Morgan County, Missouri


Morgan County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,006. Its county seat is Versailles. The county was organized January 5, 1833, and named for General Daniel Morgan of the American Revolutionary War.
WWW morgan-county.org

History

Morgan County was organized in 1833 upon separation from Cooper County. It is named in honor of Revolutionary War General Daniel Morgan. Versailles, with a name referring to the French royal estate near Paris, France, was designated as the county seat and platted in 1854.
Established in 1853 there, the Martin Hotel was visited in the post-Civil War period by both showman and circus entrepreneur P. T. Barnum and outlaw robber Jesse James. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, it now operates as a museum. In 1858 the Mulhollen Station was a mail stop here for the newly established Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach line, which carried goods and mail for several years to San Francisco, California.
The Morgan County Courthouse in Versailles, which has also been listed on the NRHP, was designed with French-style details, such as a mansard roof, in keeping with the origin of the town's name. It burned in 1887. The majority of the records were rescued, and the courthouse was soon rebuilt and restored.
Coal mining was historically an important economic activity in Morgan County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Geographical features

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 21,006 and a median age of 46.4 years. 22.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 24.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.2 males.
The racial makeup of the county was 92.8% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 4.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.1% of the population.
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 8,548 households in the county, of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 21.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 15,110 housing units, of which 43.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 78.8% were owner-occupied and 21.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.0%.
Race / Ethnicity Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020
White alone 13,57015,31418,69319,57319,29898.28%98.33%96.81%95.18%91.87%
Black or African American alone 9494971231260.68%0.60%0.50%0.60%0.60%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 55681191131050.40%0.44%0.62%0.55%0.50%
Asian alone 7252175610.05%0.16%0.11%0.36%0.29%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone xx328xx0.02%0.01%0.04%
Other race alone 10414570.07%0.03%0.01%0.02%0.27%
Mixed race or Multiracial xx214310905xx1.11%1.51%4.31%
Hispanic or Latino 71691613654460.51%0.44%0.83%1.77%2.12%
Total13,80715,57419,30920,56521,006 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

Education

Public schools

Private schools

Public libraries

  • Morgan County Library

Communities

Cities and towns

Townships

Unincorporated communities

Politics

Local

The Republican Party controls politics at the local level in Morgan County. Republicans hold all but five of the elected positions in the county.

State

All of Morgan County is in Missouri's 58th Representative District in the Missouri House of Representatives, represented by .
All of Morgan County is a part of Missouri's 6th District in the Missouri Senate and is currently represented by .

Federal

All of Morgan County is included in Missouri's 4th Congressional District and is currently represented by Vicky Hartzler in the U.S. House of Representatives.