Cole County is located in the central part of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

. As of the 2020 census, its population was 77,279. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

and largest city is

Jefferson City Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Missouri. It had a population of 43,228 at the 2020 United States census, ranking as the List of cities in Missouri, 16th most popu ...

, the state capital. The county was organized November 16, 1820, and named after pioneer William Temple Cole who built Cole's Fort in Boonville. Cole County is in the

, MO Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is south of the

Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...

. In 2010, the center of the population of Missouri was in Cole County, near the village of Wardsville.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.0%) is water. It is the third-smallest county in Missouri by area.

Adjacent counties

* Boone County (north) * Callaway County (northeast) * Osage County (southeast) * Miller County (southwest) * Moniteau County (northwest)

Major highways

U.S. Route 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...

U.S. Route 54 U.S. Route 54 (US 54) is an east–west United States Highway that runs northeast–southwest for from El Paso, Texas, to Griggsville, Illinois. The Union Pacific Railroad's Tucumcari Line (former Southern Pacific Railroad, Southern Pacific an ...

* U.S. Route 63 * Route 17 * Route 179

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 71,397 people, 27,040 households, and 17,927 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 28,915 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 87.06%

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

, 9.92%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.33% Native American, 0.88% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.54% from other races, and 1.23% from two or more races. Approximately 1.28% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. 40.1% were of German, 13.6% American, 7.8% English and 6.9% Irish ancestry. There were 27,040 households, out of which 33.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.00% were

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

living together, 10.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.70% were non-families. 28.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.00. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.20% under the age of 18, 9.80% from 18 to 24, 32.30% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 11.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.50 males. The median income for a household in the county was $42,924, and the median income for a family was $53,416. Males had a median income of $33,769 versus $25,189 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $20,739. About 5.80% of families and 8.70% 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 11.50% of those under age 18 and 7.30% of those age 65 or over.

2020 Census

Infrastructure

The

Missouri Department of Corrections The Missouri Department of Corrections is the state law enforcement agency that operates state prisons in the U.S. state of Missouri. It has its headquarters in Missouri's capital of Jefferson City. The Missouri Department of Corrections has ...

(MDOC) operates the Jefferson City Correctional Center in

.Jefferson City Correctional Center
"

. May 7, 2006. Retrieved on September 18, 2010. The current JCCC was opened on September 15, 2004, replacing the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City.

Education

School districts including sections of the county, no matter how slight, even if the relevant schools and/or administration buildings in another county: *

Blair Oaks R-II School District Blair is a Scots-English-language name of Scottish Gaelic origin. The surname is derived from any of the numerous places in Scotland called ''Blair'', derived from the Scottish Gaelic ''blàr'', meaning "plain", "meadow" or " field", frequently ...

* Cole County R-I School District * Cole County R-V School District * Jamestown C-1 School District * Jefferson City Public Schools

Public schools

*Blair Oaks R-II School District –

**Blair Oaks Elementary School (K-02) **Blair Oaks Intermediate School (03-05) **Blair Oaks Middle School (06-08) **Blair Oaks High School (09-12) *Cole County R-I School District – Russellville **Cole County R-I Elementary School (PK-06) **Russellville Junior/Senior High School (07-12) *Cole County R-V School District – Eugene **Eugene Elementary School (PK-06) **Eugene High School (07-12) * Jefferson City Public School District –

**Southwest Early Childhood Education Center (PK) **Callaway Hills Elementary School (K-05) – Holts Summit **South Elementary School (K-05) **Thorpe J. Gordon STEM Elementary School (K-05) **East Elementary School (K-05) **North Elementary School (K-05) – Holts Summit **Cedar Hill Elementary School (K-05) **West Elementary School (K-05) **Moreau Heights Elementary School (K-05) **Belair Elementary School (K-05) **Pioneer Trail Elementary School (K-05) **Clarence Lawson Elementary School (K-05) **Thomas Jefferson Middle School (06-08) **Lewis & Clark Middle School (06-08) ** Jefferson City High School (09-12) **Capital City High School (09-12)

Private schools

* *Immaculate Conception School –

(PK-08) –

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

*Immanuel Lutheran School –

(PK-08) –

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

*Moreau Montessori School –

(PK-03) –

Nonsectarian Nonsectarian institutions are secular institutions or other organizations not affiliated with or restricted to a particular religious group. Academic sphere Many North American universities identify themselves as being nonsectarian, such as B ...

