Worth County is a county in Missouri, United States, on the Iowa state line in the far northwest of the state. It had a population of 1,973 at the 2020 census and covers 267 square miles (690 km2) centred near 40°29′N 94°25′W.
Grant City is the county seat, and its postal code is 64456. The county has three incorporated cities and towns, three villages, and several small unincorporated and extinct communities. Worth County observes Central Time and is the smallest Missouri county by both population and land area, excluding the independent city of St. Louis.
Towns & Villages in Worth County
Worth County’s settlements are small by design — no place in the county has topped 1,000 residents in decades. The table below lists every incorporated city and town, plus the villages and unincorporated places still shown on county maps. “Unincorp.” covers small hamlets and crossroads with no municipal government; several, including Isadora, Oxford, and Prohibition City, are now largely or entirely abandoned townsites.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grant City | City · seat | — | 64456 |
| Sheridan | City | — | 64486 |
| Allendale | City | — | 64420 |
| Denver | Village | — | — |
| Worth | Village | — | 64499 |
| Irena | Village | — | — |
| Isadora | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Oxford | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Prohibition City | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mount Waller | Unincorp. | — | — |
ZIP Codes
- 64456 — Grant City (also serves the county seat area and rural Union Township)
- 64486 — Sheridan
- 64420 — Allendale
- 64499 — Worth
The county’s smaller villages and unincorporated places, including Denver, Irena, and the extinct 19th-century townsites, are served by the ZIP code of the nearest post-office town rather than one of their own.
Geography
Worth County sits on the rolling loess-hill plains of far northwestern Missouri, drained by the Middle Fork and East Fork of the Grand River. The terrain is mixed row-crop farmland and pasture, with almost no natural lakes; the county’s water area is a fraction of one percent of its total. It is the smallest county in Missouri by land area.
Worth County borders Taylor County, Iowa, to the north and Ringgold County, Iowa, to the northeast — the Missouri–Iowa state line forms its entire northern edge. Within Missouri, it borders Harrison County to the east, Gentry County to the south, and Nodaway County to the west.
Demographics
Worth County’s population was 1,973 at the 2020 census, making it the least populous county in Missouri. Grant City and Sheridan are its two largest communities. Median household income in the county runs below the Missouri median of $68,545, consistent with a farm-dependent economy with an aging, shrinking population base. Population density is roughly 7 people per square mile, among the lowest of any county in the state.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture drives the county economy — row crops (corn and soybeans) and cattle grazing dominate the landscape, supplemented by county and school-district government jobs concentrated in Grant City, the seat. Worth R-III School District serves the county’s students from a single consolidated campus in Grant City. There is no hospital in the county; residents typically travel to Bethany, Maryville, or St. Joseph for major medical care.
History
Worth County was organized on February 8, 1861, carved from Gentry County, and named for Major General William Jenkins Worth, a career U.S. Army officer who fought in the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War and died in 1849, more than a decade before the county was formed. It is Missouri’s youngest county. Grant City, the seat, was platted the same year and later named for Ulysses S. Grant. The county’s population peaked in the late 19th century and has declined steadily since, a pattern typical of small rural Midwestern counties as farming consolidated and mechanized.
Getting There
U.S. Route 169 runs north–south through the county, and Missouri Routes 46 and 246 provide east–west and local connections.
- Bethany, Missouri — about 20 miles east
- Maryville, Missouri — about 25 miles southwest
- St. Joseph, Missouri — about 55 miles south
- Des Moines, Iowa — about 90 miles north
The nearest commercial airport is Rosecrans Memorial Airport in St. Joseph; St. Joseph and Maryville also offer the closest hospital-level medical care.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Worth County, Missouri?
It is in the far northwestern corner of Missouri, on the Iowa state line, roughly 100 miles north of Kansas City.
What is the population of Worth County?
1,973 at the 2020 census — the smallest of any Missouri county.
How big is Worth County?
267 square miles (690 km2), the smallest land area of any Missouri county.
What is the county seat of Worth County?
Grant City is the county seat.
How many towns are in Worth County?
Three incorporated cities and towns — Grant City, Sheridan, and Allendale — plus several smaller villages and unincorporated places.
What ZIP codes are in Worth County?
64456 (Grant City), 64486 (Sheridan), 64420 (Allendale), and 64499 (Worth).
Why is Worth County called Missouri’s youngest county?
It was organized on February 8, 1861, later than any of Missouri’s other 113 counties.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Missouri.