Missouri Newspapers - Daily & Weekly Publications Directory

30+

Daily Newspapers

250+

Weekly Publications

308

Total Newspapers

6

Major Metro Areas

Missouri Newspaper Landscape: Missouri features a vibrant newspaper industry with over 300 publications serving communities across the state. Major metropolitan dailies like the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star have won multiple Pulitzer Prizes, while regional and community newspapers provide essential local coverage to towns and counties statewide.

Major Daily Newspapers

Missouri's daily newspapers serve major metropolitan areas and regional communities with comprehensive news coverage, investigative reporting, and local journalism.

St. Louis Metro Area

Kansas City Metro Area

Central Missouri

Southwest Missouri

Southeast Missouri

Northwest Missouri

Northeast Missouri

Other Regional Daily Newspapers

Weekly & Community Newspapers

Missouri has over 250 weekly and community newspapers providing essential local coverage to towns and rural areas across the state's 114 counties.

St. Louis Area Weekly Publications

Central Missouri Weekly Papers

Regional Community Newspapers

Missouri Press Association: The Missouri Press Association serves as the primary professional organization for newspapers across the state, providing resources, training, and networking for member publications. Visit mopress.com for a searchable directory of Missouri newspapers.

College & University Newspapers

Missouri's colleges and universities publish student newspapers that uphold the state's investigative journalism traditions and train the next generation of reporters.

Alternative & Specialty Publications

Alternative Weekly Newspapers

Business Publications

Historical Newspaper Resources

Missouri has extensive historical newspaper archives available for research and genealogy purposes.

Missouri Digital Newspaper Program

The State Historical Society of Missouri maintains a growing collection of digitized historic newspapers freely available to the public with keyword search capability. The program aims to provide searchable databases of historic newspapers from every Missouri county.

  • 72+ million pages preserved on microfilm
  • Newspapers from all 114 Missouri counties
  • Free keyword-searchable digital access
  • Ongoing digitization of historic publications

Website: shsmo.org/collections/newspapers

Frequently Asked Questions

The largest newspapers in Missouri by circulation are the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (99,618 daily circulation) and the Kansas City Star (32,678 combined circulation). The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, founded in 1878, has won 19 Pulitzer Prizes and serves as Missouri's flagship newspaper. The Kansas City Star, founded in 1880, has won 8 Pulitzer Prizes and is the leading newspaper of western Missouri and eastern Kansas. The Springfield News-Leader is the third largest with 32,363 daily circulation, serving the Ozarks region.

Missouri has approximately 308 newspapers in circulation, including 87 free circulation newspapers and 221 paid circulation newspapers. This includes over 30 daily newspapers and more than 250 weekly and community publications. The State Historical Society of Missouri collects over 200 current newspapers each week from every Missouri county, preserving them on microfilm for historical research.

Yes, Missouri has multiple Pulitzer Prize-winning newspapers. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has won 19 Pulitzer Prizes since its founding in 1878, making it one of the most decorated newspapers in the country. The Kansas City Star has won 8 Pulitzer Prizes since 1880. The Columbia Missourian, affiliated with the Missouri School of Journalism, regularly competes for and wins state journalism awards, often beating larger publications like the Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star in state competitions.

Yes, the St. Louis American is Missouri's largest Black-owned newspaper and one of the premier African American newspapers in the United States. Founded in 1928, it has a weekly circulation of 55,000 and has been named the "#1 African-American Newspaper in the Nation" 12 times in recent years by the National Newspaper Publishers' Association. The newspaper has won over 100 local, regional, and national journalism awards and focuses on African American culture, civil rights, education, and local community issues.

Missouri's two major alternative weekly newspapers have ceased publication in recent years. The Riverfront Times in St. Louis, founded in 1977 with a weekly circulation of 55,000 and reach of 200,000 readers, stopped reporting and publishing new stories in May 2024. The newspaper had won the Missouri Press Association Gold Cup for best weekly in the state and was known for investigative reporting, local politics coverage, and comprehensive arts and entertainment coverage. The Pitch in Kansas City also ceased publication. Both newspapers were casualties of changing media consumption patterns and economic challenges facing alternative weeklies nationwide.

The State Historical Society of Missouri provides free access to historical newspapers through the Missouri Digital Newspaper Program. The collection includes over 72 million pages preserved on microfilm, with newspapers from all 114 Missouri counties. The digitized newspapers are keyword-searchable and freely available to the public online. The program continues to digitize historic publications with the goal of providing comprehensive coverage from every county. Researchers can browse newspapers by county or town at shsmo.org/collections/newspapers. Additionally, many university and public libraries maintain microfilm collections and digital access to historical Missouri newspapers.

The Columbia Missourian is unique among Missouri newspapers as it is affiliated with the Missouri School of Journalism and operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit under the Missourian Publishing Association. Founded in 1908, the same year as the journalism school, it is a digital-first newspaper published online seven days a week and in print five days a week. The newspaper is managed by professional editors and staffed by Missouri School of Journalism students, providing hands-on training through the "Missouri Method." Despite its educational mission, the Missourian regularly beats larger publications like the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star for state journalism awards. In 1985, it became the world's first daily newspaper to use a local-area network for production, and in 1992, it was one of the world's first newspapers to offer content in digital format.

Missouri newspapers are experiencing significant transitions in their publication formats. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has reduced its print schedule to six days per week, eliminating the Monday print edition as of November 2025, and announced plans to stop printing locally in favor of outsourcing production. Print subscriptions have declined dramatically - the Post-Dispatch saw weekly print subscriptions decrease 91% from 281,461 in 2005 to 24,263 in 2024. However, digital subscriptions have grown approximately 1,100% during the same period. Lee Enterprises, parent company of the Post-Dispatch, reports that over 50% of revenue now comes from digital sources. The Kansas City Star has seen similar trends with digital subscriptions growing while print circulation has fallen to about 16% of 2010 levels. Most Missouri newspapers now maintain strong digital presences while continuing reduced print operations.

Missouri has several dedicated business publications serving the state's major metropolitan areas. The St. Louis Business Journal is a weekly publication covering St. Louis metro business news, economic development, real estate, and industry trends. The Kansas City Business Journal provides similar coverage for the Kansas City metro area, focusing on the business community, startups, and economic news. Missouri Business Alert is a digital publication offering statewide business news coverage with a free weekday newsletter subscription. Additionally, major daily newspapers like the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star maintain robust business sections covering Missouri companies, economic trends, and financial markets.

The Missouri Press Association maintains an online searchable directory of newspapers throughout the state, including rural county publications. All 114 Missouri counties have newspaper coverage, with most counties served by at least one weekly community newspaper. The State Historical Society of Missouri collects current newspapers from every county each week. Rural areas are typically served by weekly newspapers that focus on local government, schools, community events, and regional issues. Many rural newspapers are family-owned operations that have served their communities for decades. The Missouri Press Association website at mopress.com provides the most comprehensive directory for finding newspapers by county or town, including contact information and coverage areas.

Last updated on November 27, 2025