Washington County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 23,514. The county seat and largest city is Potosi. The county was officially organized on August 21, 1813, and was named in honor of George Washington, the first President of the United States.
History The French explorers Renault and La Motte entered the area of present-day Potosi in 1722–23. However, no permanent settlements were made until 1763, when François Breton settled near Potosi and began to operate a mine bearing his name. The Bellview Valley, near Caledonia and Belgrade, was settled in 1802 by the families of William and Helen Watson Reed, their sons, Robert, Joseph, and Thomas Reed, William Reed's brother and nephew, Joseph and William Reed, Annanias McCoy, and Benjamin Crow. Washington County was officially organized on August 21, 1813, out of Ste. Genevieve County.
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.3%) is water.
Adjacent counties Franklin County (north) Jefferson County (northeast) St. Francois County (east) Iron County (south) Crawford County (west)
National protected area Mark Twain National Forest (part)
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 23,514. The median age was 42.2 years, with 22.2% of residents under the age of 18 and 17.7% aged 65 or older. For every 100 females there were 107.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 109.5 males.
The racial makeup of the county was 91.3% White, 2.6% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.4% from some other race, and 5.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.0% of the population.
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 8,919 households in the county, of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 22.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 10,719 housing units, of which 16.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 77.1% were owner-occupied and 22.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.2%.
+Washington County, Missouri – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)17,73319,86322,15923,96921,37898.61%97.46%94.92%95.13%90.92%Black or African American alone (NH)1073785775546100.60%1.85%2.47%2.20%2.59%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)334014995780.18%0.20%0.64%0.38%0.33%Asian alone (NH)22123548400.12%0.06%0.15%0.19%0.17%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 Census251xx0.01%0.02%0.00%Other race alone (NH)13498530.07%0.02%0.04%0.03%0.23%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census2432611,127xx1.04%1.04%4.79%Hispanic or Latino (any race)75831702552270.42%0.41%0.73%1.01%0.97%Total17,98320,38023,34425,19523,514 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2000 census
Largest ancestries (2000) Percent American 19.8% French 15.6% German 10.4% Irish 9.6% English 5.9% As of the census of 2000, there were 23,344 people, 8,406 households, and 6,237 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 9,894 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.47% White, 2.48% Black or African American, 0.66% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 1.08% from two or more races. Approximately 0.73% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 8,406 households, out of which 36.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.60% were married couples living together, 10.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.80% were non-families. 22.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.40% 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 26.60% under the age of 18, 9.80% from 18 to 24, 29.20% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 11.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 106.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,001, and the median income for a family was $38,193. Males had a median income of $27,871 versus $18,206 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,095. About 17.10% of families and 20.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.40% of those under age 18 and 12.90% of those age 65 or older.
Religion According to the Association of Religion Data Archives County Membership Report (2000), Washington County is a part of the Bible Belt with evangelical Protestantism being the majority religion. The most predominant denominations among residents in Washington County who adhere to a religion are Roman Catholics (36.73%), Southern Baptists (21.74%), and Baptist Missionary Association of America (16.86%).
Politics
Local Republicans hold a sizeable majority of the elected positions in the county.
State Washington County is divided into three legislative districts in the Missouri House of Representatives.
District 118 – Currently represented by Mike McGirl (R-Potosi) and consists of the northeastern part of the county and includes Cadet, Mineral Point, Old Mines, Richwoods, Tiff, and part of Potosi.
District 119 – Currently represented by Nate Tate (R-St. Clair). Consists of the northwestern part of the county, including Pea Ridge.
District 144 – Currently represented by Chris Dinkins (R-Annapolis). Consists of the southern parts of the county including Belgrade, Caledonia, Courtois, Hopewell, Irondale, and part of Potosi.
All of Washington County is a part of Missouri's 3rd District in the Missouri Senate and is currently represented by Elaine Gannon (R-De Soto).
