Printable Blank Map of Missouri with Counties
Delineating all 114 counties and the independent City of St. Louis across 69,707 square miles, this blank vector map of Missouri captures the Show-Me State at the geographic and cultural crossroads of the nation. Projected in NAD83 Missouri Central (EPSG:26996), it provides clean coordinate geometry for glaciated northern prairie mapping, Ozark Plateau karst analysis, and county governance studies.
About this Blank Map of Missouri
This printable blank map represents Missouri on the authentic NAD83 (2011) / WGS84 ellipsoidal datum. All 6 interactive visual variants—including Blank Outline, Counties Boundaries, Centroid Labels, Capital City Marker (Jefferson City), and High-Contrast Printer B&W—are generated synchronously from identical coordinate geometry.
| Specification | Value | Compliance & Source |
|---|---|---|
| Jurisdiction / Entity | Missouri | US State |
| Subdivisions Rendered | 115 Counties | Verified Topological Polygon Mesh |
| Primary Capital City | Jefferson City | Marked on the capital variant |
| Cartographic Projection | NAD83 MISSOURI CENTRAL | Distortion-Minimized Coordinate Map |
| Reference Datum | NAD83 (2011) / WGS84 | NOAA NGS / EPSG:26996 (State Plane Coordinate System) |
Missouri Counties at a Glance
- Counties
- 115
- Capital
- Jefferson City
- Population (2020)
- 6,154,889
- Land area
- 68,742 sq mi
Most populous counties
- St. Louis County (Clayton): 1,004,305 people, 16.3% of the state
- Jackson County (Kansas City): 717,216 people, 11.7% of the state
- St. Charles County (St. Charles): 405,271 people, 6.6% of the state
- St. Louis city (St. Louis): 301,565 people, 4.9% of the state
- Greene County (Springfield): 298,913 people, 4.9% of the state
Largest counties by land area
- Texas County (Houston): 1,177.3 sq mi
- Shannon County (Eminence): 1,003.8 sq mi
- Howell County (West Plains): 927.2 sq mi
- Franklin County (Union): 922.6 sq mi
- Nodaway County (Maryville): 877 sq mi
Neighboring states
Figures: US Census Bureau 2020 Census populations and Gazetteer land areas. The full sortable list with seats and FIPS codes is on the Missouri county map & list page.
Geography Notes: Missouri
Missouri Central Transverse Mercator Geodesy
Three State Plane zones (East, Central, West) manage east-west coordinate accuracy across Missouri.
Centered on 92°30'W, the Central zone minimizes scale distortion across the state capital in Jefferson City, the Missouri River valley, and the Lake of the Ozarks.
Surveyors aligning highway projects and rural township boundaries rely on this datum realization to maintain metric scale tolerances across rugged Ozark ridges.
Central meridian 92°30'W restricts scale error to under 1:10,000 across the agricultural heartland of central Missouri.
Glaciated Northern Plains vs The Karst Ozark Plateau
The Missouri River diagonally bisects the state, separating two starkly different physiographic worlds.
North of the Missouri River, the Dissected Till Plains feature deep, fertile soils deposited by prehistoric glaciers, supporting productive corn and soybean farming.
South of the river, the Ozark Plateau rises as an ancient uplift of cherty limestone and dolomite, riddled with over 7,500 documented caves, crystal-clear spring-fed rivers, and lead-zinc mining deposits.
Texas County in the southern Ozarks covers 1,179 square miles, making it the largest county in Missouri.
Curated Classroom Activities & Spatial Labs for Missouri
Pedagogical lesson plans and spatial analysis activities designed specifically for printable vector maps of Missouri:
The Great River Confluence & Bootheel Agriculture Lab
Objective: Trace the Missouri and Mississippi rivers and analyze the unique Missouri Bootheel region.
Materials: Printed blank map of Missouri, blue highlighter, regional drainage atlas.
- Trace the Missouri River entering at Kansas City and flowing east to meet the Mississippi River north of St. Louis.
- Highlight the six Bootheel counties (including Pemiscot and Dunklin) in the extreme southeast, explaining their cotton agriculture.
- Identify Cole County (Jefferson City) as the state capital along the Missouri River bluffs.
The Independent City of St. Louis & Great Divorce of 1876
Objective: Examine the legal separation of St. Louis City from St. Louis County.
Materials: Printed Missouri county outline map, fine-liner pen.
- Locate the independent City of St. Louis and explain the "Great Divorce" of 1876 that made it an independent city.
- Shade Texas County, noting it as the largest county in the state by land area.
- Compare population density in St. Louis and Jackson (Kansas City) counties against rural Ozark counties.
The 6 Synchronized Variants Explained
We generate 6 synchronized variations of Missouri from the same master vector dataset. Each variant is aligned to identical coordinate geometry:
1. Blank Boundary Outline
The foundational boundary outline of Missouri. Rendered with a clean exterior stroke and zero fill—the optimal version for in-class labeling exams, custom cartographic overlays, or clean graphic design.
2. With Subdivisions (115 Counties)
Displays the exterior boundary plus internal administrative borders for all 115 counties. Each subdivision possesses a unique SVG element ID for direct styling and choropleth shading in vector editors.
3. Labeled with True Centroids
Features authentic typographic labels positioned at each administrative territory's mathematical center of mass. Perfect as a master grading answer key or self-study reference sheet.
4. Adjacent-Contrast Color Fill
Filled using an adjacency-contrast pastel palette so neighboring jurisdictions never blend together. Excellent for tactile visual discrimination and regional geography units.
5. With Capital City (Jefferson City)
Pinpoints the official capital city of Jefferson City using a high-visibility star marker and typographic callout, positioned at precise geodetic coordinates.
6. High-Contrast Printer B&W
Optimized specifically for monochrome desktop laser and inkjet printers. Uses pure black vector paths (#000000) and ultra-clean white fills to prevent ink-bleeding and toner smudging.
Tools to Use With This Map
- Interactive US county mapZoom into county lines on a live map.
- What county am I in?Find your county from your device location.
- True size comparisonDrag Missouri over other places to compare real areas.
- Map area calculatorDraw a shape and measure its area on the WGS84 ellipsoid.
- Color a mapShade regions online and download your own map.
Missouri County Map & Full List
See 2020 Census populations, seats, land areas and FIPS codes for every county in Missouri, with an on-page map and CSV export.
Need Definitions for Map Projections, SVG Vectors, or Centroids?
Explore our centralized Cartography Glossary for detailed definitions of national and global geodetic datums, equal-area vs. conformal projections, TopoJSON topological arcs, and choropleth classification standards.
Frequently Asked Questions About Missouri Blank Maps
Authoritative answers to common questions regarding printing, licensing, vector customization, and curriculum use:
Why is St. Louis City separate from St. Louis County on this map?▼
In 1876, St. Louis voters approved the "Great Divorce," separating the municipal City of St. Louis from suburban St. Louis County to avoid paying county taxes on rural infrastructure.
What is the largest county by land area in Missouri?▼
Texas County in the southern Missouri Ozarks is the largest county by land area at 1,179 square miles.
What is the Missouri "Bootheel" shown in the southeastern corner?▼
The Bootheel is an agricultural lowland peninsula in southeastern Missouri between the Mississippi and St. Francis rivers, added to Missouri during the 1820 statehood process through the political lobbying of planter John Hardeman Walker.