Fulton is the largest city in and the county seat of Callaway County, Missouri, United States. Located about 22 miles northeast of Jefferson City and the Missouri River and 20 miles east of Columbia, the city is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 12,790 in the 2010 census. The city is home to two universities, Westminster College and William Woods University; the Missouri School for the Deaf; the Fulton State Hospital; and the Fulton Reception and Diagnostic Center state prison.