*River Oak Christian Academy–

(PK-08) –

Nondenominational Christian Non-denominational Christianity (or nondenominational Christianity) consists of churches, and individual Christians, which typically distance themselves from the confessionalism or creedalism of other Christian communities by not formally aligni ...

*St. Francis Xavier School – Taos (K-08) –

*St. Joseph Cathedral School –

(PK-08) –

*St. Martin School – St. Martins (K-08) –

*St. Peter Interparish School –

(PK-08) –

*St. Stanislaus Catholic School – Wardsville (K-08) –

*St. Thomas The Apostle School – Saint Thomas (PK-08) –

*Trinity Lutheran School –

(PK-08) –

*Calvary Lutheran High School –

(09-12) –

* Helias Catholic High School –

(09-12) –

*Lighthouse Preparatory Academy –

(PK-12) –

Post-secondary education

* Lincoln University – Jefferson City – A public, four-year historically black university.

Public libraries

*Missouri River Regional Library

Communities

Cities

(county seat and state capital; a small portion extends into Callaway County) * Lohman * Russellville * St. Martins * St. Thomas * Taos

Villages

* Centertown * Wardsville

Unincorporated communities

* Apache Flats *

Bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

* Brazito * Elston * Eugene * Henley * Hickory Hill * Honey Creek * Marion * Millbrook * Osage Bend * Osage Bluff * Osage City *

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...

* Scott * Scrivner * Stringtown

Government and politics

Political culture

Like many other counties in Mid-Missouri, Cole County is mostly Republican. The last Democratic to win the county in a presidential election was

Harry S Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th Vice president of the United States, vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Frank ...

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...

. In 2004, state residents voted on a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman. This passed Cole County with 74.24% of the vote. The initiative passed the state with 71 percent of support from voters;https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?fips=29&year=2004&f=0&off=51&elect=5 Missouri became the first state to ban

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

Local

The Republican Party controls politics at the local level in Cole County. Republicans hold all but one of the elected positions in the county. The Democratic Party do not hold any elected positions on the county level.

State

Gubernatorial

Missouri House of Representatives

Cole County is divided into five legislative districts in the

Missouri House of Representatives The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...

, all of which elected Republicans. *District 49 �
Travis Fitzwater
(R- Holts Summit). Consists of a small unincorporated area of the county just west of the city of Jefferson City. *District 50 — Sara Walsh. Consists of unincorporated areas in the northwest corner of the county. *District 59 — Rudy Veit (R-

). Consists of the communities of Centertown, Eugene, Lohman, Russellville, St. Martins, Taos, and Wardsville. *District 60 — Dave Griffith (R-

) Consists of the city of Jefferson City. *District 62 �
Tom Hurst
(R- Meta) Consists of the community of St. Thomas.

Missouri Senate

Cole County is a part of Missouri's 6th District in the

Missouri Senate The Missouri Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 181,000. Its members serve four-year terms, with half the seats being up for election every two yea ...

and is currently represented by Mike Bernskoetter (R-

Federal

US Senate

US House of Representatives

All of Cole County is included in Missouri's 3rd congressional district and is currently represented by Blaine Luetkemeyer (R- Saint Elizabeth) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Presidential

Missouri presidential preference primary (2008)

Former U.S. Senator and

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

(D-

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

) received more votes, a total of 4,642, than any candidate from either party in Cole County during the 2008 presidential primary. Cole County was one of only six counties (including the independent city of St. Louis) that backed Obama in Missouri.

References

External links

Cole County government's websiteMissouri River Regional Library

from

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

Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books {{Coord, 38.51, -92.28, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MO_source:UScensus1990 1820 establishments in Missouri Territory Populated places established in 1820 Missouri Rhineland Jefferson City metropolitan area Missouri counties on the Missouri River

Geography

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Demographics

2020 Census

Infrastructure

Education

Public schools

Private schools

Post-secondary education

Public libraries

Communities

Cities

Villages

Unincorporated communities

Government and politics

Political culture

Local

State

Gubernatorial

Missouri House of Representatives

Missouri Senate

Federal

US Senate

US House of Representatives

Presidential

Missouri presidential preference primary (2008)

See also

References

Further reading

External links