• county
  • FIPS 29091
  • Largest town: West Plains

Howell County, Missouri

Howell County had 40,762 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 927.2 square miles of land. It ranks 29th of 115 in Missouri by population and 3rd by land area.

Population
40,762
#29 of 115 in Missouri · #1,178 in US
Area
927.2 sq mi
#3 of 115 in Missouri · #779 in US
Density
44 / sq mi
#43 of 115 in Missouri · #1,588 in US
Median household income
$48,727
#98 of 115 in Missouri · #2,797 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Howell County within Missouri. Pin: Jefferson City.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Howell County

Howell County population, land area and income

Howell County had 40,762 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 927.2 square miles of land. It ranks 29th of 115 in Missouri by population and 3rd by land area. That works out to 44.0 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Missouri has 19,100 residents, so Howell County is 2.1 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $48,727 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

40,762

3144th1st

1178th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

927 sq mi

3144th1st

779th of 3,144 (US)

Density

44.0 / sq mi

3144th1st

1588th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$48,727

3143rd1st

2797th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Missouri (115)

Population

40,762

115th1st

29th of 115 (MO)

Land area

927 sq mi

115th1st

3rd of 115 (MO)

Density

44.0 / sq mi

115th1st

43rd of 115 (MO)

Median household income

$48,727

115th1st

98th of 115 (MO)

How Howell County's population changed since 2020

Howell County gained 956 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 2.4%. That ranks 39th of 115 in Missouri for growth. The median Missouri county changed by +1.4%, and the state as a whole by +1.5%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Howell County recorded 1,914 births and 2,726 deaths, a natural change of -812. Net international migration added -16 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +1,793. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 1,793 people.

39.8k202040.0k202140.6k202240.7k202340.8k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
1,914
Deaths
2,726
Net international migration
-16
Net domestic migration
+1,793
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+55

Where Howell County is

The Census internal point of Howell County is at 36.774400, -91.887400. It sits in UTM zone 15N. The map shades Missouri's 115 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Howell County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Pettis County: +1.8%Henry County: +2.7%Texas County: +5.7%Madison County: +1.8%St. Louis city: -6.9%Cole County: +1.3%Washington County: +0.6%Macon County: -0.1%Barton County: +0.8%Grundy County: +0.1%Cedar County: +5.7%Randolph County: -1.6%Ray County: +0.3%Caldwell County: +2.0%Benton County: +6.1%Douglas County: +5.9%Shannon County: +3.4%Dade County: +0.5%Wright County: +7.1%Gentry County: +2.6%Lawrence County: +3.0%Cooper County: +2.9%Hickory County: +5.6%Moniteau County: +0.5%Dent County: +2.3%Monroe County: +2.3%Maries County: +0.7%Bollinger County: +0.5%Clinton County: +2.4%Knox County: +0.0%Webster County: +7.8%Harrison County: +0.4%Pulaski County: -0.1%Adair County: +1.5%Warren County: +7.7%Daviess County: +1.3%Audrain County: -1.9%Howard County: -0.1%Linn County: +0.4%Saline County: -0.1%Miller County: +3.6%Dallas County: +4.3%Morgan County: +6.7%New Madrid County: -6.8%Newton County: +4.8%Oregon County: +1.0%Franklin County: +2.3%Greene County: +2.9%Ralls County: +1.4%Lafayette County: +1.4%Livingston County: +4.8%McDonald County: +3.3%Barry County: +3.1%Cape Girardeau County: +2.2%Carroll County: -0.6%Christian County: +7.6%Vernon County: +0.6%Carter County: +3.0%Andrew County: -0.1%Jasper County: +2.9%Worth County: -4.9%Lincoln County: +10.1%Marion County: -0.2%Holt County: +1.2%Howell County: +2.4%St. Francois County: +1.6%Chariton County: +0.1%Butler County: -0.6%Iron County: -1.0%Perry County: +0.7%Cass County: +5.3%St. Louis County: -1.0%Dunklin County: -4.3%Wayne County: -1.1%Ozark County: +6.7%Laclede County: +1.9%Reynolds County: -2.5%Lewis County: -1.9%Taney County: +1.2%Ripley County: +0.4%Ste. Genevieve County: +0.4%Scotland County: -0.1%Putnam County: -3.1%Schuyler County: +1.5%Shelby County: -2.8%Boone County: +4.4%Mercer County: -1.7%Platte County: +5.6%Camden County: +3.1%Bates County: +2.1%Johnson County: +3.4%Sullivan County: -3.8%Atchison County: -3.1%Scott County: -0.2%Montgomery County: +2.0%Jefferson County: +2.2%Clark County: -0.5%Callaway County: +1.8%St. Clair County: +5.4%Buchanan County: -1.1%Pemiscot County: -7.6%Polk County: +4.6%Phelps County: +2.5%Stone County: +4.6%Osage County: +1.7%Clay County: +3.6%Nodaway County: -2.4%Crawford County: -1.0%Jackson County: +1.4%St. Charles County: +4.3%Mississippi County: -3.1%Pike County: +3.1%Stoddard County: -0.7%Gasconade County: -0.7%DeKalb County: -14.8%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -0.7%
  2. < +0.5%
  3. < +2.0%
  4. < +3.6%
  5. ≥ +3.6%
no data

Orange pin: Howell County internal point. Dark pin: Jefferson City.

Internal point

Decimal
36.774400, -91.887400
DMS
36°46'27.84"N 91°53'14.64"W
UTM
15N 599288.3E 4070423.5N
Geohash
9yw9jn9dk
Plus code
868CQ4F7+Q2

Towns in Howell County

3 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Howell County, 17,591 people together, or 43% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Howell County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is West Plains with 12,704.

  1. 01West Plains12,704
  2. 02Mountain View2,668
  3. 03Willow Springs2,219
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Howell County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Howell County, including 1 across a state line. The most populous is Texas County, MO, with 25,715 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Jefferson City and the nearest big city

Jefferson City is 125.7 miles N of Howell County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Springfield, MO (population 170,596), 82.8 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is West Plains, MO (population 12,704), 2.8 miles away.

Howell County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Howell County is 29091: state code 29 for Missouri plus county code 091. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $48,727.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Howell County, Missouri?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 40,762. That is up 956 people (2.4%) from the July 2020 estimate of 39,806.

What is the FIPS code of Howell County?

29091. The first two digits (29) are Missouri; the last three (091) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Howell County?

West Plains, with 12,704 residents inside Howell County in 2024.

Which counties border Howell County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Texas County, MO; Fulton County, AR; Douglas County, MO; Ozark County, MO; Oregon County, MO; Shannon County, MO.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.