Stone County, Missouri Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Stone County
U.S. county
The Stone County Courthouse in Galena
Location within the U.S. state of Missouri
Missouri's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Missouri
Founded	February 10, 1851
Named for	William Stone, English pioneer and an early settler in Maryland
Seat	Galena
Largest city	Kimberling City
Area
• Total	511 sq mi (1,320 km²)
• Land	464 sq mi (1,200 km²)
• Water	47 sq mi (120 km²) 9.2%
Population (2020)
• Total	31,076
• Density	60.81/sq mi (23.480/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	7th

Stone County is located in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 31,076. Its county seat is Galena.

Stone County was part of the Branson, Missouri, Micropolitan Statistical Area until 2023.

History

The county was officially organized on February 10, 1851, and is named after William Stone, an English pioneer and an early settler in Maryland who also served as Taney County Judge.

In 1904, the White River Railway was extended through the rugged terrain of Stone and Taney counties. By then, both counties had had a sundown town policy for years, forbidding African Americans from living there.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 511 square miles (1,320 km²), of which 464 square miles (1,200 km²) is land and 47 square miles (120 km²) (9.2%) is water.

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Mark Twain National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	2,400	—
1870	3,253	35.5%
1880	4,404	35.4%
1890	7,090	61.0%
1900	9,892	39.5%
1910	11,559	16.9%
1920	11,941	3.3%
1930	11,614	−2.7%
1940	11,298	−2.7%
1950	9,748	−13.7%
1960	8,176	−16.1%
1970	9,921	21.3%
1980	15,587	57.1%
1990	19,078	22.4%
2000	28,658	50.2%
2010	32,202	12.4%
2020	31,076	−3.5%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2015

As of the census of 2000, there were 28,658 people, 11,822 households, and 8,842 families residing in the county. The population density was 62 inhabitants per square mile (24 inhabitants/km²). There were 16,241 housing units at an average density of 35 units per square mile (14/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.64% White, 0.07% Black or African American, 0.61% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 1.20% from two or more races. Approximately 1.04% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Among the major first ancestries reported in Stone County were 24.3% American, 20.4% German, 11.3% English, and 10.8% Irish ancestry.

There were 11,822 households, out of which 25.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.70% were married couples living together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.20% were non-families. 21.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.76.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.40% under the age of 18, 6.20% from 18 to 24, 23.80% from 25 to 44, 29.70% from 45 to 64, and 18.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,487, and the median income for a family was $46,675. Males had a median income of $26,224 versus $19,190 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,813. About 8.50% of families and 12.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.00% of those under age 18 and 8.10% of those age 65 or over.

2020 Census

Stone County Racial Composition
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	28,296	91.05%
Black or African American (NH)	79	0.25%
Native American (NH)	215	0.7%
Asian (NH)	115	0.37%
Pacific Islander (NH)	20	0.06%
Other/Mixed (NH)	1,569	5.05%
Hispanic or Latino	782	2.52%

Education

Of adults 25 years of age and older in Stone County, 80.4% possesses a high school diploma or higher while 14.2% holds a bachelor's degree or higher as their highest educational attainment.

Public schools

Blue Eye R-V School District - Blue Eye
- Blue Eye Elementary School (PK-04)
- Blue Eye Middle School (05-08)
- Blue Eye High School (09-12)
Crane R-III School District - Crane
- Crane Elementary School (K-06)
- Crane High School (07-12)
Galena R-II School District - Galena
- Galena-Abesville Elementary School (PK-06)
- Galena High School (07-12)
Hurley R-I School District - Hurley
- Hurley Elementary School (K-05)
- Hurley High School (06-12)
Reeds Spring R-IV School District - Reeds Spring
- Reeds Spring Primary School (PK-01)
- Reeds Spring Elementary School (02-04)
- Reeds Spring Intermediate School (05-06)
- Reeds Spring Middle School (07-08)
- Reeds Spring High School (09-12)

Private schools

Apostolic Christian School - Reeds Spring - (05-12) - Non-denominational Christian

Alternative and vocational schools

Tri-Lakes Special Education Cooperative - Blue Eye - (K-12) - Special Education
Gibson Technical Center - Reeds Spring - (09-12) - Vocational/Technical
New Horizons Alternative School - Reeds Spring - (06-12) - Alternative/Other

Public libraries

Blue Eye Public Library
Crane Public Library
Galena Public Library
Kimberling Area Library

Transportation

Major highways

Route 13
Route 76
Route 86
Route 173
Route 176
Route 248
Route 265
Route 413

Airports

Branson West Airport, also known as Branson West Municipal Airport, is a public-use general aviation airport in Stone County. It is located two nautical miles (3.7 km) west of the central business district of the Branson West, which owns the airport.

Communities

Cities

Branson West
Crane
Galena (county seat)
Hurley
Kimberling City (largest city)
Reeds Spring

Villages

Census-designated place

Shell Knob (partly in Barry County)

Stone County, Missouri facts for kids

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