Taney County is a county in Missouri, United States, on the state line with Arkansas in the southwestern part of the state. It had a population of 56,066 at the 2020 census and covers 652 square miles (1,690 km2) total — 632 square miles (1,640 km2) of land and 19 square miles (49 km2) of water — centred near 36°39′N 93°02′W.
Forsyth is the county seat, and its postal code is 65653. The county has 5 incorporated cities, 4 villages, and several unincorporated communities. Taney County sits in the Central time zone and anchors the Branson, Missouri micropolitan statistical area, one of the busiest tourism destinations in the Ozarks.
Towns & Villages in Taney County
Taney County has 5 incorporated cities and a mix of villages and unincorporated communities spread along the White River, Lake Taneycomo, and Table Rock Lake. Branson, the county’s largest city and a national live-entertainment destination, holds nearly a quarter of the county’s population on its own. CDPs and unincorporated places have no local government of their own.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Branson | City | 12,638 | 65616, 65615 |
| Forsyth | City · seat | 2,730 | 65653 |
| Hollister | City | 4,583 | 65672, 65673 |
| Merriam Woods | City | — | — |
| Rockaway Beach | City | — | 65740 |
| Bull Creek | Village | — | — |
| Kirbyville | Village | — | 65679 |
| Taneyville | Village | — | 65759 |
| Saddlebrooke | Village | — | — |
| Bradleyville | Unincorp. | — | 65614 |
| Cedarcreek | Unincorp. | — | 65627 |
| Kissee Mills | Unincorp. | — | 65680 |
| Point Lookout | Unincorp. | — | 65726 |
| Powersite | Unincorp. | — | 65731 |
| Protem | Unincorp. | — | 65733 |
| Ridgedale | Unincorp. | — | 65739 |
| Rueter | Unincorp. | — | 65744 |
| Walnut Shade | Unincorp. | — | 65771 |
| Brownbranch | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Day | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dickens | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Edgewater Beach | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fairview | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Garber | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gretna | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hercules | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hilda | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Irma | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Long Beach | Unincorp. | — | — |
| McClurg | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Melva | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mildred | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mincy | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Nance | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Oakmont | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ozark Beach | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Swan | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Table Rock | Unincorp. | — | — |
Point Lookout is a small unincorporated place adjoining Hollister, home to College of the Ozarks; it is sometimes confused with the incorporated city of Hollister proper. Saddlebrooke sits mostly in Taney County but its address range crosses into neighboring Christian County, a common pattern for developments straddling the county line.
ZIP Codes
- 65616 — Branson (also serves the Branson entertainment strip)
- 65615 — Branson (PO Box only)
- 65653 — Forsyth
- 65672 — Hollister
- 65673 — Hollister (PO Box only)
- 65740 — Rockaway Beach
- 65679 — Kirbyville
- 65771 — Walnut Shade
- 65680 — Kissee Mills
- 65726 — Point Lookout (PO Box only)
- 65739 — Ridgedale
- 65759 — Taneyville
- 65733 — Protem
- 65627 — Cedarcreek
- 65614 — Bradleyville
- 65744 — Rueter
- 65731 — Powersite
Merriam Woods, Bull Creek, and a number of the smallest unincorporated hamlets have no dedicated post office and are served by a neighboring town’s ZIP code.
Geography
Taney County lies in the White River Hills section of the Ozark Plateau, a landscape of steep wooded ridges cut by spring-fed streams. The White River and its impoundments, Lake Taneycomo and the northern arm of Table Rock Lake, dominate the county’s drainage and shoreline recreation. Roughly 19 square miles of the county is water, an unusually high share for a Missouri county, a legacy of the mid-20th-century Ozark hydropower dams.
Taney County borders Christian County to the north, Douglas County to the east, Ozark County to the southeast, Boone and Marion counties, Arkansas, to the south, Carroll County, Arkansas, to the southwest, and Stone County to the west. Christian County’s own page lives at Christian County.
Demographics
Taney County’s population was 56,066 at the 2020 census. Branson (12,638) and Hollister (4,583) are the two largest communities; together they hold about a third of the county’s residents. Median household income in the county runs below the Missouri median of $68,545, reflecting a local economy built on seasonal tourism and service-sector work. Population density is roughly 89 people per square mile of land.
Economy & Local Life
Tourism drives Taney County’s economy. Branson’s live-music theaters, Silver Dollar City theme park, and the lakes draw millions of visitors a year, supporting hospitality, retail, and entertainment jobs county-wide. College of the Ozarks, a work-study liberal-arts college at Point Lookout, is a major local institution and employer. Cox Medical Center Branson anchors regional healthcare. Outside the Branson corridor, agriculture and forestry remain part of the rural economy.
History
Taney County was organized on January 6, 1837, and named for Roger B. Taney, then U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and later Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The county saw fighting during the Civil War, including an 1861 skirmish near Forsyth. In the 1880s the county was the base of the Bald Knobbers, a vigilante group that formed to fight crime and later turned violent, culminating in public hangings at Ozark in 1889 — an episode later dramatized in the Branson stage show “The Shepherd of the Hills.” The 20th-century damming of the White River to create Lake Taneycomo and Table Rock Lake reshaped the county’s economy from farming toward tourism.
Getting There
US Route 65 runs north–south through the county and is the main route into Branson; US Route 160 crosses east–west through Forsyth. State highways 76 and 248 serve the smaller communities.
- Springfield, Missouri — 40 miles north
- Harrison, Arkansas — 30 miles south
- Ozark, Missouri — 25 miles northwest
- West Plains, Missouri — 55 miles east
Branson Airport (BKG), a commercial airport built specifically to serve the tourism trade, sits within the county south of Hollister; Springfield-Branson National Airport (SGF) in Greene County offers a wider range of connections.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Taney County, Missouri?
It is in the southwestern part of the state on the Arkansas border, in the White River Hills of the Ozarks.
What is the population of Taney County?
56,066 people, per the 2020 census.
How big is Taney County?
632 square miles of land (1,640 km2) plus 19 square miles of water, for 652 square miles total.
What is the Taney County seat?
Forsyth is the county seat.
How many towns and villages are in Taney County?
Five incorporated cities, four villages, and roughly two dozen unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Taney County?
Branson uses 65616 and 65615; Forsyth uses 65653; Hollister uses 65672 and 65673; other towns each have their own code, listed above.
Is Branson in Taney County?
Yes. Branson is Taney County’s largest city and the anchor of the Branson micropolitan area.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Missouri.