Crawford County, Missouri

Crawford County, Missouri
Crawford County Courthouse
Map of Missouri highlighting Crawford County
Location in the state of Missouri
Map of the United States highlighting Missouri
Missouri's location in the U.S.
Founded January 23, 1829
Named for William H. Crawford
Seat Steelville
Largest city Cuba
Area
 • Total 744 sq mi (1,927 km2)
 • Land 743 sq mi (1,924 km2)
 • Water 1.2 sq mi (3 km2), 0.2%
Population
 • (2010) 24,696
 • Density 33/sq mi (13/km²)
Congressional district 8th
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website crawfordcountymo.net

Crawford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. At the 2010 Census, the population was 24,696.[1] Its county seat is Steelville. The county was organized in 1829[2] and is named after U.S. Senator William H. Crawford[3] of Georgia.

The section of Sullivan which is located in Crawford County is included in the St. Louis, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

In 1990, the mean center of U.S. population was located in Crawford County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 744 square miles (1,930 km2), of which 743 square miles (1,920 km2) is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2) (0.2%) is water.[4]

Adjacent counties

Major highways

National protected area

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18301,712—
18403,561108.0%
18506,39779.6%
18605,823−9.0%
18707,98237.1%
188010,75634.8%
189011,96111.2%
190012,9598.3%
191013,5764.8%
192012,355−9.0%
193011,287−8.6%
194012,69312.5%
195011,615−8.5%
196012,6478.9%
197014,82817.2%
198018,30023.4%
199019,1734.8%
200022,80418.9%
201024,6468.1%
Est. 201324,6500.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[5]
1790-1960[6] 1900-1990[7]
1990-2000[8] 2010-2013[1]

At the 2000 census,[9] there were 22,804 people, 8,858 households and 6,351 families residing in the county. The population density was 31 per square mile (12/km²). There were 10,850 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.26% White, 0.14% Black or African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. Approximately 0.77% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 8,858 households of which 32.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.70% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.30% were non-families. 24.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.00.

26.30% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 26.90% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 15.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 97.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.60 males.

The median household income was $37,554 and the median family income was $45,059. Males had a median income of $28,005 compared with $18,736 for females. The per capita income was $18,203. About 12.70% of families and 16.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.30% of those under age 18 and 14.10% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public schools

Private schools

Politics

Local

The Republican Party controls politics at the local level in Crawford County. Republicans hold all elected positions in the county, except for the Associate Circuit Court Judge.

Crawford County, Missouri
Elected countywide officials
Assessor Kerry Summers, Sr. Republican
Circuit Clerk Karen Harlan Republican
County Clerk John G. Martin Republican
Collector Pat Schwent Republican
Commissioner
(Presiding)		 Leo Sanders Republican
Commissioner
(District 1)		 Paul Watson Republican
Commissioner
(District 2)		 Kenny Killeen Republican
Coroner Paul Hutson Republican
Prosecuting Attorney J. Kent Howald Republican
Public Administrator Franky Todd Republican
Recorder Kimberly A. Cook Republican
Sheriff Randy Martin Republican
Surveyor Mark Mueller Republican
Treasurer Catie Ringeisen Republican

State

Past Gubernatorial Elections Results
Year Republican Democratic Third Parties
2012 52.23% 4,978 44.85% 4,275 2.92% 278
2008 46.18% 4,627 51.94% 5,204 1.88% 188
2004 57.70% 5,422 40.92% 3,845 1.38% 130
2000 52.53% 4,352 43.74% 3,624 3.73% 309
1996 44.72% 3,425 52.87% 4,049 2.42% 185
1992 42.17% 3,470 57.83% 4,758 0.00% 0
1988 66.26% 4,636 33.04% 2,312 0.70% 49
1984 60.87% 4,408 39.13% 2,834 0.00% 0
1980 53.65% 3,722 45.88% 3,183 0.46% 32
1976 49.50% 3,376 50.43% 3,439 0.07% 5
1972 57.31% 3,980 42.56% 2,956 0.13% 9
1968 47.84% 2,983 52.16% 3,253 0.00% 0
1964 46.22% 2,777 53.78% 3,231 0.00% 0
1960 56.30% 3,570 43.70% 2,771 0.00% 0

In the Missouri House of Representatives, almost all of Crawford County is a part of Missouri’s 120th District and is currently represented by Jason Chipman, a Republican from Steelville, Missouri. It was represented by Jason T. Smith, a Republican from Salem, until Smith received the Republican Party nomination to run for the congressional seat vacated by Jo Ann Emerson. Smith was successful in his congressional bid; Chipman won Smith's former seat in the Missouri House of Representatives through a special election AND a general election in 2014.

In the Missouri Senate, all of Crawford County is a part of Missouri’s 16th District and is currently represented by Republican Dan W. Brown of Rolla. Brown defeated incumbent Democratic State Senator Frank Barnitz of Lake Spring in 2010, and was elected to his first term in the Missouri Senate.

Federal

Missouri's two U.S. Senators are Democrat Claire McCaskill of Kirkwood and Republican Roy Blunt of Strafford.

