Phelps County is a county in Missouri, United States, in the south-central Ozark Highlands roughly 100 miles southwest of St. Louis. It had a population of 44,638 at the 2020 census and covers 672 square miles (1,740 km2) of land, centred near 37°53′N 91°47′W.
Rolla is the county seat, and its postal code is 65401. The county has five incorporated cities and towns and about 20 unincorporated communities, sits in the Central time zone, and forms the core of the Rolla, Missouri Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Towns & Villages in Phelps County
Phelps County has five incorporated municipalities and roughly two dozen named unincorporated places. Most of the smaller names below are crossroads, rail sidings, or river-valley hamlets rather than platted towns; population is shown only where the Census Bureau tracks it separately.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rolla | City · seat | 19,943 | 65401 |
| St. James | City | 3,920 | 65559 |
| Newburg | City | — | 65550 |
| Edgar Springs | City | — | 65462 |
| Doolittle | City | — | 65401 |
| Arlington | Unincorp. | — | 65438 |
| Beulah | Unincorp. | — | 65436 |
| Blooming Rose | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Clementine | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Clinton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Craddock | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dillon | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Duke | Unincorp. | — | 65461 |
| Elk Prairie | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Flag Spring | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Flat | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Jerome | Unincorp. | — | 65529 |
| Northwye | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Powellville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rosati | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Royal | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Seaton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Table Rock | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Vida | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Winkler | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Yancy Mills | Unincorp. | — | — |
Two old-list entries were dropped: “Sugartree” and “Schundler” have no traceable record as Phelps County places and were not carried over. “Boys Town of Missouri” is a private children’s-home campus near Edgar Springs, not a populated place, and was also dropped.
ZIP Codes
- 65401 — Rolla (also serves Doolittle)
- 65409 — Rolla (Missouri S&T campus, unique ZIP)
- 65559 — Saint James
- 65550 — Newburg
- 65462 — Edgar Springs
- 65529 — Jerome
- 65461 — Duke
- 65436 — Beulah
The remaining unincorporated places share a ZIP with their nearest post office town rather than carrying one of their own.
Geography
Phelps County sits in the dissected Ozark Highlands, a landscape of oak-hickory forest, karst sinkholes, and spring-fed streams draining toward the Gasconade and Meramec river systems. The Little Piney and Big Piney creeks cut through the county’s western half, and the Gasconade River forms part of the northeastern boundary. Interstate 44 and the historic Route 66 corridor run east–west through Rolla and St. James.
Phelps County borders Maries County to the northwest, Gasconade County to the northeast, Crawford County to the east, Dent County to the southeast, Texas County to the south, and Pulaski County to the west.
Demographics
The 2020 census counted 44,638 residents, making Phelps one of the larger Ozark counties by population. Rolla and St. James together hold roughly 60% of that total. Median household income in the county runs below the Missouri median of $68,545, reflecting a mix of university-town and rural-service-economy wages. Overall density is about 66 people per square mile, concentrated around Rolla.
Economy & Local Life
Rolla’s economy centers on Missouri University of Science and Technology, a leading engineering and mining research school, along with healthcare (Phelps Health) and regional government and retail. St. James is a wine and agriculture hub, home to several wineries within the federally recognized Ozark Highlands American Viticultural Area, and hosts an annual Grape and Fall Festival. Manufacturing and highway-trade jobs along the I-44 corridor round out the base.
History
Phelps County was organized on November 13, 1857, carved from Maries, Crawford, Pulaski, and Wright counties, and named for U.S. Representative and later Missouri Governor John Smith Phelps. During the Civil War, Rolla’s rail terminus made it a key Union supply depot, and the county courthouse served as a Union hospital. In 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau calculated that the mean center of the entire country’s population fell within Phelps County, a symbolic marker of the county’s near-dead-center location in the continental United States.
Getting There
Interstate 44 and U.S. Route 63 cross at Rolla, with Missouri Routes 8, 68, and 72 serving the county’s smaller communities.
- St. Louis — 100 miles northeast
- Springfield — 75 miles southwest
- Jefferson City — 55 miles north
- Fort Leonard Wood — 25 miles southwest
The nearest commercial airport is Springfield-Branson National Airport; Rolla National Airport serves general aviation locally.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Phelps County, Missouri?
It sits in the south-central Ozark Highlands, about 100 miles southwest of St. Louis, along the Interstate 44 corridor.
What is the population of Phelps County?
44,638 at the 2020 census.
How big is Phelps County?
672 square miles (1,740 km2) of land plus 2.5 square miles (6.5 km2) of water.
What is the county seat of Phelps County?
Rolla is the county seat and largest city.
How many towns are in Phelps County?
Five incorporated cities and towns — Rolla, St. James, Newburg, Doolittle, and Edgar Springs — plus about 20 unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Phelps County?
The main codes are 65401 and 65409 (Rolla), 65559 (St. James), 65550 (Newburg), 65462 (Edgar Springs), 65529 (Jerome), 65461 (Duke), and 65436 (Beulah).
What is Phelps County known for?
Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla and the Ozark Highlands wineries around St. James.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Missouri.