+ Past Gubernatorial Elections Results Year Republican Democratic Third Parties202479.89% 7,99917.69% 1,7712.43% 243202075.34% 7,44221.47% 2,1213.19% 315201661.34% 5,68133.91% 3,1414.75% 440201242.25% 3,69755.12% 4,8232.63% 230200831.08% 2,99367.05% 6,4561.87% 180200450.37% 4,62247.87% 4,3931.76% 162200042.93% 3,53649.90% 4,1107.17% 591199639.69% 3,09757.77% 4,5082.54% 198199239.60% 3,04960.40% 4,8510.00% 0198857.19% 3,97842.64% 2,9660.17% 12198451.46% 3,46048.54% 3,2640.00% 0198050.52% 3,27849.35% 3,2020.12% 8197647.00% 2,85552.84% 3,2100.16% 10
Federal
Washington County is included in Missouri's 8th Congressional District and is currently represented by Jason T. Smith (R-Salem) in the U.S. House of Representatives. Smith won a special election on Tuesday, June 4, 2013, to finish out the remaining term of U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson (R-Cape Girardeau). Emerson announced her resignation a month after being reelected with over 70 percent of the vote in the district. She resigned to become CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative.
Political culture Washington County is one of only two counties, alongside Webster County, West Virginia, to be carried by Barack Obama in 2008 and still give Donald Trump over 80% of the vote in 2020.
At the presidential level, Washington County was a fairly independent-leaning or battleground county for many years; however, it has voted increasingly more Republican in recent elections. While George W. Bush carried Washington County in 2004, he narrowly lost the county to Al Gore in 2000, and both times the margins of victory were significantly closer than in many of the other rural areas. Bill Clinton also carried Washington County both times in 1992 and 1996 by convincing double-digit margins, and unlike most of the other rural counties in Missouri, Washington County was one of only nine counties in Missouri that favored Barack Obama over John McCain. Obama won Washington County by just five votes in the 2008 election.
Like most rural areas throughout Missouri, voters in Washington County generally adhere to socially and culturally conservative principles but are more moderate or populist on economic issues, typical of the Dixiecrat philosophy. In 2004, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman—it overwhelmingly passed Washington County with 81.37 percent of the vote. The initiative passed the state with 71 percent of support from voters as Missouri became the first state to ban same-sex marriage. In 2006, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to fund and legalize embryonic stem cell research in the state—it failed in Washington County with 56.48 percent voting against the measure. 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 Washington 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 (Proposition B) to increase the minimum wage in the state to $6.50 an hour—it passed Washington County with 81.47 percent of the vote. The proposition strongly passed every single county in Missouri with 75.94 percent voting in favor as the minimum wage was increased to $6.50 an hour in the state. In 2018, Washington County rejected Proposition A which would have made Missouri a right-to-work state with 82.1 percent of the vote.
Education Among adults 25 years of age and older in Washington County, 62.5% possess a high school diploma or higher, while 7.5% hold a bachelor's degree or higher as their highest educational attainment.
Public schools Kingston K-XIV School District – Cadet Kingston Elementary School (PK-05) Kingston Middle School (06-08) Kingston High School (09-12) Potosi R-III School District – Potosi Potosi Pre-School (PK) Potosi Elementary School (PK-03) Trojan Intermediate School (04-06) John A. Evans Middle School (07-08) Potosi High School (09-12) Richwoods R-VII School District – Richwoods Richwoods Elementary School (PK-08) Valley R-VI School District – Caledonia/ Belgrade Valley Elementary School (K-6) – Caledonia Valley High School (07-12)- Caledonia
Private schools St. Joachim Elementary School – Cadet – (PK-08) – Roman Catholic
Colleges and universities Mineral Area College Annex – Potosi – A satellite campus of Mineral Area College-Park Hills.
Public libraries Washington County Library
Government and infrastructure The Potosi Correctional Center of the Missouri Department of Corrections is located in an unincorporated area in the county."Institutional Facilities ." Missouri Department of Corrections. Retrieved September 18, 2010. "Potosi Correctional Center (C-5)" "11593 State Highway O Mineral Point, MO 63660" The prison houses male death row inmates.Lombardi, George, Richard D. Sluder, and Donald Wallace. "The Management of Death-Sentenced Inmates: Issues, Realities, and Innovative Strategies ." Missouri Department of Corrections. 8–9. Retrieved September 18, 2010. 911 services are provided by the Washington County Central Dispatch Center. Major fire departments in the county include those of Potosi, Richwoods, Irondale, Belgrade, and Caledonia. The Washington County Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement for the county. Its sheriff is Dwayne S. Reed as of 2025.