Butler County, Missouri

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Butler County, Missouri
Map of Missouri highlighting Butler County
Location in the state of Missouri
Map of the U.S. highlighting 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

[edit] Education

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.

[edit] Public Schools

[edit] Private Schools

[edit] Special Education/Other Schools

[edit] Post-Secondary

[edit] Religion

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%).

[edit] Geography

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]

[edit] Adjacent counties

[edit] Major highways

[edit] National protected area

[edit] Demographics

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.

[edit] Cities and towns

[edit] Cities

[edit] Unincorporated towns

[edit] Townships

Butler County is divided into ten townships:

[edit] Politics

[edit] Local

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

[edit] State

Past Gubernatorial Elections Results
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.

  • District 153 – Currently represented by Mike Dethrow (R-Alton) and consists of some of the western parts of the county. Dethrow is term limited and is finishing out his last term. He will be succeeded by fellow Republican Steve Cookson in the next legislative session in January 2011.
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
  • District 154 – Currently represented by [http://house.mo.gov/member.aspx?district=154 Gayle Kingery (R-Poplar Bluff) and consists of most of the entire county, including all of the city of Poplar Bluff and Fisk. Kingery is term limited and is finishing out his last term. He will be succeeded by fellow Republican Todd Richardson in the next legislative session in January 2011.
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
  • District 163 – Currently represented by Tom Todd (D-Campbell) and consists of the southern and southeastern parts of the county, including the towns of Neelyville and Qulin. Incumbent Todd was defeated by Republican challenger Kent Hampton in 2010.
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

[edit] Federal

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

[edit] Political Culture

Past Presidential Elections Results
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.

[edit] Missouri Presidential Preference Primary (2008)

Voters in Butler County from both political parties supported candidates who finished in second place in the state at large and nationally.

  • Hillary Rodham Clinton received more votes, a total of 2,490, than any candidate from either party in Butler County during the 2008 Missouri presidential preference primary.
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%)

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
  2. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
  3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

[edit] External links


Carter County Wayne County
Ripley County Stoddard County
   Butler County, Missouri    
Clay County, Arkansas Dunklin County
Municipalities and communities of Butler County, Missouri, United States
Cities
Townships
Unincorporated
communities
Topics
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independent cities

Coordinates: 36°43′N 90°24′W / 36.72°N 90.40°W / 36.72; -90.40

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