McDonald County is a county located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,303 and was estimated to be 23,992 in 2025. Its county seat is Pineville.
History The county was organized in 1849 and named for Sergeant Alexander McDonald, a soldier in the American Revolutionary War. The county has three sites on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Old McDonald County Courthouse and the Powell Bridge.
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.04%) is water. It is the 71st largest county in Missouri by total area.
Adjacent counties Newton County (north) Barry County (east) Benton County, Arkansas (south) Delaware County, Oklahoma (west) Ottawa County, Oklahoma (northwest)
Major highways
Demographics
As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the median home value in McDonald County was $139,937.
American Community Survey (2023) As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 8,512 estimated households in McDonald County with an average of 2.74 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $48,145. Approximately 18.2% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. McDonald County has an estimated 56.6% employment rate, with 13.4% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 81.3% holding a high school diploma.
The top five reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (85.1%), Spanish (9.0%), Indo-European (1.0%), Asian and Pacific Islander (3.6%), and Other (1.3%).
2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had 23,303 people, 8,518 households, and 5,957 families; the population density was , and there were 9,760 housing units at an average density of .
The median age was 37.8 years; 26.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 102.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.5 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 73.4% White, 1.9% Black or African American, 2.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% Asian, 3.7% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 6.5% from some other race, and 10.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 12.1% of the population.
0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 99.9% lived in rural areas.
There were 8,518 households in the county, of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 22.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
Of those 9,760 housing units, 12.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 69.8% were owner-occupied and 30.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.4%.
Racial and ethnic composition +McDonald County, Missouri – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)14,58416,23018,34818,70016,66797.77%95.82%84.63%81.01%71.52%Black or African American alone (NH)24331274210.01%0.02%0.15%0.55%1.81%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1925405955994931.29%3.19%2.74%2.59%2.12%Asian alone (NH)1540271863760.10%0.24%0.12%0.81%1.61%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census29255868xx0.13%1.10%3.72%Other race alone (NH)63103820.04%0.02%0.05%0.01%0.35%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census6096261,578xx2.81%2.71%6.77%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1181212,0302,5872,8180.79%0.71%9.36%11.21%12.09%Total14,91716,93821,68123,08323,303 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2023 estimate As of the 2023 estimate, there were 23,903 people and 8,512 households residing in the county. There were 9,857 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 84.5% White (74.0% NH White), 2.1% African American, 3.1% Native American, 1.8% Asian, 4.3% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 4.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 12.4% of the population.
2010 census As of the 2010 census, there were 23,083 people, 8,404 households, and _ families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 9,925 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 84.99% White, 0.58% African American, 2.87% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 1.12% Pacific Islander, 6.36% from some other races and 3.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 11.21% of the population.
2000 census As of the 2000 census, there were 21,681 people, 8,113 households, and 5,865 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 9,287 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 89.66% White, 0.18% African American, 2.88% Native American, % Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 3.70% from some other races and 3.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 9.36% of the population.
In terms of ancestry, 28.0% were of American, 11.5% German, 10.5% Irish and 6.6% English.
There were 8,113 households, out of which 35.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.60% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.70% were non-families. 23.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.90% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 28.60% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 11.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $27,010, and the median income for a family was $31,530. Males had a median income of $23,434 versus $18,157 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,175. About 15.60% of families and 20.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.60% of those under age 18 and 17.20% of those age 65 or over. Education Public schools The majority of the county is in the McDonald County R–I School District. - Text list This district is headquartered in Anderson. Schools include: Noel Primary School (PK–02) – Noel Pineville Primary School (PK–02) – Pineville Anderson Elementary School (PK–05) – Anderson Noel Elementary School (03–08) – Noel Pineville Elementary School (03–08) – Pineville Rocky Comfort Elementary School (PK–08) – Rocky Comfort Southwest City Elementary School (PK–08) – Southwest City White Rock Elementary School (PK–08) – Jane Anderson Middle School (06–08) – Anderson McDonald County R-I High School (09–12) – Anderson
Other school districts cover small portions of the county. They are:
East Newton County R-VI School District Neosho R-V School District Seneca R-VII School District Southwest R-V School District Wheaton R-III School District
History of McDonald County R-I School District
The present McDonald County R-I School District is the result of consolidations of several county school districts. The first two school districts to consolidate were the Pineville and Anderson school districts. This was the first step in what was a long-range plan to combine all of the remaining high schools in the county with the exception of the Goodman School District which would become a part of the Neosho school system. The plan for the Pineville–Anderson consolidation was approved and the state offered a $50,000 matching grant for the building of a new high school. If the remaining high schools were to have joined, an additional $200,000 in matching grants would have been recurred.
The first consolidated class from Pineville and Anderson was the Class of 1966. David Alumbaugh was a member of that class and remembers it was the class that elected the school mascot as the mustang and the school colors of red and black. There was not a new high school so each town maintained a high school faculty but all activities including athletics were combined. When asked what the mood of the people in Pineville was concerning the school consolidation, Alumbaugh said, "I don't remember it being a great deal; most people considered it inevitable it was going to happen sooner or later." It was something that could not be stopped, according to Larry Warner who taught during the first year (1966) at the Pineville campus and then at the new high school in Anderson its next year. "It was something that was really needed. The faculty at the old Pineville High School was not very good either at the end of their careers or just beginning. The kids got along fine at the new school but it was the parents who fought."
The next school district to consider joining Pineville and Anderson was the Noel School District. Noel Lawmen had a serious concern on where the new high school, which would serve all students, would be located. The proposed site was about a mile east of the city of Anderson at the junction of Highway 76 and then new Highway 71. The Noel patrons wanted a site closer to the center of the county which would be just north of the Indian River Bridge at the city of Lanagan. The Noel School Board sent a letter to the Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education calling for a vote of the people of McDonald County on the site but this didn't happen. The reasoning for there not being a countywide vote couldn't be found, but the proposed new high school site had already been approved by the Missouri Department of Education.
Once a school district was asked to be included in the reorganized district the people of the district asked to be included and the people of the reorganized district both voted. What this meant was that the people of Pineville and Anderson could vote in other districts even if that other district's patrons didn't want to come into the reorganized district, they had to. This led to many of the hard feelings that last even today in McDonald County about the school consolidation. With the addition of Noel to the reorganization there were only the high schools of Goodman, Rocky Comfort and Southwest City left. The school district of Goodman decided to join the school district of Neosho. This left Southwest City with its school population of 89 and Rocky Comfort with its high school population of 107 as the only other two schools left in the county. Southwest City, located only miles from the Arkansas and Oklahoma borders, had no other choice. There were no Missouri schools close to it so it asked and was voted into the reorganized plan. Rocky Comfort is located on the eastern edge of McDonald County and would have been much closer to reorganize with the town of Wheaton in Barry County. Rocky Comfort ended up joining the reorganization of the McDonald County schools.
Public libraries McDonald County Library
Communities Cities and Towns Anderson Ginger Blue Goodman Jane Lanagan Noel Pineville (county seat) Southwest City
Census-designated place
Rocky Comfort
Unincorporated communities
Arnett Bethpage Caverna Cove Coy Cyclone Erie Hart Havenhurst Jacket Longview May McNatt Pack Powell Simcoe Splitlog Tiff City
Politics
Local The Republican Party predominantly controls politics at the local level in McDonald County. Republicans hold all but one of the elected positions in the county.
State