Gentry County is a county in Missouri, United States, in the northwestern part of the state along the Iowa border region south of the Grand River hills. It had a population of 6,162 at the 2020 census and covers 492 square miles (1,270 km2), of which 491 square miles is land, centred near 40°13′N 94°25′W.
Albany is the county seat, and its postal code is 64402. The county has three incorporated cities, three incorporated villages, and several unincorporated communities, spread across eight townships. Gentry County sits in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Gentry County
Gentry County has six populated places with 2020 census figures plus a number of small unincorporated communities and former hamlets carried on local maps. “CDP” denotes a census-designated place; “Unincorp.” denotes an unincorporated community with no separate municipal government.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany | City · seat | Howard | 1,679 | 64402 |
| Stanberry | City | Wilson | 1,129 | 64489 |
| King City | City | Miller | 799 | 64463 |
| McFall | Village | Cooper | 119 | 64657 |
| Darlington | Village | Bogle | 66 | 64438 |
| Gentry | Village | Athens | 56 | 64453 |
| Alanthus Grove | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Berlin | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Ford City | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Gentryville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Island City | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Carmack | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Ellenorah | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Enyart | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Evona | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Lone Star | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| McCurry | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Mount Pleasant | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Siloam Springs | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Carmack, Ellenorah, Enyart, Evona, Lone Star, McCurry, Mount Pleasant, and Siloam Springs are historic crossroads communities that survive today as place names on local maps rather than as active settlements — most lost their post offices decades ago as rural free delivery routes replaced them. Douglas, Effingham, Pinhook, and Whitten, sometimes listed for Gentry County on older directories, could not be independently confirmed and are omitted here.
Townships
Gentry County is divided into eight civil townships: Athens, Bogle, Cooper, Howard, Huggins, Jackson, Miller, and Wilson. Individual township population counts and settlement assignments are not consistently published, so figures below are omitted rather than guessed.
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Athens | — | Gentry |
| Bogle | — | Darlington |
| Cooper | — | McFall |
| Howard | — | Albany |
| Huggins | — | — |
| Jackson | — | — |
| Miller | — | King City |
| Wilson | — | Stanberry |
ZIP Codes
- 64402 — Albany (also serves the surrounding rural county seat area)
- 64489 — Stanberry
- 64463 — King City
- 64657 — McFall
- 64453 — Gentry
- 64438 — Darlington
Unincorporated communities and hamlets without their own post office are served by the nearest ZIP above.
Geography
Gentry County lies in the rolling farmland of Missouri’s Grand River basin, drained by the Grand River and its Grand and Big Muddy Creek tributaries. The terrain is mostly gently rolling prairie given over to row crops and pasture, with wooded stream bottoms along the river corridors. The county covers 492 square miles, of which 491 square miles is land and about 0.3 square miles is water.
Gentry County borders Worth County to the north, Harrison County to the east, Daviess County to the southeast, DeKalb County to the south, Andrew County to the southwest, and Nodaway County to the west.
Demographics
The 2020 census counted 6,162 residents. Albany (1,679) and Stanberry (1,129) are the county’s two largest communities, together holding about 45 percent of the county’s population. Gentry County’s median household income runs below the Missouri median of $68,545, typical of the state’s farming counties in the northwest corner. Population density is about 12.5 people per square mile, one of the lower figures among Missouri’s rural counties.
Economy & Local Life
Row-crop and livestock agriculture — corn, soybeans, cattle, and hogs — anchors the county economy, supplemented by county-seat government and retail jobs in Albany and light industry in Stanberry and King City. Large-scale hog production has been part of the county’s farm economy for decades; a 2010 jury awarded seven neighboring farmers $11 million in damages from a major hog operation over odor nuisance, a case that drew statewide attention to concentrated animal feeding operations in the area. North Central Missouri College and area school districts (Albany R-III, Stanberry R-II, King City R-I) are among the county’s larger employers outside agriculture.
History
Gentry County was organized on February 14, 1841, from part of Clinton County and named for Colonel Richard Gentry of Boone County, who died in 1837 while leading Missouri volunteers in the Second Seminole War in Florida. Albany was platted as the county seat soon after organization and grew as a rail and market town on what became the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific line. Like much of northwest Missouri, the county’s population peaked in the early 20th century and has declined gradually since as farms consolidated and rail service diminished.
Getting There
US Route 136 crosses the county east-west and US Route 169 runs north-south, meeting near Albany; Missouri Routes 48 and 85 provide secondary connections to surrounding towns.
- St. Joseph, Missouri — about 40 miles southwest
- Maryville, Missouri — about 25 miles west
- Bethany, Missouri — about 25 miles east
- Kansas City, Missouri — about 90 miles south
The nearest commercial airport is Rosecrans Memorial Airport in St. Joseph; Kansas City International Airport offers a fuller schedule of flights about two hours south.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Gentry County, Missouri?
It’s in the northwestern part of the state, on US 136 and US 169, bordering Iowa-adjacent Worth County to the north.
What is the population of Gentry County?
6,162 people at the 2020 census.
How big is Gentry County?
492 square miles (1,270 km2), of which 491 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Gentry County?
Albany is the county seat.
How many towns are in Gentry County?
Three incorporated cities (Albany, Stanberry, King City), three incorporated villages (McFall, Darlington, Gentry), and several unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Gentry County?
64402 (Albany), 64489 (Stanberry), 64463 (King City), 64657 (McFall), 64453 (Gentry), and 64438 (Darlington).
Who is Gentry County named for?
Colonel Richard Gentry of Boone County, who died in 1837 in the Second Seminole War.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Missouri.