Linn County is a county in Missouri, United States, in the north-central part of the state, roughly halfway between Kansas City and the Iowa line. It had a population of 11,874 at the 2020 census and covers 622 square miles (1,610 km2) centred near 39°52′N 93°07′W.
Linneus is the county seat; its postal code is 64653. The county has eight incorporated cities and villages plus more than a dozen unincorporated communities, grouped into 14 civil townships, and sits in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Linn County
Linn County has eight incorporated places — Brookfield and Marceline are chartered as cities, the rest as villages — and a long list of unincorporated communities and rural crossroads that never grew large enough to organize. The table below uses City for the two largest incorporated places, City · seat for the county seat, Village for the smaller incorporated places, and Unincorp. for places with no municipal government.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brookfield | City | Brookfield | — | 64628 |
| Marceline | City | Marceline | — | 64658 |
| Linneus | City · seat | — | — | 64653 |
| Bucklin | Village | Bucklin | — | 64631 |
| Browning | Village | — | — | 64630 |
| Laclede | Village | — | — | 64651 |
| Meadville | Village | — | — | 64659 |
| Purdin | Village | — | — | 64674 |
| Bear Branch | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Benson | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Enterprise | Unincorp. | Enterprise | — | — |
| Eversonville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Forker | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Fountain Grove | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Garner | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Grantsville | Unincorp. | Grantsville | — | — |
| Haseville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hecla | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Johnstown | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Leverton | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Lowell | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| New Boston | Unincorp. | — | — | 63557 |
| North Salem | Unincorp. | North Salem | — | — |
| Saint Catharine | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sedgwick | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Shafter | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Shelby | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Laclede is the birthplace of General John J. Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Forces in the First World War; the Pershing family home there is preserved as a state historic site. Browning straddles the Linn–Sullivan county line, and most of its residents and services are on the Linn County side.
Townships
Linn County is divided into 14 civil townships. Several carry the same name as the town or community at their center; exact population figures below are unverified for this rewrite and shown as a dash rather than guessed.
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Brookfield | — | Brookfield |
| Marceline | — | Marceline |
| Bucklin | — | Bucklin |
| Baker | — | — |
| Benton | — | — |
| Clay | — | — |
| Enterprise | — | Enterprise |
| Grantsville | — | Grantsville |
| Jackson | — | — |
| Jefferson | — | — |
| Locust Creek | — | — |
| North Salem | — | North Salem |
| Parson Creek | — | — |
| Yellow Creek | — | — |
ZIP Codes
- 64628 — Brookfield
- 64658 — Marceline
- 64653 — Linneus (county seat)
- 64631 — Bucklin
- 64630 — Browning
- 64651 — Laclede
- 64659 — Meadville
- 64674 — Purdin
- 63557 — New Boston
Smaller unincorporated communities such as Bear Branch, Enterprise, Fountain Grove, Grantsville, Hecla, North Salem, Saint Catharine and Shelby have no ZIP code of their own and use the delivery code of the nearest post-office town listed above.
Geography
Linn County lies in the rolling glaciated plains of north-central Missouri, drained by the Locust Creek and Yellow Creek watersheds toward the Grand River basin. Fountain Grove Conservation Area, a large Missouri Department of Conservation wetland and waterfowl-management tract, spans the county’s eastern side along the Locust Creek bottoms.
The county borders Sullivan County to the north, Adair County to the northeast, Macon County to the east, Chariton County to the south, Livingston County to the west, and Grundy County to the northwest.
Demographics
Linn County had 11,874 residents at the 2020 census, spread across a population density of roughly 19 people per square mile — well below the statewide average, typical of Missouri’s farming counties north of the Missouri River. Brookfield, with several thousand residents, is by far the largest community, followed by Marceline. County-level median household income figures were not verified for this rewrite; Missouri’s statewide median household income was $68,545 (2023 ACS), a useful benchmark for a rural county of this size, which typically runs below the state figure.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture — row crops, cattle, and hay ground — remains the backbone of the county’s economy outside Brookfield and Marceline. Brookfield grew up as a railroad division point on what became the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe line and still carries a rail-town character, with BNSF trackage running through town. Marceline is best known as the boyhood home of Walt Disney, who lived there as a child in the early 1900s; the town leans on that connection for tourism, with a Walt Disney Hometown Museum and an annual Toonfest celebration drawing visitors each summer.
History
Linn County was organized on January 1, 1837, carved from Chariton County territory, and named for Dr. Lewis F. Linn, the physician who represented Missouri in the U.S. Senate from 1833 until his death in 1843 and championed the Oregon Trail settlement bill that bears his name. Linneus was platted as the county seat the same year. Laclede’s most notable native son, John J. Pershing, was born there in 1860 and went on to lead American forces in Europe during World War I; his family home is now a state historic site open to visitors.
Getting There
U.S. Route 36 crosses the county east–west through Brookfield, and Missouri Routes 5, 11, 129, 130, and 139 connect the smaller towns to it. A future upgrade of US 36 to Interstate 72 status has long been planned across this corridor.
- Chillicothe — 20 miles west
- Kirksville — 40 miles northeast
- Macon — 25 miles east
- Columbia — 75 miles south
The nearest commercial air service is Columbia Regional Airport, roughly 75 miles to the south.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Linn County, Missouri?
It is in the north-central part of the state, roughly halfway between Kansas City and the Iowa border, centred near 39°52′N 93°07′W.
What is the population of Linn County?
11,874 people, as of the 2020 census.
How big is Linn County?
622 square miles (1,610 km2), including 5.8 square miles of water.
What is the county seat of Linn County?
Linneus is the county seat.
How many towns are in Linn County?
Eight incorporated cities and villages — Brookfield, Browning, Bucklin, Laclede, Linneus, Marceline, Meadville, and Purdin — plus more than a dozen unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Linn County?
Nine ZIP codes serve the county, from 64628 (Brookfield) to 63557 (New Boston); see the ZIP Codes section above for the full list.
Where was General Pershing born?
In Laclede, Linn County, in 1860; his family home is preserved as a Missouri state historic site.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Missouri.