Webster County is a county in Missouri, United States, part of the Springfield metropolitan area. It had a population of 39,085 at the 2020 census and covers 593 square miles (1,540 km2) of land, centred near 37°17′N 92°52′W.
Marshfield is the county seat, and its postal code is 65706. The county has six incorporated cities, one village and 22 unincorporated communities, grouped into 17 civil townships. Webster County sits in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Webster County
Webster County has 29 named places on record: six incorporated cities, one incorporated village and 22 unincorporated communities. In the table, City · seat marks the county seat, City and Village mark other incorporated places, and Unincorp. marks unincorporated communities with no municipal government. Population figures below the incorporated tier are not separately reported by the Census Bureau, so those cells read —.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marshfield | City · seat | Marshfield | — | 65706 |
| Rogersville | City | — | — | 65742 |
| Seymour | City | — | — | 65746 |
| Fordland | City | — | — | 65652 |
| Niangua | City | Niangua | — | 65713 |
| Strafford | City | — | — | — |
| Diggins | Village | Diggins | — | 65636 |
| All | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Beach | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Bracken | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Caddo | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Conklin | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Crown | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Duncan | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Elkland | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Forkners Hill | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Henderson | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| High Prairie | Unincorp. | High Prairie | — | — |
| Mountain Dale | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Northview | Unincorp. | Northview | — | — |
| Olga | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Panther Valley | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Rader | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Red Top | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sampson | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sarvis Point | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Susanna | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Waldo | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Zenar | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Strafford straddles the Webster–Greene county line; most of its housing and its post office lie in Greene County, so no Webster-specific ZIP is listed for it here.
Townships
Webster County is divided into 17 civil townships: Benton, Dallas, Diggins, Finley, Grant, Green Hill, Hazelwood, High Prairie, Hubble, Jackson, Marshfield, Niangua, Northview, Osage, Ozark, Union and Washington. Several townships share a name with their principal settlement, listed in the table above; per-township 2020 population figures are not separately published by the Census Bureau, so they are omitted rather than estimated.
ZIP Codes
- 65706 — Marshfield
- 65742 — Rogersville
- 65746 — Seymour
- 65652 — Fordland
- 65713 — Niangua
- 65636 — Diggins
Every other place in the table sits within one of these six delivery areas and has no separate ZIP code of its own.
Geography
Webster County lies on the northern edge of the Ozarks, a mix of rolling upland prairie in the north and more broken, timbered terrain toward the south. The Niangua River and Finley Creek both rise in or cross the county, draining north and south respectively toward the Osage and White river systems. Land use is a mix of cattle pasture, hay ground and second-growth oak-hickory forest, with the Mark Twain National Forest touching the county’s southern edge.
Webster County borders Dallas County to the northwest, Laclede County to the northeast, Wright County to the east, Douglas County to the southeast, Christian County to the southwest and Greene County to the west.
Demographics
The 2020 census counted 39,085 residents, for a density of about 66 people per square mile. Marshfield and Rogersville are the county’s two largest communities. Median household income in Webster County runs below the Missouri median of $68,545, reflecting a rural, agriculture- and commuter-based economy on the edge of the Springfield metro.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture — cattle, dairy and hay — remains a core part of the county economy, alongside light manufacturing and a growing share of residents who commute into Springfield for work. Marshfield, the seat, anchors most local retail and services and is the boyhood home of astronomer Edwin Hubble, commemorated each October at the Edwin Hubble Festival.
History
Webster County was organized on March 3, 1855, and named for Daniel Webster, the U.S. senator and secretary of state, who had died three years earlier. Early settlers arrived in the 1830s from Kentucky and Tennessee, drawn by the county’s prairie and spring-fed streams. Marshfield, the county seat, was largely rebuilt after a tornado struck the town on April 18, 1880, killing dozens of residents — still one of the deadliest tornadoes in Missouri history.
Getting There
U.S. Route 60 crosses the county east–west and Missouri Route 38 and Route 5 provide north–south links; Interstate 44 clips the county’s northwest corner near Strafford.
- Springfield — 20 miles west
- Lebanon — 20 miles northeast
- Ava — 30 miles south
- Buffalo — 25 miles north
The nearest commercial airport is Springfield-Branson National Airport, about 25 miles west of Marshfield.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Webster County, Missouri?
It lies in south-central Missouri, on the northern edge of the Ozarks and the eastern edge of the Springfield metropolitan area.
What is the population of Webster County?
39,085 people, per the 2020 census.
How big is Webster County?
593 square miles (1,540 km2) of land.
What is the county seat of Webster County?
Marshfield is the county seat.
How many towns are in Webster County?
Six incorporated cities (Fordland, Marshfield, Niangua, Rogersville, Seymour and Strafford), one incorporated village (Diggins) and 22 unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Webster County?
65706 (Marshfield), 65742 (Rogersville), 65746 (Seymour), 65652 (Fordland), 65713 (Niangua) and 65636 (Diggins).
Who was Webster County named after?
Daniel Webster, the U.S. senator from Massachusetts and U.S. secretary of state, when the county was organized in 1855.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Missouri.