Hello dgale11,
Thanks for reaching out using Apple Support Communities!
We know it's important to have all of your contacts showing on your device; we're happy to assist you.
You'll want to make sure you're signed in with your iCloud account and that the Contacts option is enabled.
This Apple Support page has the full details about using iCloud for contacts: Set up and use iCloud Contacts
If your contacts are still missing, you can see which ones are being stored in iCloud with View contacts on iCloud
If your contacts are not in iCloud, they might be stored using another account or they were deleted.
This link can help if they were deleted: If you accidentally deleted your calendars, bookmarks, or contacts from iCloud
If you continue to have issues syncing your contacts, this Apple Support page will have some great steps to take: If your iCloud Contacts, Calendars, or Reminders won’t sync
This should help keep your contacts on your device even after updating it each time!
Cheers!