County outline
Where Taney County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 97% of Taney County’s measured area and water for 3%. Its combined area converts to 1,687.7 square kilometers or approximately 417,028 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 632.263 | 1,637.554 | 404,648.3 |
| Water | 19.344 | 50.101 | 12,380.2 |
| Total | 651.607 | 1,687.654 | 417,028.5 |
How Taney County compares
By original Census land area, Taney County ranks #45 of 115 in Missouri and #1514 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.068 times the Missouri county-equivalent median of 592 square miles. It accounts for 0.9% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Missouri ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Taney County
The Census Bureau estimates that 57,001 people lived in Taney County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #944 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #20 of 115 in Missouri. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 56,062, the population has grown by 939 (+1.7%), compared with +1.9% for Missouri as a whole.
With 632.3 square miles of land, that is 90 people per square mile (35 per km²), placing Taney County #1,073 nationally for density and #23 in Missouri. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Missouri median is 31. Put another way, there are about 7.1 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 56,053 | 56,352 | 56,748 | 56,830 | 56,882 | 57,001 |
| Change | — | +299 | +396 | +82 | +52 | +119 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Taney County
9 incorporated places lie at least partly in Taney County. Together they are home to 24,184 people (42.4%); the other 32,817 (57.6%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Branson city, with 12,921 residents in the county (the city extends into 1 other county). The county seat, Forsyth city, has 2,752 residents. Among places with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Merriam Woods city grew fastest since then (+4.3%).
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Branson cityAlso in 1 other county | 12,921 | +2.2% | 21.3 |
| Hollister city | 4,690 | +2.5% | 6.371 |
| Forsyth cityCounty seat | 2,752 | +0.7% | 3.382 |
| Merriam Woods city | 2,084 | +4.3% | 1.515 |
| Rockaway Beach city | 816 | −4% | 0.631 |
| Bull Creek village | 405 | −4.3% | 0.167 |
| Taneyville village | 270 | 0% | 0.454 |
| Kirbyville village | 205 | +4.1% | 1.403 |
| Saddlebrooke villageAlso in 1 other county | 41 | 0% | 5.323 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Taney County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Taney County is a central county of the Branson, MO Micropolitan Statistical Area. Taney County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the micro area has the same 632.3 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #337 of 542 micropolitan areas, and #182 by population.
ZIP codes
21 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Taney County; 15 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
656086561165614656166562765630656536567265679656806572665731657336573765739657406574465759657616577172644
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Taney County
Taney County shares a land border with 7 county equivalents, including 3 in Arkansas. It has more land than 5 of them. The largest neighbor is Douglas County (813.6 mi²) and the smallest is Stone County (463.8 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Taney County forms a block of 5,033.6 mi² of land, of which it holds 12.6%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Taney | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas County | 813.6 | 1.3× larger | Compare |
| Ozark County | 745 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Carroll CountyArkansas | 629.9 | about the same | Compare |
| Marion CountyArkansas | 596.6 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Boone CountyArkansas | 589.7 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Christian County | 562.6 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Stone County | 463.8 | 1.4× smaller | Compare |
How big is Taney County compared with U.S. states?
Taney County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.6 times as much. Missouri’s county land could hold about 109 areas the size of Taney County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 25.1 miles (40.5 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Taney County?
Taney County has more land than 1,708 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Taney County at #1,571 nationally by total area, 57 places farther from the top than its land rank. Other county equivalents gain more area when their water measurements are included.
Its water share is 3%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 1.8 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Taney County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1513 | Washington County, Ohio | 632.3 | Compare |
| #1514 | Taney County, Missouri | 632.3 | This county |
| #1515 | Yuba County, California | 632 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 36.649827, -93.042819. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 1,637,553,910 m²; AWATER: 50,101,658 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Taney County?
Taney County, Missouri has 632.3 square miles (1,637.6 km²) of land and 19.3 square miles of water, for a total area of 651.6 square miles. It ranks #1514 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Taney County the largest county in Missouri?
No. Taney County ranks #45 of 115 in Missouri by land area. The largest is Texas County, with 1,177.3 square miles of land.
What counties border Taney County?
Taney County shares a land border with Boone County, Arkansas, Stone County, Christian County, Ozark County, Douglas County, Marion County, Arkansas, and Carroll County, Arkansas.
What is the population of Taney County?
The Census Bureau estimates Taney County had 57,001 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #944 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 90 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Taney County?
The county seat of Taney County is Forsyth.
What cities and towns are in Taney County?
Taney County has 9 incorporated places. The most populous five are Branson city, Hollister city, Forsyth city, Merriam Woods city, and Rockaway Beach city; 32,817 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Taney County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Branson, MO Micropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Taney County?
21 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Taney County, and 15 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Taney County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.6 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Taney County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 404,648 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 417,028 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.