Worth County, Missouri

County in Missouri, United States

U.S. county in Missouri

Worth County

U.S. county

Worth County Courthouse in Grant City

Location within the U.S. state of Missouri

Missouri's location within the U.S.

Country|  United States
State|  Missouri
Founded| February 8, 1861
Named for| William J. Worth
Seat| Grant City
Largest city| Grant City
Area

• Total| 267 sq mi (690 km2)
• Land| 267 sq mi (690 km2)
• Water| 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2)  0.08%
Population

(2020)

• Total| 1,973
• Estimate

(2021)

| 1,983
• Density| 7.4/sq mi (2.9/km2)
Time zone| UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district| 6th
Website| www.worthcounty.us

Worth County is a county located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,973.[1] It is the smallest county in the state in population and, excluding the independent city of St. Louis, the smallest in total area. Its county seat is Grant City.[2] The county was organized February 8, 1861 and named for General William J. Worth, who served in the Mexican–American War.[3] Worth County is also the youngest county in the state.[4]

## Contents

* 1 Geography
* 1.1 Adjacent counties
* 2 Demographics
* 2.1 2020 Census
* 2.2 2000 census
* 3 Education
* 3.1 Public schools
* 3.2 Public libraries
* 4 Politics
* 4.1 Local
* 4.2 State
* 4.3 Federal
* 4.4 Missouri presidential preference primary (2008)
* 5 Communities
* 5.1 Cities
* 5.2 Towns
* 5.3 Villages
* 5.4 Unincorporated communities
* 6 See also
* 7 References
* 8 External links

## Geography

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According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 267 square miles (690 km2), of which 267 square miles (690 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) (0.08%) is water.[5] It is the smallest county in Missouri by area. Iowa is located to the north of Worth County.

### Adjacent counties

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* Taylor County, Iowa – northwest
* Ringgold County, Iowa – northeast
* Harrison County – east
* Gentry County – south
* Nodaway County – west

## Demographics

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Historical population

Census | Pop. |  | %±
1870| 5,004| | —
1880| 8,203| | 63.9%
1890| 8,738| | 6.5%
1900| 9,832| | 12.5%
1910| 8,007| | −18.6%
1920| 7,642| | −4.6%
1930| 6,535| | −14.5%
1940| 6,345| | −2.9%
1950| 5,120| | −19.3%
1960| 3,936| | −23.1%
1970| 3,359| | −14.7%
1980| 3,008| | −10.4%
1990| 2,440| | −18.9%
2000| 2,382| | −2.4%
2010| 2,171| | −8.9%
2020| 1,973| | −9.1%
2021 (est.)| 1,983| [6]| 0.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]
1990-2000[10] 2010-2020[1]

### 2020 Census

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Worth County Racial Composition[11] Race  | Num.  | Perc.

|
|

White (NH)  | 1,887  | 95.64%
Black or African American (NH)  | 0  | 0%
Native American (NH)  | 4  | 0.2%
Asian (NH)  | 4  | 0.2%
Pacific Islander (NH)  | 5  | 0.25%
Other/Mixed (NH)  | 48  | 2.43%
Hispanic or Latino | 25  | 1.26%

### 2000 census

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As of the census of 2000, there were 2,382 people, 1,009 households, and 677 families residing in the county. The population density was 9 people per square mile (3/km2). There were 1,245 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile (2/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.99% White, 0.17% Black or African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.08% Asian, and 0.42% from two or more races. Approximately 0.29% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,009 households, out of which 28.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.40% were married couples living together, 7.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.90% were non-families. 30.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.30% under the age of 18, 6.80% from 18 to 24, 23.50% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 22.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 96.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,471, and the median income for a family was $34,044. Males had a median income of $24,138 versus $17,300 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,367. About 10.90% of families and 14.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.80% of those under age 18 and 11.50% of those age 65 or over.

## Education

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### Public schools

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* Worth County R-III School District – Grant City
* Worth County Elementary School (PK–6)
* Worth County High School (7–12)

### Public libraries

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* Worth County Library Association[12]

## Politics

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### Local

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The Republican Party controls politics at the local level in Worth County. Republicans hold all but six of the elected positions in the county.

Worth County, Missouri

Elected countywide officials
Assessor|  Miles Spainhower|  Republican
Circuit Clerk|  Jana Findley|  Democratic
County Clerk|  Roberta Owens|  Republican
Collector|  Julie Tracy|  Republican
Commissioner
(Presiding)|  Ted Findley|  Democratic
Commissioner
(District 1)|  Regan Nonneman|  Republican
Commissioner
(District 2)|  Tyler Paxson|  Republican
Coroner|  Sharon Supinger|  Democratic
Prosecuting Attorney|  Janet Wake Larison|  Democratic
Public Administrator|  Patsy A. Worthington|  Republican
Recorder|  Barbara Foland|  Democratic
Sheriff|  Terry Sheddrick|  Democratic
Surveyor|  NA|  Republican
Treasurer|  Linda L. Brown|  Republican

