Fordland was platted in 1882. The community has the name of J. S. Ford, a railroad official. A post office called Fordland has been in operation since 1882.
Geography
Fordland is located on the southeastern edge of the Springfield Plateau in the Ozarks of south central Missouri. The village is located along U.S. Route 60 between Diggins, four miles to the east and Rogersville, 6.5 miles to the southwest. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, all land. Due to favorable geographical conditions, numerous Springfield-based media outlets, such as KYTV, KOLR, KOZL-TV, KGHZ, and others, have located their transmitting towers in or near Fordland.
As of the census of 2010, there were 800 people, 312 households, and 205 families living in the city. The population density was. There were 343 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 96.3% White, 0.4% African American, 1.0% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.1% of the population. There were 312 households, of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.3% were married couplesliving together, 17.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.3% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.20. The median age in the city was 34.2 years. 28.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.8% were from 25 to 44; 22.6% were from 45 to 64; and 13% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 684 people, 287 households, and 196 families living in the city. The population density was 771.9 people per square mile. There were 326 housing units at an average density of 367.9/sq mi. The racial makeup of the city was 96.78% White, 0.29% Native American, 0.15% Asian, and 2.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.61% of the population. There were 287 households, out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.87. In the city the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $3,042, and the median income for a family was $472. Males had a median income of $26,447 versus $2,059 for females. The per capita income for the city was $676. About 4.8% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.4% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.
