Macon County is a county in Missouri, United States, roughly 40 miles north of Columbia along US 63. It had a population of 15,209 at the 2020 census and covers 812 square miles (2,098 km2), of which 801 square miles (2,070 km2) are land, centred near 39°50′N 92°34′W.
Macon is the county seat, and its postal code is 63552. The county holds 8 incorporated cities, 1 village, 1 census-designated place and dozens of smaller unincorporated communities, spread across 24 civil townships. It sits in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Macon County
Macon County has eight incorporated cities, one village (South Gifford), and one census-designated place (Excello). The rest of the list below is made up of unincorporated communities and rural post-office settlements, many of them now reduced to a crossroads or a scatter of houses. “Unincorp.” marks a place with no municipal government of its own.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macon | City · seat | — | — | 63552 |
| La Plata | City | La Plata | — | 63549 |
| Atlanta | City | — | — | 63530 |
| Bevier | City | Bevier | — | 63532 |
| Callao | City | Callao | — | 63534 |
| New Cambria | City | — | — | 63558 |
| Elmer | City | — | — | 63538 |
| Ethel | Town | — | — | 63539 |
| Excello | CDP | — | — | 65247 |
| South Gifford | Village | — | — | — |
| Anabel | Unincorp. | — | — | 63431 |
| Ardmore | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Axtell | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Barnesville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Barryville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Binkley | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Bloomington | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cardy | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cash | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Chariton | Unincorp. | Chariton | — | — |
| College Mound | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cottage | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cox | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Economy | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Gifford | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Goldsberry | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hammack | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hart | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Heuer | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Kaseyville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Kellogg | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Keota | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Kern | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Lingo | Unincorp. | Lingo | — | — |
| Love Lake | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Mercyville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Nickellton | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Number Eight | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Plainview | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Redman | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Seney | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sue City | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Ten Mile | Unincorp. | Ten Mile | — | — |
| Walnut | Unincorp. | Walnut Creek | — | — |
| Woodville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Two entries on the old list are effectively the same place under different labels: “Gifford” and “South Gifford village” are treated here as the incorporated village of South Gifford plus its separate unincorporated neighbor Gifford, both retained since Missouri gazetteers list them as distinct points.
Townships
Macon County is divided into 24 civil townships. Population figures below are not separately published for most of them, so unverified cells are marked with a dash rather than guessed.
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Bevier | — | Bevier |
| Callao | — | Callao |
| Chariton | — | Chariton |
| Drake | — | — |
| Eagle | — | — |
| Easley | — | — |
| Hudson | — | — |
| Independence | — | — |
| Jackson | — | — |
| Johnston | — | — |
| La Plata | — | La Plata |
| Liberty | — | — |
| Lingo | — | Lingo |
| Lyda | — | — |
| Middle Fork | — | — |
| Morrow | — | — |
| Narrows | — | — |
| Richland | — | — |
| Round Grove | — | — |
| Russell | — | — |
| Ten Mile | — | Ten Mile |
| Valley | — | — |
| Walnut Creek | — | Walnut |
| White | — | — |
ZIP Codes
- 63552 — Macon (county seat)
- 63549 — La Plata
- 63530 — Atlanta
- 63532 — Bevier
- 65247 — Excello
- 63534 — Callao
- 63558 — New Cambria
- 63431 — Anabel
- 63539 — Ethel
- 63538 — Elmer
South Gifford and most of the county’s smaller unincorporated communities have no post office of their own and are served by the ZIP code of the nearest listed town.
Geography
Macon County sits on the rolling till plains of north-central Missouri, drained by the Middle Fork and East Fork of the Chariton River and by Long Branch, whose impoundment forms Long Branch Lake near Macon. The terrain is a mix of cropland, pasture and second-growth timber along the creek bottoms, with 11 square miles of the county’s area in water.
Macon County borders Adair County to the north, Knox County to the northeast, Sullivan County to the northwest, Shelby County to the east, Randolph County to the south, Monroe County to the southeast, Chariton County to the southwest, and Linn County to the west.
Demographics
Macon County had 15,209 residents at the 2020 census. Macon and La Plata are the two largest communities, together accounting for a substantial share of the county’s population. Median household income in the county runs below the Missouri median of $68,545, in line with most of the surrounding rural counties. Population density works out to roughly 19 people per square mile of land.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture — row crops, cattle and hogs — anchors the county’s economy, alongside light manufacturing and services based in Macon. The county’s coal-mining past is still visible in Bevier, once a mining town built around the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad. US 63 and the future I-72 corridor carry regional trade traffic through the county, and Long Branch Lake and its state park draw fishing and camping visitors from the wider area.
History
Macon County was organized on January 6, 1837, and named for Nathaniel Macon, a North Carolina politician and Revolutionary War veteran. Coal mining shaped the eastern part of the county in the late 1800s and early 1900s, drawing immigrant labor to Bevier and nearby camps; several of the smaller settlements on this page began as mining or rail sidings that outlasted the mines by only a few decades. Macon itself grew up as a rail junction town and has served as the county seat since the county’s organization.
Getting There
US 63 runs north-south through the county and links Macon to the future I-72/US 36 corridor; Missouri Routes 3, 149 and 156 connect the smaller towns.
- Columbia, Missouri — about 45 miles south
- Kirksville, Missouri — about 30 miles north
- Moberly, Missouri — about 25 miles south
- Hannibal, Missouri — about 50 miles east
The nearest commercial air service is Columbia Regional Airport (COU), roughly an hour’s drive south.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Macon County, Missouri?
It is in the northern part of the state, along US 63, about 45 miles north of Columbia.
What is the population of Macon County?
15,209 people, at the 2020 census.
How big is Macon County?
812 square miles (2,098 km2), of which 801 square miles are land and 11 square miles are water.
What is the county seat of Macon County?
Macon is the county seat.
How many towns are in Macon County?
Eight incorporated cities (Atlanta, Bevier, Callao, Elmer, Ethel, La Plata, Macon and New Cambria), one village (South Gifford), one census-designated place (Excello), and dozens of smaller unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Macon County?
Ten standard ZIP codes serve the county, from 63552 in Macon to 65247 in Excello; see the ZIP Codes section above for the full list.
What was Macon County’s coal-mining history?
Bevier and several nearby camps grew up around coal mines and the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, before the mines closed in the mid-1900s.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Missouri.