### State

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Past Gubernatorial Elections Results Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third Parties

|
|
|

2020 | 79.36% 869 | 18.72% 205 | 1.92% 21
2016 | 68.79% 714 | 28.23% 293 | 2.98% 31
2012 | 50.14% 524 | 46.51% 486 | 3.35% 35
2008 | 48.95% 559 | 47.99% 548 | 3.06% 35
2004 | 58.43% 662 | 40.69% 461 | 0.88% 10
2000  | 49.16% 557 | 48.72% 461 | 2.12% 24
1996  | 34.11% 425 | 64.37% 802 | 1.52% 19

Worth County is part of the 1st district in the Missouri House of Representatives, currently held by Allen Andrews (R-Grant City).

Missouri House of Representatives — District 1 — Worth County (2016)  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Republican | Allen Andrews | 970 | 100.00% | +16.01
Missouri House of Representatives — District 1 — Worth County (2014)  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Republican | Allen Andrews | 640 | 83.99% | -16.01
| Democratic | Robert Ritterbusch  | 122  | 16.01%  | +16.01
Missouri House of Representatives — District 1 — Worth County (2012)  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Republican | Mike Thomson | 946 | 100.00% |

Worth County is part of the 12th District in the Missouri Senate, currently held by Dan Hegeman (R-Cosby).

Missouri Senate — District 12 — Worth County (2014)  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Republican | Dan Hegeman | 618 | 100.00% |

### Federal

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U.S. Senate — Missouri — Worth County (2016)  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Republican | Roy Blunt | 667 | 64.51% | +21.42
| Democratic | Jason Kander  | 321  | 31.04%  | -18.20
| Libertarian | Jonathan Dine  | 30  | 2.90%  | -4.59
| Green | Johnathan McFarland  | 5  | 0.48%  | +0.48
| Constitution | Fred Ryman  | 11  | 1.06  | +1.06
U.S. Senate — Missouri — Worth County (2012)  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Republican | Todd Akin  | 449  | 43.09  |
| Democratic | Claire McCaskill | 515 | 49.24 |
| Libertarian | Jonathan Dine  | 78  | 7.49  |

Worth County is included in Missouri's 6th Congressional District and is currently represented by Sam Graves (R-Tarkio) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

U.S. House of Representatives — Missouri's 6th Congressional District — Worth County (2016)  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Republican | Sam Graves | 780 | 75.80% | +9.93
| Democratic | David M. Blackwell  | 206  | 20.02%  | -7.34
| Libertarian | Russ Lee Monchil  | 29  | 2.82%  | -3.95
| Green | Mike Diel  | 14  | 1.36%  | +1.36
U.S. House of Representatives — Missouri’s 6th Congressional District — Worth County (2014)  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Republican | Sam Graves | 496 | 65.87% | -1.69
| Democratic | Bill Hedge  | 206  | 27.36%  | -1.92
| Libertarian | Russ Lee Monchil  | 51  | 6.77%  | +3.61
U.S. House of Representatives — Missouri's 6th Congressional District — Worth County (2012)  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Republican | Sam Graves | 706 | 67.56% |
| Democratic | Kyle Yarber  | 306  | 29.28%  |
| Libertarian | Russ Lee Monchil  | 33  | 3.16%  |
United States presidential election results for Worth County, Missouri[13] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2020 | 877  | 79.22% | 215  | 19.42%  | 15  | 1.36%
2016 | 808  | 77.25% | 195  | 18.64%  | 43  | 4.11%
2012 | 664  | 63.36% | 341  | 32.54%  | 43  | 4.10%
2008 | 707  | 60.22% | 427  | 36.37%  | 40  | 3.41%
2004 | 691  | 61.04% | 436  | 38.52%  | 5  | 0.44%
2000 | 651  | 56.22% | 469  | 40.50%  | 38  | 3.28%
1996 | 540  | 42.42%  | 572  | 44.93% | 161  | 12.65%
1992 | 483  | 34.18%  | 599  | 42.39% | 331  | 23.43%
1988 | 677  | 47.98%  | 732  | 51.88% | 2  | 0.14%
1984 | 921  | 55.65% | 734  | 44.35%  | 0  | 0.00%
1980 | 833  | 50.27% | 760  | 45.87%  | 64  | 3.86%
1976 | 771  | 44.08%  | 969  | 55.40% | 9  | 0.51%
1972 | 1,170  | 61.68% | 727  | 38.32%  | 0  | 0.00%
1968 | 924  | 48.55% | 853  | 44.82%  | 126  | 6.62%
1964 | 831  | 37.70%  | 1,373  | 62.30% | 0  | 0.00%
1960 | 1,355  | 50.60% | 1,323  | 49.40%  | 0  | 0.00%
1956 | 1,338  | 49.70%  | 1,354  | 50.30% | 0  | 0.00%
1952 | 1,682  | 57.72% | 1,227  | 42.11%  | 5  | 0.17%
1948 | 1,162  | 42.53%  | 1,563  | 57.21% | 7  | 0.26%
1944 | 1,444  | 50.12% | 1,437  | 49.88%  | 0  | 0.00%
1940 | 1,807  | 51.44% | 1,702  | 48.45%  | 4  | 0.11%
1936 | 1,581  | 44.46%  | 1,944  | 54.67% | 31  | 0.87%
1932 | 1,041  | 36.90%  | 1,763  | 62.50% | 17  | 0.60%
1928 | 1,839  | 56.46% | 1,407  | 43.20%  | 11  | 0.34%
1924 | 1,666  | 49.66% | 1,650  | 49.18%  | 39  | 1.16%
1920 | 1,888  | 54.72% | 1,532  | 44.41%  | 30  | 0.87%
1916 | 892  | 44.29%  | 1,079  | 53.57% | 43  | 2.14%
1912 | 769  | 39.11%  | 973  | 49.49% | 224  | 11.39%
1908 | 985  | 48.43%  | 993  | 48.82% | 56  | 2.75%
1904 | 1,042  | 49.78% | 967  | 46.20%  | 84  | 4.01%
1900 | 1,023  | 45.73%  | 1,123  | 50.20% | 91  | 4.07%
1896 | 885  | 41.24%  | 1,248  | 58.15% | 13  | 0.61%
1892 | 624  | 33.46%  | 696  | 37.32% | 545  | 29.22%
1888 | 771  | 44.41%  | 789  | 45.45% | 176  | 10.14%

