The state of Missouri is 44.6-million acres divided into 114 counties. Some counties have hundreds of thousands of residents, while others have only a few thousand. Here is a list of the smallest counties in the Show Me State.

1. Worth County 2,040
2. Mercer County 3,641
3. Knox County 3,947
4. Holt County 4,404
5. Schuyler County 4,599
6. Putnam County 4,757
7. Scotland County 4,966
8. Atchison County 5,171
9. Shelby County 6,050
10. Carter County 6,054

(2017 Census Bureau Missouri Population Data)

A map view of these counties shows that most of them lie in the northern part of the state, which has historically been lower in population.  Many of these counties are also losing population from the 2010 census as younger adults migrate toward urban and suburban areas after college or high school graduation.