West Plains is a city in and the county seat of Howell County, Missouri, United States. The population was 12,184 at the 2020 census.

Howell County is in southern Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,750. The largest city and county seat is West Plains. The county was officially organized on March 2, 1851, and is named after Josiah Howell, a pioneer settler in the Howell Valley.