Buchanan County is a county in Missouri, United States, on the Missouri River across from Kansas in the state’s northwest corner. It had a population of 84,793 at the 2020 census and covers 408 square miles (1,060 km2) of land plus 6.6 square miles (17 km2) of water, centred near 39°40′N 94°49′W.
St. Joseph is the county seat and its postal code is 64501. The county has 2 incorporated cities, 3 incorporated villages, and roughly 30 unincorporated communities, spread across 12 civil townships. Buchanan County sits in the Central time zone and carries FIPS code 29021.
Towns & Villages in Buchanan County
Buchanan County’s largest place by far is St. Joseph, the county seat and the only city of any size; the rest of the county is small villages and unincorporated crossroads communities. In the table below, “CDP” marks a Census Bureau statistical place with no city government, and “Unincorp.” marks a named community with no formal municipal boundary at all.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Joseph | City · seat | 72,473 | 64501 |
| Gower | City | 1,533 | 64454 |
| Agency | Village | 671 | 64401 |
| Rushville | Village | — | 64484 |
| Lewis and Clark Village | Village | — | — |
| De Kalb | Unincorp. | — | 64440 |
| Easton | Unincorp. | — | 64443 |
| Faucett | Unincorp. | — | 64446 |
| Winthrop | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Frazier | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Halls | Unincorp. | — | — |
| San Antonio | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sparta | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wallace | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Willow Brook | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Armour | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Clair | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Evansville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Garrettsburg | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Halleck | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hurlingen | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Kenmoor | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Kirschner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Kyle | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lake Station | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lone Star | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Matney | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Maxey | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mock Corner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pinkston | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Platte River | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Richie | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Saxton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sugar Lake | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Taos | Unincorp. | — | — |
Gower straddles the Buchanan–Clinton county line, with most of its housing on the Clinton County side; only its northern edge lies in Buchanan County. Don’t confuse Lewis and Clark Village (a small residential village northwest of St. Joseph) with the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail markers found throughout the river corridor.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | — | St. Joseph (part) |
| Rush | — | Rushville |
| Agency | — | Agency |
| Wayne | — | — |
| Center | — | — |
| Crawford | — | — |
| Jackson | — | — |
| Lake | — | — |
| Marion | — | — |
| Platte | — | — |
| Bloomington | — | — |
| Tremont | — | — |
ZIP Codes
- 64501 — St. Joseph (also serves the surrounding county courthouse area)
- 64504, 64505, 64506, 64507, 64508 — additional St. Joseph ZIP codes covering the rest of the city
- 64401 — Agency
- 64440 — De Kalb
- 64443 — Easton
- 64446 — Faucett
- 64454 — Gower
- 64484 — Rushville
Most of the county’s small unincorporated communities have no post office of their own and use a St. Joseph or neighboring-town ZIP code.
Geography
Buchanan County lies where the Missouri River bends west to form the Kansas state line, giving the county’s western edge a natural river boundary. The Platte River crosses the county’s southeastern townships before joining the Missouri. Terrain is rolling loess-hill farmland typical of northwest Missouri, cut by the river bottoms along the Missouri and Platte.
Buchanan County borders Andrew County to the north, DeKalb County to the east, Clinton County to the southeast, Platte County to the south, and Atchison County, Kansas to the west and Doniphan County, Kansas to the northwest across the Missouri River.
Demographics
Buchanan County had 84,793 residents at the 2020 census, spread over 408 square miles of land for a density of about 208 people per square mile. St. Joseph, with 72,473 residents, holds roughly 85% of the county’s population; Gower, at 1,533, is a distant second. Median household income in the county runs below the Missouri median of $68,545 — St. Joseph’s older industrial-era housing stock and legacy stockyards economy keep county-wide income under the state figure, a pattern typical of Missouri River meatpacking towns.
Economy & Local Life
St. Joseph anchors the county’s economy. Mosaic Life Care operates the area’s main hospital and is one of the county’s largest employers. Missouri Western State University, a public university in St. Joseph, draws students from across northwest Missouri. Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp., U.S.A. runs an ATV and utility-vehicle assembly plant in the city, a legacy of St. Joseph’s manufacturing base. Outside the city, farming — row crops and livestock — dominates the smaller townships. The Pony Express Museum and the Patee House Museum, both in St. Joseph, anchor the county’s tourism calendar around the annual Pony Express Days celebration.
History
The county was organized in 1838 as Roberts County, named for settler Hiram Roberts, then renamed the following year, 1839, for James Buchanan, then a U.S. Senator and later President of the United States. St. Joseph itself was founded in 1843 by fur trader Joseph Robidoux at a bend of the Missouri River. The city became the eastern starting point of the Pony Express in April 1860, and it was where outlaw Jesse James was shot and killed in his own home in 1882 — both events are still central to the county’s identity and museums today.
Getting There
Interstate 29 runs the length of the county, carrying traffic between Kansas City and Omaha through St. Joseph. U.S. Route 36 crosses the county east–west into Kansas, and U.S. Route 71 runs north–south on the east side of St. Joseph.
- Savannah (Andrew County seat) — 10 miles north
- Kansas City — 55 miles south
- Platte City — 25 miles south
- Maryville — 45 miles north
Rosecrans Memorial Airport in St. Joseph handles general aviation; the nearest commercial airport is Kansas City International Airport (MCI), about 45 miles to the south.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Buchanan County, Missouri?
It sits in the state’s northwest corner on the Missouri River, directly across from Kansas, about 55 miles north of Kansas City.
What is the population of Buchanan County?
84,793 at the 2020 census, making it one of Missouri’s more populous counties despite its small land area.
How big is Buchanan County?
408 square miles (1,060 km2) of land plus 6.6 square miles (17 km2) of water.
What is the county seat of Buchanan County?
St. Joseph is the county seat and by far its largest city.
How many towns and villages are in Buchanan County?
Two incorporated cities, three incorporated villages, and roughly 30 named unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Buchanan County?
St. Joseph uses 64501 and 64504–64508; Agency, De Kalb, Easton, Faucett, Gower, and Rushville each have their own ZIP code.
Why is it called Buchanan County?
It was renamed in 1839 for James Buchanan, then a sitting U.S. Senator who later became President; before that it was briefly named Roberts County after settler Hiram Roberts.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Missouri.