 16.3%, compared with 11.6% in urban areas of the state. 12.9% of the rural population has not completed high school, while 7.7% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma according to 2017-2021 ACS data reported by ERS. The unemployment rate in rural Missouri is at 2.8%, and in urban Missouri it is at 2.4% (USDA-ERS, 2022).