| Butler County, Missouri | |
Location in the state of Missouri |
|
Missouri's location in the U.S. |
|
| Founded | 1849 |
|---|---|
| Named for | William O. Butler (D-Kentucky), a former U.S. Representative and unsuccessful candidate for Vice President. |
| Seat | Poplar Bluff |
| Largest city | Poplar Bluff |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
698.97 sq mi (1,810 km²) 697.54 sq mi (1,807 km²) 1.43 sq mi (4 km²), 0.20 |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
42,794 61/sq mi (23.67/km²) |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
Butler County is a county located in the southeast Ozark Foothills Region in Southeast Missouri in the United States. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county's population was 42,794. The largest city and county seat is Poplar Bluff[1]. 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. The first meeting in the Butler County Courthouse was held on June 18, 1849.
Contents |
Of adults 25 years of age and older in Butler County, 70.5% possesses a high school diploma or higher while 11.6% holds a bachelor's degree or higher as their highest educational attainment.
According to the Association of Religion Data Archives County Membership Report (2000), Butler County is a part of the Bible Belt with evangelical Protestantism being the majority religion. The most predominant denominations among residents in Butler County who adhere to a religion are Southern Baptists (45.93%), Roman Catholics (10.09%), and Methodists (8.23%).
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 698.97 square miles (1,810.3 km2), of which 697.54 square miles (1,806.6 km2) (or 99.80%) is land and 1.43 square miles (3.7 km2) (or 0.20%) is water.[2]
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 40,867 people, 16,718 households, and 11,318 families residing in the county. The population density was 59 people per square mile (23/km²). There were 18,707 housing units at an average density of 27 per square mile (10/km²). 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, according to Census 2000.
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.
Butler County is divided into ten townships:
Politics at the local level in Butler County is completely controlled by the Republican Party. Following Election 2008, all local elected offices in Butler County are now held by Republicans.
| Butler County, Missouri | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elected countywide officials | ||||
| Assessor | Marion Tibbs | Republican | ||
| Circuit Clerk | Emily Clark-Parks | Republican | ||
| County Clerk | Tonyi Deffendall | Republican | ||
| Collector | Brenda Fox | Republican | ||
| Commissioner (Presiding) |
Ed Strenfel | Republican | ||
| Commissioner (District 1) |
Don Anderson | Republican | ||
| Commissioner (District 2) |
Jeffrey Darnell | Republican | ||
| Coroner | Jim Akers | Republican | ||
| Prosecuting Attorney | Kevin Barbour | Republican | ||
| Public Administrator | Sharron Payne | Republican | ||
| Recorder | Debby Lundstrom | Republican | ||
| Sheriff | Mark L. Dobbs | Republican | ||
| Treasurer | Joe Humphrey | Republican | ||
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third Parties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Butler County is divided among three legislative districts in the Missouri House of Representatives.
| Missouri House of Representatives - District 153 - Butler County (2010) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Steve Cookson | 521 | 68.64 | -31.36 | |
| Democratic | George Meyers | 180 | 23.72 | +23.72 | |
| Constitution | Rory Calhoun | 58 | 7.64 | +7.64 | |
| Missouri House of Representatives - District 154 - Butler County (2010) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Todd Richardson | 6,935 | 69.73 | -4.11 | |
| Democratic | Ron Yarbro | 3,011 | 30.27 | +30.27 | |
| Missouri House of Representatives - District 163 - Butler County (2010) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Kent Hampton | 573 | 59.32 | +59.32 | |
| Democratic | Tom Todd* | 393 | 40.68 | -31.52 | |
In the Missouri Senate, all of Butler County is a part of Missouri's 25th District and is currently represented by State Senator Rob Mayer (R-Dexter). In 2008, Mayer defeated M. Shane Stoelting (D) by an almost two-to-one margin, 65.32-34.68 percent, in the district. The 25th Senatorial District consists of Butler, Dunklin, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Ripley, Stoddard, and Wayne counties.
| Missouri Senate - District 25 - Butler County (2008) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Rob Mayer | 11,955 | 72.00 | ||
| Democratic | M. Shane Stoelting | 4,649 | 28.00 | ||
In the U.S. House of Representatives, Butler County is represented by Jo Ann Emerson (R-Cape Girardeau) who represents all of Southeast Missouri as part of Missouri's 8th Congressional District.
| U.S. House of Representatives - District 8 - Butler County (2010) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Jo Ann Emerson | 8,556 | 72.74 | -3.98 | |
| Democratic | Tommy Sowers | 2,740 | 23.30 | +2.03 | |
| Independent | Larry Bill | 287 | 2.44 | +2.44 | |
| Libertarian | Rick Vandeven | 179 | 1.52 | +0.15 | |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third Parties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 68.09% 11,805 | 30.66% 5,316 | 1.25% 217 |
| 2004 | 71.14% 11,696 | 28.38% 4,666 | 0.48% 79 |
| 2000 | 63.28% 9,111 | 34.70% 4,996 | 2.02% 290 |
| 1996 | 48.78% 6,996 | 40.30% 5,780 | 10.93% 1,567 |
At the presidential level, Butler County tends to be a reliably Republican stronghold. John McCain strongly carried the county over Barack Obama in 2008. George W. Bush carried Butler County by a two-to-one margin in 2000 and by an almost three-to-one margin in 2004. The last Democratic presidential nominee to win Butler County was Bill Clinton in Election of 1992. Since then, Butler County has trended increasingly Republican at the presidential level.
Like most rural areas throughout Southeast Missouri, voters in Butler County generally adhere to socially and culturally conservative principles which strongly influence their Republican leanings. In 2004, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman—it overwhelmingly passed Butler County with 88.83 percent of the vote. The initiative passed the state with 71 percent of support from voters as Missouri became the first state to ban same-sex marriage. In 2006, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to fund and legalize embryonic stem cell research in the state—it failed in Butler County with 61.21 percent voting against the measure. The initiative narrowly passed the state with 51 percent of support from voters as Missouri became one of the first states in the nation to approve embryonic stem cell research. Despite Butler County’s longstanding tradition of supporting socially conservative platforms, voters in the county have a penchant for advancing populist causes like increasing the minimum wage. In 2006, Missourians voted on a proposition (Proposition B) to increase the minimum wage in the state to $6.50 an hour—it passed Butler County with 68.75 percent of the vote. The proposition strongly passed every single county in Missouri with 75.94 percent voting in favor as the minimum wage was increased to $6.50 an hour in the state. During the same election, voters in five other states also strongly approved increases in the minimum wage.
Voters in Butler County from both political parties supported candidates who finished in second place in the state at large and nationally.
| Butler County, Missouri | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2008 Republican primary in Missouri | ||
| John McCain | 1,117 (24.64%) | |
| Mike Huckabee | 2,215 (48.85%) | |
| Mitt Romney | 1,007 (22.21%) | |
| Ron Paul | 134 (2.96%) | |
| Butler County, Missouri | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2008 Democratic primary in Missouri | ||
| Hillary Rodham Clinton | 2,490 (69.87%) | |
| Barack Obama | 960 (26.94%) | |
| John Edwards (withdrawn) | 82 (2.30%) | |
| Carter County | Wayne County | |||
| Ripley County | Stoddard County | |||
| Butler County, Missouri | ||||
| Clay County, Arkansas | Dunklin County |
|
|||||||||||||||||