Bolivar is a medium-sized city located in the state of Missouri. With a population of 11,549 people and three associated neighborhoods, Bolivar is the 75th largest community in Missouri.

A relatively large number of people in Bolivar telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 10.09% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Bolivar is also a college town, where lots of students live while attending area colleges. Because of the high percentage of people living in Bolivar enrolled in college, Bolivar has a number of services, amenities and opportunities geared towards the needs and activities of students.

The percentage of people in Bolivar who are college-educated is somewhat higher than the average US community of 21.84%: 27.89% of adults in Bolivar have at least a bachelor's degree.

The per capita income in Bolivar in 2022 was $29,785, which is middle income relative to Missouri, and lower middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $119,140 for a family of four. However, Bolivar contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

The people who call Bolivar home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Bolivar residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Bolivar include English, German, Irish, European, and Italian.

The most common language spoken in Bolivar is English. Other important languages spoken here include Italian and Spanish.