Several dozen county residents descended on the Warren County Administration building March 25 to review and offer comments on Warren County’s new master plan, which is in its early stages of discussion.

Representatives from i5Group, the entity hired by the county to develop the new plan, were on hand as well as members of the master plan advisory committee to discuss.

The exhibits on display March 25 were the same existing conditions exhibits previously presented to the advisory committee on March 5. Participants at the March 25 meeting were allowed to offer input on future growth within the county.

In the meeting room was a board that allowed participants to envision how they wished to see the county change in the next 20 years. There were several notes written there that several people did not want to see the county change at all, while others suggested adding more dining and shopping options.

According to i5Group Project Manager Stephen Ibendahl, the county’s new master plan is still in its earliest phases. Close to 1,000 residents have already responded to a survey on the master plan, Ibendahl said previously.

According to information provided during the meeting there are currently over 7,700 jobs, of which 2,951 are currently being filled by county residents, while 4,812 commute into the county for work. That is a 21-percent increase from the 6,049 jobs located in the county in 2002. The majority of jobs are located in Warrenton, with 42.7 percent of the jobs being located in the city. Wright City is second at 16.2 percent, while Truesdale has 14.9 percent of the jobs. Marthasville and Innsbrook account for small percentages while the remaining 21.8 percent of jobs are located in the unincorporated parts of the county.

The largest job type by a significant margin are manufacturing jobs, with 1,748 being categorized as such. The next largest category is retail trade at 876 jobs.

In the unincorporated areas of the county, 51 percent of the land is classified as deciduous forest, while 19 percent is classified as cultivated crops with 17 percent being classified as pasture.

Property classes within the county are predominantly classified as ag land and ag dwellings. Approximately 45 percent is classified as ag land, while 27 percent is classified as ag dwelling. Residential makes up 20 percent, while commercial accounts for only two percent.

The county’s population has shown a steady increase. Based upon 2024 U.S. Census Bureau figures, Warrenton has a population of 9,420, with Wright City at 5,723. The five primary cities in Warren County account for 18,033, or 47 percent of the population, while the rest of the county accounts for 20,445.

Median household income varies greatly in the county with the highest being in the area around Innsbrook at $113,000, while the lowest is in an area between Warrenton/Truesdale and Innsbrook at $51,000.

According to information from the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2024 the average home value in Warren County was $260,400.