Butler County, Missouri: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 14:10, 17 May 2025

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Butler County is a county located in the southeast Ozark Foothills Region in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 Census, the county's population was 42,130.<ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref> The largest city and county seat is Poplar Bluff.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The county was officially organized from Wayne County on February 27, 1849, and is named after former U.S. Representative William O. Butler (D-Kentucky), who was also an unsuccessful candidate for Vice President of the United States.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The first meeting in the Butler County Courthouse was held on June 18, 1849.

Butler County comprises the Poplar Bluff, MO Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (0.6%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Adjacent counties

Wayne County (north)
Stoddard County (northeast)
Dunklin County (southeast)
Clay County, Arkansas (south)
Ripley County (west)
Carter County (northwest)

Major highways

National protected area

Mark Twain National Forest (part)

Demographics

Template:US Census population

As of the census<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 40,867 people, 16,718 households, and 11,318 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 18,707 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 92.16% White, 5.22% Black or African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.26% from other races, and 1.36% from two or more races. Approximately 1.01% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Among the major first ancestries reported in Butler County were 31.7% American, 13.8% German, 11.6% Irish and 10.5% English.

There were 16,718 households, out of which 29.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.50% were married couples living together, 11.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.30% were non-families. 28.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.20% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 26.60% from 25 to 44, 24.10% from 45 to 64, and 16.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,422, and the median income for a family was $42,713. Males had a median income of $27,449 versus $19,374 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,282. About 14.00% of families and 18.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.90% of those under age 18 and 16.90% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

According to the Association of Religion Data Archives County Membership Report (2010), Butler County is part of the Bible Belt, with evangelical Protestantism being the most predominant religion. The most predominant denominations among residents in Butler County who adhere to a religion are Southern Baptists (36.39%), nondenominational evangelical groups (14.64%), and Roman Catholics (11.92%).

2020 Census

Butler County Racial Composition<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	35,745	85%
Black or African American (NH)	2,463	6%
Native American (NH)	198	0.5%
Asian (NH)	304	0.72%
Pacific Islander (NH)	12	0.03%
Other/Mixed (NH)	2,507	6%
Hispanic or Latino	901	2.14%

Education

Of adults 25 years of age and older in Butler County, 83.5% possesses a high school diploma or higher while 13.9% holds a bachelor's degree or higher as their highest educational attainment.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Public Schools

Neelyville R-IV School District<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> - Neelyville
- Hillview Elementary School - Harviell - (PK-02)
- Neelyville Elementary School - (03-06)
- Neelyville High School - (07-12)
Poplar Bluff R-I School District<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> - Poplar Bluff
- Eugene Field Elementary School - (01-03)
- Mark Twain Early Childhood Center - (PK/Daycare)
- Lake Road Elementary School - (01-04)
- Poplar Bluff Kindergarten Center - (K)
- O'Neal Elementary School - (01-03)
- Oak Grove Elementary School - (01-03)
- Poplar Bluff Middle School - (04-06)
- Poplar Bluff Jr. High School (07-08)
- Poplar Bluff High School (09-12)
Twin Rivers R-X School District<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> - Broseley
- Fisk Elementary School - Fisk - (K-08)
- Qulin Elementary School - Qulin - (K-08)
- Twin Rivers High School - Broseley - (09-12)

Private schools

Agape Christian School - Poplar Bluff - (K-12) - Non-denominational Christian
Sacred Heart Elementary School<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> - Poplar Bluff - (PK-08) - Roman Catholic
Southern Missouri Christian School - Poplar Bluff - (K-12) - Assembly of God/Pentecostal
Westwood Baptist Academy<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> - Poplar Bluff - (PK-12) - Baptist
Zion Lutheran School<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> - Poplar Bluff - Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod

Special education/other schools

Hentz Alternative Learning Center - Poplar Bluff
Shady Grove State School - Poplar Bluff
Sierra-Osage Treatment Center - Poplar Bluff
W.E. Sears Youth Center - Poplar Bluff

Post-secondary

Three Rivers College - Poplar Bluff - A public, two-year community college.

Public libraries

Fisk Community Library<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Poplar Bluff Public Library<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Politics

Local

Template:Missouri county elected officials The Republican Party completely controls all politics at the local level in Butler County.

