Cooper County is located in the central portion of the U.S. state of

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

. As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...

, the population was 17,103. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

is Boonville. The county was organized December 17, 1818 and named for Sarshell Cooper, a frontier settler who was killed by Native Americans near Arrow Rock in 1814. It is a part of the Columbia, Missouri metropolitan area.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.8%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Howard County (north) * Boone County (northeast) * Moniteau County (southeast) * Morgan County (south) * Pettis County (west) * Saline County (northwest)

Major highways

Interstate 70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the fifth-longest Interstate in the co ...

U.S. Route 40 U.S. Route 40 or U.S. Highway 40 (US 40), also known as the Main Street of America, is a major east–west United States Highway traveling across the United States from the Mountain States to the Mid-Atlantic States. As with most routes wh ...

* Route 5 * Route 41 * Route 87 * Route 98 * Route 135 * Route 179

National protected area

* Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge

Demographics

As of the 2000

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

, there were 16,670 people, 5,932 households and 4,140 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 30 per square mile (11/km²). There were 6,676 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.05%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 8.96%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.36% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.28% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. Approximately 0.86% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. 38.1% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 18.7%

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

, 8.1%

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

and 8.0% Irish ancestry. There were 5,932 households, of which 31.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.40% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.20% were non-families. 26.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.97. Age distribution was 22.80% under the age of 18, 14.00% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 20.60% from 45 to 64, and 15.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 117.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 120.00 males. The

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways ...

was $35,313, and the median family income was $41,526. Males had a median income of $28,513 versus $20,965 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $15,648. About 8.30% of families and 10.70% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 12.80% of those under age 18 and 8.30% of those age 65 or over.

2020 Census

Education

Public schools

Blackwater R-II School District
– Blackwater **Blackwater Elementary School (PK-08)
Boonville R-I School District
– Boonville **Hannah Cole Primary School (PK-02) **David Barton Elementary School (03-05) **Laura Speed Elliott Middle School (06-08) **Boonville High School (09-12)
Cooper County R-IV School District
– Bunceton **Bunceton Elementary School (K-06) **Bunceton High School (07-12)
Otterville R-VI School District
– Otterville **Otterville Elementary School (K-06) **Otterville High School (07-12)
Pilot Grove C-4 School District
– Pilot Grove **Pilot Grove Elementary School (PK-05) **Pilot Grove Middle School (06-08) **Pilot Grove High School (09-12)
Prairie Home R-V School District
– Prairie Home **Prairie Home Elementary School (K-06) **Prairie Home High School (07-12)

Private schools

Saints Peter & Paul School
– Boonville (K-09) –

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

*Zion Lutheran School – Bunceton (02-08) –

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

St. Joseph Elementary School
– Pilot Grove (02-09) –

Public libraries

*Boonville/Cooper Branch Library

Politics

Local

The

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...

completely controls politics at the local level in Cooper County. Republicans hold all of the elected positions in the county.

State

Cooper County is divided into three legislative districts in the Missouri House of Representatives, all of which elected Republicans, but one is currently vacant. *District 47 �
Chuck Basye
(R- Rocheport). Consists of areas east of the city of Boonville. *District 48 —

Tim Taylor (politician) Tim Taylor is a Missouri politician serving as a member of the Missouri House of Representatives in the 48th district. Missouri House of Representatives Committee assignments * Conservation and Natural Resources * Public Safety * Transport ...

(R- Bunceton). Consists of the communities of Blackwater, Boonville, Bunceton, Otterville, and Pilot Grove. *District 50 — Sara Walsh. (R- Ashland). Consists of the community of Prairie Home and much of the rest of the eastern portion of the county. All of Cooper County is a part of Missouri's 19th District in the Missouri Senate and is currently represented b
Caleb Rowden
(R-

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

Federal

All of Cooper County is included in

Missouri's 4th Congressional District Missouri's 4th congressional district comprises west central Missouri. It stretches from Columbia to the southern suburbs of Kansas City, including a sliver of Kansas City itself. The district is predominantly rural and relatively conservativ ...

and is currently represented by Vicky Hartzler (R-

Harrisonville Harrisonville is a town in Cass County, Missouri, United States. The population was 10,121 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Cass County. It is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. History Harrisonville was founded in 1837 u ...

) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Communities

Cities

* Blackwater * Boonville (county seat) * Bunceton * Otterville * Pilot Grove * Prairie Home

Villages

* Windsor Place * Wooldridge

Unincorporated communities

* Bellair * Billingsville * Chouteau Springs * Clarks Fork * Clifton City * Harriston * Lamine * Lone Elm * New Lebanon * Overton * Pisgah * Pleasant Green *

Speed In everyday use and in kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per unit of time; it is thus a scalar quant ...

Townships

Cooper County is divided into 14 townships: * Blackwater * Boonville * Clark Fork * Clear Creek *

Kelly Kelly may refer to: Art and entertainment * Kelly (Kelly Price album) * Kelly (Andrea Faustini album) * ''Kelly'' (musical), a 1965 musical by Mark Charlap * "Kelly" (song), a 2018 single by Kelly Rowland * ''Kelly'' (film), a 1981 Canadi ...

* Lamine *

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...

* North Moniteau * Otterville * Palestine * Pilot Grove * Prairie Home * Saline * South Moniteau

Notable person

Country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer

Sara Evans Sara Lynn Evans (; born February 5, 1971) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She is also credited as a record producer, actress, and author. She had five songs reach the number one spot on the ''Billboard'' country songs cha ...

was born in Cooper County.

References

External links

Cooper County Information from MO-River.Net

from

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in ...

Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books
Cooper County Sheriff's Office
{{authority control 1818 establishments in Missouri Territory Populated places established in 1818 Missouri counties on the Missouri River Columbia metropolitan area (Missouri)