Organization of Counties

Missouri has 114 counties. The first counties were organized in 1812 and the last in 1861. The City of St. Louis became a separate governing entity from St. Louis County in 1876.

Year County and Date
1812 October 1: Cape Girardeau, New Madrid, St. Charles, St. Louis, and Ste. Genevieve
1813 August 21: Washington
1816 January 23: Howard
1818

December 8: Jefferson

December 11: Franklin, Wayne

December 14: Lincoln, Madison, Montgomery, Pike

December 17: Cooper

1820

November 16: Boone, Chariton, Cole, Lillard  (now Lafayette), Perry, Ralls, Ray

November 26: Callaway, Gasconade, Saline

1821

December 19: St. Francois

December 28: Scott

1822 January 2: Clay
1826

December 15: Jackson

December 23: Marion

1829

January 22: Randolph

January 23: Crawford

1831 January 6: Monroe
1833

January 2: Carroll, Clinton, Greene, Lewis

January 5: Morgan, Ripley, Warren

January 19: Pulaski

January 26: Pettis

1834 December 13: Rives (later Henry), Johnson
1835

January 2: Shelby, Stoddard

January 3: Benton

January 5: Barry, Polk

March 3: Van Buren (later Cass)

1836

December 16: Clark

December 17: Audrain

December 29: Caldwell, Daviess

1837

January 6: Linn, Livingston, Macon, Taney

February 6: Miller

1838 December 31: Buchanan, Newton, Platte
1841

January 29: Adair, Andrew, Bates, Dade, Grundy, Jasper, Kinderhook (later Camden), Niangua (later Dallas), Nodaway (later Holt), Osage, Ozark (later Decatur, then Ozark again), St. Clair, Scotland, Shannon, Wright

1845

February 14: Atchison (defined as Allen in 1843), Cedar, Dunklin, Gentry, Harrison, Hickory, Knox, Lawrence, Mercer, Mississippi, Moniteau, Nodaway, Oregon, Schuyler, Sullivan (defined as Highland in 1843), Texas (defined as Ashley  in 1843)

February 25: DeKalb, Reynolds

February 28: Putnam

1846 December 18: Dodge (abolished and added to Putnam in 1853)
1849

February 24: Laclede

February 27: Butler

March 3: McDonald (defined as Seneca in 1847)

1851

February 10: Dent, Stone

February 19: Pemiscot

March 1: Bollinger

1855

February 27: Vernon

March 2: Maries

March 3: Webster

December 12: Barton

1857

February 17: Iron

March 2: Howell

October 29: Douglas

November 13: Phelps

1859

March 8: Christian

March 10: Carter

1861 February 8: Worth
1876 August 22: St. Louis City separated from St. Louis County