The Daviess County Library’s main branch is at 306 West Grand in Gallatin, but also features a Jamesport Branch in that nearby community.

Daviess County was also the site of hostilities between Mormons and non-Mormons in the late 1830s, and the site of the trial of Frank James, Jesse's elder brother in 1882, for his involvement in a train robbery.

Today, Daviess County is home to about 8,000 residents in its various communities and rural areas, including Gallatin, Jamesport, Altamont, Lake Viking, Pattonsburg, Winston Coffey, Jameson and Lock Springs.

There are five school districts in the county, Gallatin, North Daviess, Pattonsburg, Tri-County and Winston.

Tourist attractions in the county include Jamesport, the Mormon Historical Site Adam-ondi-Ahman, privately owned Lake Viking and and many other attractions such as the Gallatin Squirrel Cage Jail.

Famous residents of Daviess County include Forrest “Phog” Allen, who was born in Jamesport and went on to a successful career as a college basketball coach, most notably at the University of Kansas; Conrad Burns, who was born in Gallatin and served as U.S. Senator from Montana from 1989 to 2007; William Thorton Kemper, Sr., who was born in Gallatin and became patriarch of the Kemper family who developed both Commerce Bancshares and United Missouri Bank; Martha Scott, who was born in Jamesport and was an actress in numerous films and plays and on television. She received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her performance as Emily Webb in the movie Our Town in 1940.

Daviess County is also home to some famous Missouri politicians.

Joshua Willis Alexander, who called Gallatin home, served as the Speaker of the Missouri State House, U.S. Representative from Missouri and the U.S. Secretary of Commerce from 1919 to 1921. Webster Davis, who lived in Gallatin, and was mayor of Kansas City from 1894 to 1895. He later served as Assistant Secretary of the Interior during the administration of President William McKenley. Alexander Monroe Dockery was the mayor of Gallatin from 1881 to 1883 and went on to be a Missouri Representative to the U.S. House from 1883 to 1899 and the Governor of Missouri from 1901 to 1905.

Jerry Litton, a U.S. Representative from Missouri, was born near Lock Springs. He was killed in a plane crash during his campaign for the U.S. Senate in 1976.