Holt County, Missouri
Holt County is a county located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,223.[1] Its county seat is Oregon.[2] The county was organized February 15, 1841. Originally named Nodaway County, it was soon renamed for David Rice Holt (1803–1840), a Missouri state legislator from Platte County.[3][4][5]
History
[edit | edit source]The original area of Holt County was much larger than its present area. When it was first organized it comprised the current Holt County boundary, all of Atchison County, that part of Nodaway County west of the Nodaway River, and the aforementioned claim extended ten miles north into southwestern Iowa;[6] an area more than 1,350 square miles in all.
The first Post Office in Holt County opened in 1839 and was located on Thorp's Creek near Oregon. It was known as Thorp's Mill and closed in 1841.[7]
In 1972, the Holt County Historical Society was established.[8]
Holt County was impacted by the 2019 Midwestern U.S. floods. About 30,000 acres (12,000 hectares) of the 95,000 acres (38,000 hectares) that flooded in spring 2019 were still underwater in late October. Some of the floodwater was expected to freeze in place over the winter.[9]
Geography
[edit | edit source]According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 470 square miles (1,200 km2), of which 463 square miles (1,200 km2) is land and 7.7 square miles (20 km2) (1.6%) is water.[10]
Adjacent counties
[edit | edit source]- Atchison County (north)
- Nodaway County (northeast)
- Andrew County (southeast)
- Doniphan County, Kansas (south)
- Brown County, Kansas (southwest)
- Richardson County, Nebraska (west)
- Nemaha County, Nebraska (northwest)
Major highways
[edit | edit source]The following highways travel through the county:[11]
- File:I-29 (MO).svg Interstate 29
- File:US 59.svg U.S. Route 59
- File:US 159.svg U.S. Route 159
- File:MO-111.svg Route 111
- File:MO-113.svg Route 113
- File:MO-118.svg Route 118
- File:MO-120.svg Route 120
.svg){kind=link}
Demographics
[edit | edit source]2020 census
[edit | edit source]As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 4,223. The median age was 48.4 years. 21.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 25.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.6 males age 18 and over.[12]
The racial makeup of the county was 94.8% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.0% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 3.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.6% of the population.[13]
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[14]
There were 1,795 households in the county, of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 21.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[12]
Racial and ethnic composition
[edit | edit source]| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[15] | Pop 1990[16] | Pop 2000[17] | Pop 2010[18] | Pop 2020[19] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 6,806 | 5,982 | 5,255 | 4,775 | 3,992 | 98.90% | 99.14% | 98.21% | 97.21% | 94.53% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 5 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 0.07% | 0.12% | 0.09% | 0.14% | 0.09% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 28 | 22 | 25 | 48 | 30 | 0.41% | 0.36% | 0.47% | 0.98% | 0.71% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 11 | 5 | 4 | 15 | 2 | 0.16% | 0.08% | 0.07% | 0.31% | 0.05% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | x [20] | x [21] | 1 | 1 | 0 | x | x | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 11 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 0.16% | 0.03% | 0.00% | 0.06% | 0.43% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x [22] | x [23] | 40 | 24 | 110 | x | x | 0.75% | 0.49% | 2.60% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 21 | 16 | 21 | 39 | 67 | 0.31% | 0.27% | 0.39% | 0.79% | 1.59% |
| Total | 6,882 | 6,034 | 5,351 | 4,912 | 4,223 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2000 census
[edit | edit source]As of the census[24] of 2000, there were 5,351 people, 2,237 households, and 1,503 families residing in the county. The population density was 12 people per square mile (4.6 people/km2). There were 2,931 housing units at an average density of 6 units per square mile (2.3/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.47% White, 0.11% Black or African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.11% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. Approximately 0.39% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 2,237 households, out of which 28.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.30% were married couples living together, 6.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.80% were non-families. 29.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.80% under the age of 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 24.40% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 21.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 97.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $29,461, and the median income for a family was $35,685. Males had a median income of $26,966 versus $17,846 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,876. About 10.50% of families and 13.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.90% of those under age 18 and 11.90% of those age 65 or over.
