Warren County, Missouri


Warren County is a county located in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,532. The county is located on the north side of the Missouri River. Its county seat is Warrenton. The county was established on January 5, 1833, and was named for General Joseph Warren, who died in the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War.
Warren County is part of the St. Louis, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is traversed by Route 94, called the "Missouri Weinstrasse" because of the many vineyards from Marthasville east into St. Charles County. Warren County is also part of the Missouri Rhineland, with award-winning wineries located on both sides of the Missouri River.

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

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 35,532. The median age was 40.7 years. 23.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.6 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 88.4% White, 2.1% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.9% from some other race, and 6.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.9% of the population.
26.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 73.6% lived in rural areas.
There were 13,578 households in the county, of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 19.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 15,355 housing units, of which 11.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 79.7% were owner-occupied and 20.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.7%.

Racial and ethnic composition

The racial and ethnic composition of the county from 1980 through 2020 is shown below.
Race / Ethnicity Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020
White alone 14,30318,79023,33030,20131,10395.99%96.19%95.13%92.89%87.54%
Black or African American alone 4885074745987183.28%2.60%1.93%1.84%2.02%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 8451021131160.05%0.23%0.42%0.35%0.33%
Asian alone 1730531231430.11%0.15%0.22%0.38%0.40%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone xx3100xx0.01%0.03%0.00%
Other race alone 12101681110.08%0.05%0.07%0.02%0.31%
Mixed race or Multiracial xx2335031,941xx0.95%1.55%5.46%
Hispanic or Latino 721523149571,4000.48%0.78%1.28%2.94%3.94%
Total14,90019,53424,52532,51335,532 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 24,525 people, 9,185 households, and 6,888 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 11,046 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 95.89% White, 1.94% Black or American (U.S. Census)|African American], 0.45% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.44% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. Approximately 1.28% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Among the major ancestries reported in Warren County were 41.4% German, 13.8% American, 10.2% Irish and 7.0% English ancestry.
There were 9,185 households, out of which 34.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.20% were married couples living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.00% were non-families. 20.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.90% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 28.80% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 13.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $41,016, and the median income for a family was $46,863. Males had a median income of $36,315 versus $23,443 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,690. About 6.40% of families and 8.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.50% of those under age 18 and 10.40% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Local

All of the elected positions in the county are held by Republicans.

State

Warren County is divided into two legislative districts in the Missouri House of Representatives, both of which are held by Republicans.
There were no incumbents in this race.
Warren County is a part of Missouri's 10th District in the Missouri Senate and is currently represented by Jeanie Riddle. The 10th Senatorial District consists of all of Audrain, Callaway, Lincoln, Monroe, Montgomery, and Warren counties.

Federal

Warren County is included in Missouri's 3rd Congressional District and is represented by Blaine Luetkemeyer in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Political culture

At the presidential level, like many exurban counties, Warren County tends to lean Republican. Bill Clinton in 1992 is the solitary Democratic presidential nominee to carry Warren County since Stephen Douglas in 1860, and Clinton only won with 37.1 percent of the vote.
Like most rural and exurban areas throughout Northeast Missouri, voters in Warren County generally adhere to socially and culturally conservative principles which tend to influence their Republican leanings. The initiative narrowly passed the state with 51 percent of support from voters as Missouri became one of the first states in the nation to approve embryonic stem cell research. Despite Warren County's longstanding tradition of supporting socially conservative platforms, voters in the county have a penchant for advancing populist causes like increasing the minimum wage. In 2006, Missourians voted on a proposition to increase the minimum wage in the state to $6.50 an hour—it passed Warren County with 77.48 percent of the vote. The proposition strongly passed every single county in Missouri with 78.99 percent voting in favor.

Missouri presidential preference primary (2008)

Former U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton received more votes, a total of 1,971, than any candidate from either party in Warren County during the 2008 presidential primary.

Education

School districts in the county include:

Public schools

Private schools

Public libraries

Communities

Cities

Villages

Unincorporated communities

Media

  • KFAV, 99.9 mHz FM station featuring country music, sister station to KWRE
  • KWRE, 730 kHz AM station featuring country music, sister station to KFAV