McCaskill was re-elected to her second term in 2012 with 54.81 percent of the statewide vote over former Republican U.S. Representative W. Todd Akin of Town & Country and Libertarian Jonathan Dine of Riverside; Crawford County voters, however, supported Akin with just under 49 percent of the vote.

U.S. Senate - Class I – Crawford County (2012)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican W. Todd Akin 4,654 48.90
Democratic Claire McCaskill 4,240 44.55
Libertarian Jonathan Dine 623 6.55

Blunt was elected to his first term in 2010 with 54.23 percent of the statewide vote over former Democratic Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, Libertarian Jonathan Dine of Riverside, and Constitutionalist Jerry Beck of Novelty; Crawford County voters backed Blunt with over 60 percent of the vote.

U.S. Senate - Class III – Crawford County (2010)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Roy Blunt 4,346 60.34
Democratic Robin Carnahan 2,280 31.66
Libertarian Jonathan Dine 340 4.72
Constitution Jerry Beck 236 3.28

All of Crawford County is included in Missouri's 8th Congressional District and is currently represented by Republican Jason T. Smith of Salem in the U.S. House of Representatives. Smith won a special election on Tuesday, June 4, 2013, to complete the remaining term of the former Republican U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson of Cape Girardeau. Emerson announced her resignation a month after being re-elected with over 70 percent of the vote in the district. She resigned to become CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative.

U.S. House of Representatives - District 8 – Crawford County (2012)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Jo Ann Emerson 6,757 72.17
Democratic Jack Rushin 2,339 24.98
Libertarian Rick Vandeven 266 2.84
U.S. House of Representatives - District 8 - Special Election – Crawford County (2013)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Jason T. Smith 1,276 82.91
Democratic Steve Hodges 244 15.85
Constitution Doug Enyart 8 0.52
Libertarian Bill Slantz 8 0.52
Write-in Thomas Brown 2 0.13
Write-in Wayne L. Byington 1 0.07

Political culture

Past Presidential elections results
Year Republican Democratic Third Parties
2012 67.17% 6,434 30.81% 2,951 2.03% 194
2008 59.56% 6,007 38.78% 3,911 1.66% 167
2004 60.61% 5,686 38.72% 3,632 0.67% 63
2000 57.26% 4,754 40.35% 3,350 2.39% 198
1996 39.05% 2,990 43.75% 3,349 17.20% 1,317
1992 33.76% 2,831 41.92% 3,515 23.88% 2,002
1988 55.19% 3,856 44.47% 3,107 0.34% 24
1984 64.37% 4,716 35.63% 2,610 0.00% 0
1980 58.21% 4,081 38.65% 2,710 3.14% 220
1976 47.18% 3,224 52.17% 3,565 0.64% 44
1972 67.15% 4,595 32.85% 2,248 0.00% 0
1968 55.78% 3,525 33.60% 2,123 10.62% 671
1964 43.58% 2,660 56.42% 3,444 0.00% 0
1960 63.00% 4,065 37.00% 2,387 0.00% 0

Crawford County is, like most rural counties, conservative and leans Republican at the presidential level. Bill Clinton was the last Democratic presidential nominee to win Crawford County in 1996. Since then, voters in the county have substantially supported Republicans.

Like most rural areas, voters in Crawford County generally strongly support socially and culturally conservative principles and therefore tend to vote Republican. In 2004, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman—it overwhelmingly passed Crawford County with 79.48 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 Crawford County with 56.13 percent voting against the measure. The initiative narrowly passed the state with 51 percent support from voters as Missouri became one of the first states in the USA to approve embryonic stem cell research. Despite Crawford 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 Crawford County with 76.78 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.

2008 Missouri Presidential Primary

In the 2008 Missouri Presidential Primary, voters in Crawford County from both political parties supported candidates who finished in second place in the state at large and nationally.

Republican

Former Governor Mike Huckabee (R-Arkansas) won Crawford County by just one vote with 32.71 percent of the vote. U.S. Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) finished in second place in Crawford County with 32.66 percent. Former Governor Mitt Romney (R-Massachusetts) came in third place, receiving 27.76 percent of the vote while libertarian-leaning U.S. Representative Ron Paul (R-Texas) finished fourth with 5.15 percent in Bollinger County.

Democratic

Then-U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-New York) won a decisive victory in Crawford County with 66.36 percent of the vote. Then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-Illinois) received 30.07 percent of the vote from Crawford County Democrats. Although he withdrew from the race, former U.S. Senator John Edwards (D-North Carolina) still received 2.61 percent of the vote in Crawford County.

Communities

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  2. ↑ Eaton, David Wolfe (1916). How Missouri Counties, Towns and Streams Were Named. The State Historical Society of Missouri. p. 281.
  3. ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 95.
  4. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
  5. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
  9. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.

External links

 Gasconade County Franklin County
Phelps County Washington County
   Crawford County, Missouri  
Dent County Iron County

Coordinates: 37°59′N 91°18′W / 37.98°N 91.30°W