Education
[edit | edit source]School districts include:[25]
Public schools
[edit | edit source]- Craig R-III School District – Craig
- Craig Elementary School (K-06)
- Craig High School (07-12)
- Mound City R-II School District – Mound City
- Mound City Elementary School (PK-04)
- Mound City Middle School (05-08)
- Mound City High School (09-12)
- Nodaway-Holt R-VII School District – Maitland and Graham
- Nodaway-Holt Elementary School (K-06)
- Nodaway-Holt Junior/Senior High School (07-12)
- South Holt County R-I School District – Oregon
- South Holt County Elementary School (K-06)
- South Holt County High School (07-12)
Public libraries
[edit | edit source]Points of interest
[edit | edit source]- Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge (formerly Squaw Creek)
- Big Lake State Park on Big Lake
- St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Corning, Missouri
Communities
[edit | edit source]Cities
[edit | edit source]- Craig
- Forest City
- Maitland
- Mound City
- Oregon (county seat)
Villages
[edit | edit source]Unincorporated communities
[edit | edit source]Extinct communities
[edit | edit source]Population ranking
[edit | edit source]The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Holt County.[28]
† county seat
| Rank | Name | Municipal Type | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mound City | 4th Class City | 1,004 |
| 2 | Oregon † | 4th Class City | 837 |
| 3 | Maitland | 4th Class City | 276 |
| 4 | Forest City | 4th Class City | 243 |
| 5 | Craig | 4th Class City | 105 |
| 6 | Big Lake | Village | 65 |
| 7 | Fortescue | Village | 21 |
| 8 | Bigelow | Village | 5 |
| 9 | Corning | Village | 3 |
Notable people
[edit | edit source]- Frank McGrath - actor, born in Mound City in 1903
- Charles C. Moore - 13th governor of Idaho; born in Holt County.[29]
- Roger Wehrli - NFL athlete inducted into the Hall of Fame, born in New Point
Politics
[edit | edit source]TemplateStyles' src attribute must not be empty.
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Local
[edit | edit source]The Republican Party predominantly controls politics at the local level in Holt County. Republicans hold all but one of the elected positions in the county.
Template:Missouri county elected officials
State
[edit | edit source]| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third Parties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 83.16% 1,921 | 14.81% 342 | 2.04% 47 |
| 2020 | 82.64% 1,928 | 15.47% 361 | 1.89% 44 |
| 2016 | 64.66% 1,515 | 32.14% 753 | 3.20% 75 |
| 2012 | 56.40% 1,296 | 41.60% 956 | 2.00% 46 |
| 2008 | 55.75% 1,440 | 40.53% 1,047 | 3.72% 96 |
| 2004 | 66.34% 1,776 | 32.61% 873 | 1.05% 28 |
| 2000 | 59.14% 1,563 | 39.01% 1,031 | 1.85% 49 |
| 1996 | 36.65% 1,040 | 61.63% 1,749 | 1.73% 49 |
All of Holt County is a part of Missouri's 1st District in the Missouri House of Representatives and is represented by Allen Andrews (R-Grant City). Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end
All of Holt County is a part of Missouri's 12th District in the Missouri Senate and is currently represented by Dan Hegeman (R-Cosby). Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end
Federal
[edit | edit source]Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end All of Holt County is included in Missouri's 6th Congressional District and is currently represented by Sam Graves (R-Tarkio) in the U.S. House of Representatives. Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end
Political culture
[edit | edit source]| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1888 | 1,831 | 54.00% | 1,433 | 42.26% | 127 | 3.75% |
| 1892 | 1,899 | 51.58% | 1,427 | 38.76% | 356 | 9.67% |
| 1896 | 2,397 | 53.44% | 2,036 | 45.40% | 52 | 1.16% |
| 1900 | 2,292 | 54.91% | 1,765 | 42.29% | 117 | 2.80% |
| 1904 | 2,208 | 61.47% | 1,277 | 35.55% | 107 | 2.98% |
| 1908 | 2,246 | 57.62% | 1,596 | 40.94% | 56 | 1.44% |
| 1912 | 1,522 | 41.22% | 1,519 | 41.14% | 651 | 17.63% |
| 1916 | 2,030 | 55.01% | 1,615 | 43.77% | 45 | 1.22% |
| 1920 | 4,153 | 63.35% | 2,329 | 35.52% | 74 | 1.13% |
| 1924 | 3,316 | 57.98% | 2,255 | 39.43% | 148 | 2.59% |
| 1928 | 3,845 | 66.57% | 1,919 | 33.22% | 12 | 0.21% |
| 1932 | 2,253 | 41.77% | 3,117 | 57.79% | 24 | 0.44% |
| 1936 | 3,409 | 52.45% | 3,076 | 47.33% | 14 | 0.22% |
| 1940 | 3,739 | 58.22% | 2,677 | 41.68% | 6 | 0.09% |
| 1944 | 3,152 | 63.73% | 1,785 | 36.09% | 9 | 0.18% |
| 1948 | 2,607 | 56.05% | 2,040 | 43.86% | 4 | 0.09% |
| 1952 | 3,476 | 69.73% | 1,487 | 29.83% | 22 | 0.44% |
| 1956 | 2,888 | 62.77% | 1,713 | 37.23% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 2,720 | 63.69% | 1,551 | 36.31% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 1,726 | 47.98% | 1,871 | 52.02% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 2,031 | 56.09% | 1,211 | 33.44% | 379 | 10.47% |
| 1972 | 2,578 | 71.83% | 1,011 | 28.17% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1976 | 1,777 | 53.56% | 1,529 | 46.08% | 12 | 0.36% |
