Cape Girardeau, MO-IL Metro Area
The Cape Girardeau, MO-IL metro area is made up of 3 counties in Missouri and Illinois: Cape Girardeau, Bollinger, and Alexander, largest first. About 99,215 people lived there on July 1, 2025 (Census estimate), 1.7% more than in April 2020.
- Population, July 2025
- 99,215 1.7% more than in April 2020
- Type
- Metropolitan statistical area
- Counties
- 3: 1 central, 2 outlying
- Land area
- 1,432 sq mi (3,708 km²)
- Time zone
- Central TimeUTC-06:00 in January; UTC-05:00 in July
- Combined statistical area
- Cape Girardeau-Sikeston, MO-IL
- CBSA code
- 16020
Counties in the Cape Girardeau, MO-IL metro area, largest first
| County | Role | Population, July 2025 | Share of the area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Girardeau CountyMissouri | Central | 83,999 | 84.7% |
| Bollinger CountyMissouri | Outlying | 10,646 | 10.7% |
| Alexander CountyIllinois | Outlying | 4,570 | 4.6% |
A central county holds the area’s core, an urban area of at least 50,000 people. An outlying county is in the area because of commuting: at least a quarter of its workers have jobs in the central county, or at least a quarter of the people working there live in them. A county belongs to one metro or micro area at most, and it counts whole, countryside included.
Principal city
- Cape Girardeau40,344 people
OMB names the area after its largest principal cities. A principal city is the area’s largest city, plus any other city that is very large or a big job center, and smaller ones with at least as many jobs as working residents (2020 Census and commuting figures). People counts are American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates.
Part of the Cape Girardeau-Sikeston, MO-IL combined statistical area
OMB joins neighboring metro and micro areas into a combined statistical area when enough people commute between them. The other area in this one is
- Sikeston, MO Micro Area49,978 people
Bordering metro and micro areas, nearest first
Areas with a county on this area’s edge. Distances are straight lines between the areas’ largest cities.
- Sikeston, MO Micro Area29 mi south
- Paducah, KY-IL Metro Area53 mi east
Before using this answer on a form
A metro or micro area is a statistical area that OMB draws for federal statistics. It is not a city, a local government or a mailing address, and it is not a measure of urban and rural: whole counties count, rural parts included. Programs that use metro areas, such as housing income limits or wage rates, can use their own version of these lists; check the program’s own list for an address.
Find the metro area where you are now, find your county, or see every metro and micro area by population.