Kirksville is a small town with a large college student population. Because of this, there is a real youthful, hip vibe to the place, and much of the life in the town is centered on the college. This has helped Kirksville to buck the trend of other small towns that have suffered declining populations over the past 20 to 30 years. Spending by students, and faculty and staff jobs, are a big part of the local economy.
Kirksville, while not large, also appears to be attractive to some younger, educated professionals, who help shape the character of the city.
Residents of the city have the good fortune of having one of the shortest daily commutes compared to the rest of the country. On average, they spend only 13.84 minutes getting to work every day.
The education level of Kirksville ranks among the highest in the nation. Of the 25-and-older adult population in Kirksville, 40.31% have at least a bachelor's degree. The typical US community has just 21.84% of its adults holding a bachelor's degree or graduate degree.
The per capita income in Kirksville in 2022 was $32,582, which is upper middle income relative to Missouri, and middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $130,328 for a family of four. However, Kirksville contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
Kirksville is a somewhat ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Kirksville home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Kirksville residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Kirksville include German, Irish, English, African, and Scottish.
The most common language spoken in Kirksville is English. Other important languages spoken here include French and Spanish.