State

Past gubernatorial election results
Year	Republican	Democratic	Third parties
2024	82.17% 14,510	16.23% 2,866	1.60% 282
2020	79.63% 14,337	18.60% 3,349	1.77% 318
2016	73.78% 12,598	23.65% 4,039	2.57% 438
2012	55.46% 9,251	42.18% 7,036	2.36% 393
2008	54.12% 9,205	43.86% 7,459	2.02% 343
2004	66.12% 10,796	32.85% 5,364	1.03% 168
2000	58.40% 8,301	39.80% 5,657	1.80% 257
1996	47.71% 6,793	50.63% 7,208	1.66% 237
1992	49.18% 7,335	50.82% 7,581	0.00% 0
1988	66.86% 9,060	33.12% 4,488	0.02% 3
1984	59.67% 7,875	40.33% 5,323	0.00% 0
1980	53.17% 7,471	46.75% 6,569	0.07% 10
1976	52.91% 6,489	46.82% 5,742	0.27% 33
1972	54.67% 6,972	45.23% 5,768	0.09% 12
1968	41.44% 5,393	58.56% 7,621	0.00% 0
1964	38.67% 5,021	61.33% 7,964	0.00% 0
1960	49.56% 6,772	50.44% 6,891	0.00% 0

Butler County is split between two legislative districts in the Missouri House of Representatives, both of which are represented by Republicans.

District 152 is currently represented by Hardy Billington (R-Poplar Bluff). It consists of all of the cities of Neelyville, Qulin, and Poplar Bluff; all of the census-designated place of Harviell; and the unincorporated communities of Angus, Batesville, Belcher, Booser, Broseley, Fagus, Hubbel, Kremlin, Loma Linda, Nyssa, Oglesville, Platanus, Resnik, Roxie, Taft, and Vastus.

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District 153 is currently represented by Darrell Atchison (R-Williamsville). It consists of all of the city of Fisk and the unincorporated communities of Ash Hill, Barron, Empire, Halloran, Hamtown, Hendrickson, Hilliard, Keener, Kinzer, Morocco, Rombauer, and Wilby.

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All of Butler County is included in Missouri's 25th Senatorial District and is represented by Republican Jason Bean (R-Holcomb) in the Missouri Senate. Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end

Federal

Butler County, along with the rest of the state of Missouri, is represented in the U.S. Senate by Josh Hawley (R-Columbia) and Roy Blunt (R-Strafford). Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end

Blunt was elected to a second term in 2016 over then-Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander. Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end

Political culture

At the presidential level, Butler County is solidly Republican. Butler County strongly favored Donald Trump in both 2016 and 2020. Bill Clinton was the last Democratic presidential nominee to carry Butler County in 1992 with a plurality of the vote, and a Democrat hasn't won majority support from the county's voters in a presidential election since Jimmy Carter in 1976.

Like most rural areas throughout Missouri, voters in Butler County generally adhere to socially and culturally conservative principles which tend to influence their Republican leanings. Despite Butler County's longstanding tradition of supporting socially conservative platforms, voters in the county have a penchant for advancing populist causes. In 2018, Missourians voted on a proposition (Proposition A) concerning right to work, the outcome of which ultimately reversed the right to work legislation passed in the state the previous year. 54.47% of Butler County voters cast their ballots to overturn the law.

Missouri presidential preference primaries

2020

The 2020 presidential primaries for both the Democratic and Republican parties were held in Missouri on March 10. On the Democratic side, former Vice President Joe Biden (D-Delaware) both won statewide and carried Butler County by a wide margin. Biden went on to defeat President Donald Trump in the general election. Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end

Incumbent President Donald Trump (R-Florida) faced a primary challenge from former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld, but won both Butler County and statewide by overwhelming margins. Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end

2016

The 2016 presidential primaries for both the Republican and Democratic parties were held in Missouri on March 15. Businessman Donald Trump (R-New York) narrowly won the state overall, but carried a majority of the vote in Butler County. He went on to win the presidency. Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end

On the Democratic side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D-New York) narrowly won statewide and carried a majority in Butler County. Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end

2012

The 2012 Missouri Republican Presidential Primary's results were nonbinding on the state's national convention delegates. Voters in Butler County supported former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania), who finished first in the state at large, but eventually lost the nomination to former Governor Mitt Romney (R-Massachusetts). Delegates to the congressional district and state conventions were chosen at a county caucus, which selected a delegation favoring Santorum. Incumbent President Barack Obama easily won the Missouri Democratic Primary and renomination. He defeated Romney in the general election.