### Missouri presidential preference primary (2008)

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Main articles: 2008 Missouri Democratic presidential primary and 2008 Missouri Republican presidential primary

Former U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York) received more votes, a total of 171, than any candidate from either party in Worth County during the 2008 presidential primary.

## Communities

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### Cities

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* Grant City (county seat)
* Sheridan

### Towns

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* Allendale

### Villages

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* Denver
* Irena
* Worth

### Unincorporated communities

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* Isadora
* Oxford
* Prohibition City

## See also

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* National Register of Historic Places listings in Worth County, Missouri

## References

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1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. ^ Eaton, David Wolfe (1918). How Missouri Counties, Towns and Streams Were Named. The State Historical Society of Missouri. p. 372.
4. ^ "What are the Origins of Missouri Counties?". State of Missouri. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
5. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
6. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021". Retrieved October 7, 2022.
7. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
8. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
9. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
10. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
11. ^ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Worth County, Missouri".
12. ^ Breeding, Marshall. "Worth County Library Association". Libraries.org. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
13. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 27, 2018.

## External links

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* Digitized 1930 Plat Book of Worth County Archived August 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine from University of Missouri Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books
* Official website of Worth County, Missouri.

Places adjacent to Worth County, Missouri

| Taylor County, Iowa |  | Ringgold County, Iowa

|
|

|  |
Nodaway County |

Worth County, Missouri

| Harrison County
|  |
| Gentry County |

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Worth County, Missouri, United States

County seat: Grant City

Cities|

* Allendale
* Grant City
* Sheridan

Map of Missouri highlighting Worth County

Villages|

* Denver
* Irena
* Worth

Townships|

* Allen
* Fletchall
* Greene
* Middlefork
* Smith
* Union

Unincorporated
communities|

* Isadora
* Oxford
* Prohibition City

* United States portal

* v
* t
* e

State of Missouri

Jefferson City (capital)

Topics|

* Index
* Geography
* Government
* Delegations
* History
* Battles
* Civil War
* People
* Symbols
* Tourist attractions
* Transportation

Society|

* Culture
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* Demographics
* Economy
* Education
* Politics

Regions|

* Boonslick
* Bootheel
* Four State Area
* Honey Lands
* Lead Belt
* Lincoln Hills
* Little Dixie
* Loess Hills
* Mid-Missouri
* Mississippi Embayment
* Missouri Rhineland
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* The Ozarks
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* Pony Express
* St. Francois Mountains

Metro areas|

* Columbia
* Jefferson City
* Joplin
* Kansas City
* Springfield
* St. Joseph
* St. Louis

Largest cities|

* Kansas City
* St. Louis
* Springfield
* Columbia
* Independence
* Lee's Summit
* O'Fallon
* St. Joseph
* St. Charles
* Blue Springs
* St. Peters
* Florissant
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* Jefferson City
* Cape Girardeau
* Wildwood
* University City
* Ballwin
* Liberty
* Raytown
* Kirkwood
* Maryland Heights
* Gladstone
* Grandview
* Hazelwood

Counties and
independent cities|

* Adair
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* St. Louis (City)
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* Ste. Genevieve
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* Texas
* Vernon
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* Washington
* Wayne
* Webster
* Worth
* Wright

Coordinates: 40°29′N 94°25′W﻿ / ﻿40.48°N 94.42°W﻿ / 40.48; -94.42
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