| 1980 | 1,993 | 62.48% | 1,119 | 35.08% | 78 | 2.45% |
| 1984 | 2,087 | 67.04% | 1,026 | 32.96% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1988 | 1,583 | 55.54% | 1,258 | 44.14% | 9 | 0.32% |
| 1992 | 1,202 | 39.49% | 1,050 | 34.49% | 792 | 26.02% |
| 1996 | 1,323 | 47.15% | 1,144 | 40.77% | 339 | 12.08% |
| 2000 | 1,738 | 65.29% | 871 | 32.72% | 53 | 1.99% |
| 2004 | 1,864 | 69.27% | 811 | 30.14% | 16 | 0.59% |
| 2008 | 1,794 | 68.14% | 802 | 30.46% | 37 | 1.41% |
| 2012 | 1,725 | 74.68% | 551 | 23.85% | 34 | 1.47% |
| 2016 | 1,926 | 81.78% | 347 | 14.73% | 82 | 3.48% |
| 2020 | 1,976 | 84.34% | 338 | 14.43% | 29 | 1.24% |
| 2024 | 1,982 | 84.13% | 357 | 15.15% | 17 | 0.72% |
| 2016 | 1 | 33.33% | 1 | 33.33% | 1 | 33.33% |
Missouri presidential preference primary (2008)
[edit | edit source]U.S. Senator and former First Lady Hillary Clinton (D-New York) received more votes, a total of 283, than any candidate from either party in Holt County during the 2008 presidential primary.
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
- ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ↑ "Disappearing Missouri Names". The Kansas City Star. March 19, 1911. p. 15. Retrieved August 15, 2014 – via Newspapers.com. open access
- ↑ Eaton, David Wolfe (1916). How Missouri Counties, Towns and Streams Were Named. The State Historical Society of Missouri. pp. 173.
- ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 159.
- ↑ Williams, Walter (1915). A History of Northwest Missouri Volume I. The Lewis Publishing Company. p. 334.
- ↑ "Holt County Place Names, 1928–1945 (archived)". The State Historical Society of Missouri. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2016.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
- ↑ "Home". The Holt County Missouri Historical Society. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
- ↑ Associated Press (October 28, 2019). "Prolonged Missouri River flooding could last all winter". KSDK. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
- ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
- ↑ "Holt County Map, 2025" (PDF). MoDOT. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
- ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
- ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
- ↑ "1980 Census of Population - General Social and Economic Characteristics - Missouri- Table 16 - Persons by Spanish Origin, Race, and Sex: 1980" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. p. 20-25.
- ↑ "1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Missouri: Table 5 - Race and Hispanic Origin" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. p. 13-63.
- ↑ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Holt County, Missouri". United States Census Bureau.
- ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Holt County, Missouri". United States Census Bureau.
- ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Holt County, Missouri". United States Census Bureau.
- ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
- ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
- ↑ not an option in the 1980 Census
- ↑ not an option in the 1990 Census
- ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ↑ Geography Division (January 12, 2021). 2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Holt County, MO (PDF) (Map). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved June 20, 2025. - Text list
- ↑ Breeding, Marshall. "Mound City Public Library". Libraries.org. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
- ↑ Breeding, Marshall. "Oregon Public Library". Libraries.org. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
- ↑ "2023-2024 Official Manual of the State of Missouri". Missouri Secretary of State. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
- ↑ "Idaho Governor Charles Calvin Moore". National Governors Association. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
- ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
External links
[edit | edit source] |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Holt County, Missouri. |
- Digitized 1930 Plat Book of Holt County Archived August 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine from University of Missouri Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books
- "Holt County, Missouri Place Names, 1928-1945". The State Historical Society of Missouri. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
- Digital Public Library of America. Items related to Holt County, Missouri, various dates
- Use American English from June 2025
- Use mdy dates from April 2024
- Articles needing additional references from June 2014
- Coordinates not on Wikidata
- Holt County, Missouri
- Missouri counties
- 1841 establishments in Missouri
- Populated places in the United States established in 1841
- Missouri counties on the Missouri River