{"id":5475,"date":"2023-07-10T12:11:08","date_gmt":"2023-07-10T12:11:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/?p=5475"},"modified":"2026-08-21T08:37:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T08:37:12","slug":"cooper-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/cooper-county\/","title":{"rendered":"Cooper County, Missouri"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cooper County is a county in Missouri, United States, on the south side of the Missouri River in the central part of the state. It had a population of 17,103 at the 2020 census and covers 569 square miles (1,470 km2) centred near 38\u00b051′N 92\u00b049′W.<\/p>\n

Boonville is the county seat. The county has 6 incorporated cities, 2 villages and 13 unincorporated communities, grouped into 14 civil townships. Cooper County sits in the Central time zone and is part of the Columbia, Missouri metropolitan area.<\/p>\n

Towns & Villages in Cooper County<\/h2>\n

Cooper County has 21 named places on record: 6 cities (one the county seat), 2 villages, and 13 unincorporated communities. CDP = census-designated place; Unincorp. = unincorporated community with no municipal government.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Place<\/th>\nType<\/th>\nTownship<\/th>\nPop.<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Boonville<\/td>\nCity · seat<\/td>\nBoonville<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Blackwater<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\nBlackwater<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bunceton<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\nPalestine<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Otterville<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\nOtterville<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pilot Grove<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\nPilot Grove<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Prairie Home<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\nPrairie Home<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Windsor Place<\/td>\nVillage<\/td>\nBoonville<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Wooldridge<\/td>\nVillage<\/td>\nSaline<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bellair<\/td>\nUnincorp.<\/td>\nClear Creek<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Billingsville<\/td>\nUnincorp.<\/td>\nSouth Moniteau<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chouteau Springs<\/td>\nUnincorp.<\/td>\nClear Creek<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Clarks Fork<\/td>\nUnincorp.<\/td>\nClark Fork<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Clifton City<\/td>\nUnincorp.<\/td>\nNorth Moniteau<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Harriston<\/td>\nUnincorp.<\/td>\nKelly<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lamine<\/td>\nUnincorp.<\/td>\nLamine<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lone Elm<\/td>\nUnincorp.<\/td>\nPrairie Home<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
New Lebanon<\/td>\nUnincorp.<\/td>\nLebanon<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Overton<\/td>\nUnincorp.<\/td>\nBoonville<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pisgah<\/td>\nUnincorp.<\/td>\nPalestine<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pleasant Green<\/td>\nUnincorp.<\/td>\nPilot Grove<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Speed<\/td>\nUnincorp.<\/td>\nLebanon<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Merna and Pleasant Grove, named on some older lists, are not confirmed as distinct Cooper County place names and are omitted here; Wooldridge and Windsor Place are both small villages on the county’s east side, easily confused by name alone but geographically distinct.<\/p>\n

Townships<\/h2>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Township<\/th>\nPop. (2020)<\/th>\nMain settlements<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Boonville<\/td>\n—<\/td>\nBoonville, Windsor Place, Overton<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pilot Grove<\/td>\n—<\/td>\nPilot Grove, Pleasant Green<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Palestine<\/td>\n—<\/td>\nBunceton, Pisgah<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Otterville<\/td>\n—<\/td>\nOtterville<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Prairie Home<\/td>\n—<\/td>\nPrairie Home, Lone Elm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Clear Creek<\/td>\n—<\/td>\nBellair, Chouteau Springs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Saline<\/td>\n—<\/td>\nWooldridge<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Blackwater<\/td>\n—<\/td>\nBlackwater<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lamine<\/td>\n—<\/td>\nLamine<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lebanon<\/td>\n—<\/td>\nNew Lebanon, Speed<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
North Moniteau<\/td>\n—<\/td>\nClifton City<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
South Moniteau<\/td>\n—<\/td>\nBillingsville<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Kelly<\/td>\n—<\/td>\nHarriston<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Clark Fork<\/td>\n—<\/td>\nClarks Fork<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Geography<\/h2>\n

Cooper County lies between the Missouri and Lamine rivers, on rolling upland prairie and river-bottom farmland typical of central Missouri. The Missouri River forms most of the county’s northern boundary, and the Lamine River crosses the eastern side before joining it. Interstate 70 runs east–west across the county’s northern edge.<\/p>\n

Cooper County borders Howard County to the north, Boone County to the northeast, Moniteau County to the southeast, Morgan County to the south, Pettis County to the west, and Saline County<\/a> to the northwest across the Missouri River. Boone County<\/a>, home to Columbia, anchors the metro area Cooper County belongs to.<\/p>\n

Demographics<\/h2>\n

Cooper County had 17,103 residents at the 2020 census. Boonville, the county seat, is by far the largest place, followed by Bunceton. Countywide population density is about 30 people per square mile. Median household income for the county is not independently verified here; the Missouri state median household income is $68,545 (2023 ACS).<\/p>\n

Economy & Local Life<\/h2>\n

Cooper County’s economy centers on agriculture — corn, soybeans, cattle and hogs on the upland farms, with riverside grain elevators along the Missouri River at Boonville. Boonville also has manufacturing and warehousing tied to its Interstate 70 location, and draws visitors to its historic downtown and riverboat-era buildings. The county is a bedroom community for Columbia, about 25 miles east.<\/p>\n

History<\/h2>\n

Cooper County was organized on December 17, 1818, one of Missouri’s original counties carved from the vast Howard County territory before statehood. It was named for Sarshell Cooper, a frontier settler and militia captain killed by Native American raiders near Arrow Rock in 1814, before the county’s creation. Boonville, the seat, grew as a Missouri River port and was the site of an early Civil War skirmish, the Battle of Boonville, in June 1861.<\/p>\n

Getting There<\/h2>\n

Interstate 70 crosses the northern part of the county, with U.S. Route 40 and Missouri Routes 5, 41, 87, 98, 135 and 179 serving the rest.<\/p>\n