Cedar County is a county located in the southwest portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,188. The county seat is Stockton. The county was founded February 14, 1845, and named after Cedar Creek, a tributary of the Sac River, which in turn is named from the Eastern red cedar, a common tree of the area.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (4.8%) is water. The water area includes various rivers and Stockton Lake.
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 14,188. The median age was 43.5 years, 25.0% of residents were under the age of 18, and 23.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 100.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.3 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 91.6% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.7% from some other race, and 6.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.8% of the population.
There were 5,609 households in the county, of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 23.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 6,930 housing units, of which 19.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 75.3% were owner-occupied and 24.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.2%.
None of the residents lived in urban areas while 100.0% lived in rural areas as classified by the Census Bureau.
As of the 2000 census, there were 13,733 people, 5,685 households, and 3,894 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 6,813 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.58% White, 0.32% Black or African American, 0.66% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.50% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. Approximately 1.11% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 5,685 households, out of which 27.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.50% were married couples living together, 7.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.50% were non-families. 28.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.30% 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 2.86.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.60% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 22.80% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 20.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $26,694, and the median income for a family was $32,710. Males had a median income of $25,017 versus $17,594 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,356. 17.40% of the population and 11.60% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 24.80% of those under the age of 18 and 14.20% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Agape Baptist Academy was closed in 2023. Affiliated with the Independent Fundamental Baptist Church, the school's stated aim was working with troubled boys to turn their life around. Claims of abuse had swirled around the school for many years, yet local leaders ignored all calls for investigation. Since closure, the school and its "owners" have been the object of numerous lawsuits for forced beating, sexual assault, and forced confinement. Jason Britt was a young man who, after being rescued by his parents, died of heart and kidney failure shortly thereafter. His parents' suit, among dozens of others, calls the "school" a "concentration camp or torture colony cloaked in the guise of religionâ and names six defendants, including two local sheriffs who worked at Agape. Local law enforcement routinely rounded up kids who had run away after suffering abuse but allegedly did nothing to investigate or stop the brutal practices. The suit claims workers at the academy confined Jason Britt in a padded room, forced him to strip naked for strip searches in front of others, repeatedly beat him, causing injuries requiring stitches, forced him to stand up against a wall for hours at a time while reciting Bible passages, and gang raped him.
Agape was accredited by the Association of Christian Teachers and Schools, a nonprofit that promotes âÂÂChrist-centered academic excellenceâ and âÂÂthe highest level of educational credibility.â The association did nothing to stop abusive practices that had been the norm at Agape for decades.
Steve Robert Wukmer, a former children's minister who worked at Agape and three other now-closed boarding schools, was indicted in March for 215 counts of possessing child pornography.
Agape's closing was the fourth closing of unlicensed "christian" boarding schools in Cedar County.
The Republican Party completely controls politics at the local level in Cedar County. Republicans hold all of the elected positions in the county.
Cedar County is split between two of Missouri's legislative districts that elect members of the Missouri House of Representatives. Both are represented by Republicans.
All of Cedar County is a part of Missouri's 28th district in the Missouri Senate. The seat is currently represented by Sandy Crawford (R-Buffalo). The previous incumbent, Mike Parson, was elected Lieutenant Governor in 2016, and became Governor upon the resignation of Eric Greitens in 2018. Parson was elected to a full term as governor in 2020.
All of Cedar County is included in Missouri's 4th congressional district and is currently represented by Mark Alford (R-Lake Winnebago) in the U.S. House of Representatives. Alford was elected to a second term in 2024 over Democratic challenger Jeanette Cass.
Cedar County, along with the rest of the state of Missouri, is represented in the U.S. Senate by Josh Hawley (R-Ozark) and Eric Schmitt (R-Glendale). Hawley was elected to a second term in 2024 over marine veteran Lucas Kunce.
Schmitt was elected to the senate in 2022 over nurse and businesswoman Trudy Busch Valentine.
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At the presidential level, Cedar County has been solidly Republican for much of its history. Cedar County strongly favored Donald Trump in 2016, 2020, and 2024. A Democrat hasn't carried the county in a presidential election since Franklin Roosevelt's landslide victory in 1932.
Like most rural areas throughout Missouri, voters in Cedar County generally adhere to socially and culturally conservative principles which tend to influence their Republican leanings. Despite Cedar County's longstanding tradition of supporting socially conservative platforms, voters in the county have a penchant for advancing populist causes. In 2018, Missourians voted on a proposition (Proposition A) concerning right to work, the outcome of which ultimately reversed the right to work legislation passed in the state the previous year. 51.58% of Cedar County voters cast their ballots to overturn the law.
The 2020 presidential primaries for both the Democratic and Republican parties were held in Missouri on March 10. On the Democratic side, former Vice President Joe Biden (D-Delaware) both won statewide and carried Cedar County by a wide margin. Biden went on to defeat President Donald Trump in the general election.
Incumbent President Donald Trump (R-Florida) faced a primary challenge from former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld, but won both Cedar County and statewide by overwhelming margins.
The 2016 presidential primaries for both the Republican and Democratic parties were held in Missouri on March 15. Businessman Donald Trump (R-New York) narrowly won the state overall, but Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) carried a plurality of the vote in Cedar County. Trump went on to win the nomination and the presidency.
On the Democratic side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D-New York) narrowly won statewide, but Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) carried Cedar County by a small margin.
The 2012 Missouri Republican presidential primary's results were nonbinding on the state's national convention delegates. Voters in Cedar County supported former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania), who finished first in the state at large, but eventually lost the nomination to former Governor Mitt Romney (R-Massachusetts). Delegates to the congressional district and state conventions were chosen at a county caucus, which selected a delegation favoring Santorum. Incumbent President Barack Obama easily won the Missouri Democratic Primary and renomination. He defeated Romney in the general election.
In 2008, the Missouri Republican presidential primary was closely contested, with Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) prevailing and eventually winning the nomination. Former Governor Mike Huckabee (R-Arkansas) won a plurality in Cedar County, receiving more votes than any other candidate of either major party.
Then-Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York) decisively won the vote in Cedar County on the Democratic side. Despite initial reports that Clinton had won Missouri, Barack Obama (D-Illinois), also a Senator at the time, narrowly defeated her statewide and later became that year's Democratic nominee, going on to win the presidency.