Butler County
County
Butler County Courthouse
Butler County Courthouse
Map of Iowa highlighting Butler County
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Map of the United States highlighting Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 42°43′54″N 92°47′29″W / 42.731666666667°N 92.791388888889°W / 42.731666666667; -92.791388888889
Country United States
State Iowa
Founded1851
Named forWilliam Orlando Butler
SeatAllison
Largest cityParkersburg
Area
 • Total582 sq mi (1,510 km2)
 • Land580 sq mi (1,500 km2)
 • Water1.6 sq mi (4 km2)  0.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total14,334
 • Density25/sq mi (9.5/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district4th
Websitebutlercounty.iowa.gov

Butler County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,334.[1] Its county seat is Allison.[2] The county was organized in 1854 and named for General William O. Butler.[3]

History

Butler County was formed on January 15, 1851, from open land. It was named after Kentucky native William Orlando Butler, a general and hero of the Mexican–American War, who ran as Vice President of the United States in 1848. Until 1854, the county was governed by other counties. Only at this time did it have enough inhabitants to establish its own local government. The first court proceedings were conducted in a small log cabin of a settler. In 1858, the first courthouse was completed in Clarksville. After it was sold shortly thereafter to the local school district, it was used as a schoolhouse from 1863 until 1903.

Clarksville was the first county seat, from 1854 to 1860, after which Butler Center became the seat. Because locals became disenchanted with Butler Center (partially because of its inaccessibility during the winter), Allison was made the county seat on January 10, 1881, after the tracks of the Dubuque and Dakota Railroad had been laid there.

Butler County is the only county in Iowa that does not have any stop lights, four-lane roads (US Highway or interstate), a hospital, or a movie theatre. There are also no national fast-food chains in Butler county.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 582 square miles (1,510 km2), of which 580 square miles (1,500 km2) is land and 1.6 square miles (4.1 km2) (0.3%) is water.[4]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18603,724—
18709,951167.2%
188014,29343.6%
189015,4638.2%
190017,95516.1%
191017,119−4.7%
192017,8454.2%
193017,617−1.3%
194017,9862.1%
195017,394−3.3%
196017,4670.4%
197016,953−2.9%
198017,6684.2%
199015,731−11.0%
200015,305−2.7%
201014,867−2.9%
202014,334−3.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[5]
1790-1960[6] 1900-1990[7]
1990-2000[8] 2010-2018[9]
Population of Butler County from US census data

2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 14,334 in the county, with a population density of 24.5860/sq mi (9.4927/km2). 97.49% of the population reported being of one race. 95.19% were non-Hispanic White, 0.18% were Black, 1.28% were Hispanic, 0.17% were Native American, 0.20% were Asian, 0.00% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 2.99% were some other race or more than one race. There were 6,536 housing units of which 5,992 were occupied.[1]

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 14,867 in the county, with a population density of 25.63/sq mi (9.90/km2). There were 6,682 housing units, of which 6,120 were occupied.[10]

2000 census

2000 Census Age Pyramid for Butler County

As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 15,305 people, 6,175 households, and 4,470 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile (10 people/km2). There were 6,578 housing units at an average density of 11 units per square mile (4.2 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.95% White, 0.08% Black or African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 0.53% from two or more races. 0.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,175 households, out of which 30.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.80% were married couples living together, 6.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.60% were non-families. 25.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.40% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 24.90% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 20.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,883, and the median income for a family was $42,209. Males had a median income of $30,356 versus $20,864 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,036. About 6.50% of families and 8.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.80% of those under age 18 and 9.40% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Butler County is divided into sixteen townships:

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Butler County.[1]

† county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2020 Census)
1 Parkersburg City 2,015
2 Shell Rock City 1,268
3 Clarksville City 1,264
4 Aplington City 1,116
5 Greene (partially in Floyd County) City 990
6 † Allison City 966
7 Dumont City 634
8 New Hartford City 570
9 Bristow City 145
10 Aredale City 62

Politics

Butler County has long been consistently Republican. Since the county's founding in 1851, it has only favored candidates of another party four times. The first occasion was in 1912, when former Republican Theodore Roosevelt won the county as the Progressive candidate. The next two times were during two landslide victories for Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 and 1936. Finally, the most recent occurrence was in 1996, when incumbent Bill Clinton won the county with a plurality, aided in part by a strong third party performance by Ross Perot; furthermore, Clinton only defeated Republican candidate Bob Dole in Butler County by only 25 votes and a slim margin of 0.38%. No Democrat has ever received more than 57% of the vote in the county's history.

United States presidential election results for Butler County, Iowa[12]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 5,542 68.44% 2,424 29.93% 132 1.63%
2016 4,921 65.50% 2,157 28.71% 435 5.79%
2012 4,106 54.42% 3,329 44.12% 110 1.46%
2008 3,700 51.63% 3,364 46.94% 102 1.42%
2004 4,417 59.09% 3,001 40.15% 57 0.76%
2000 3,837 57.06% 2,735 40.68% 152 2.26%
1996 3,036 45.78% 3,061 46.16% 534 8.05%
1992 3,209 44.96% 2,548 35.70% 1,380 19.34%
1988 3,523 57.32% 2,593 42.19% 30 0.49%
1984 4,570 66.00% 2,323 33.55% 31 0.45%
1980 4,730 65.90% 1,990 27.73% 457 6.37%
1976 4,207 61.79% 2,503 36.77% 98 1.44%
1972 4,615 71.82% 1,682 26.17% 129 2.01%
1968 4,651 70.59% 1,673 25.39% 265 4.02%
1964 3,462 50.67% 3,370 49.33% 0 0.00%
1960 5,345 70.18% 2,268 29.78% 3 0.04%
1956 5,669 71.21% 2,289 28.75% 3 0.04%
1952 6,360 77.47% 1,836 22.36% 14 0.17%
1948 3,380 51.90% 3,008 46.18% 125 1.92%
1944 4,182 65.03% 2,225 34.60% 24 0.37%
1940 4,848 63.56% 2,760 36.18% 20 0.26%
1936 3,604 47.73% 3,786 50.14% 161 2.13%
1932 3,012 42.33% 4,028 56.60% 76 1.07%
1928 4,789 71.50% 1,876 28.01% 33 0.49%
1924 3,823 59.57% 667 10.39% 1,928 30.04%
1920 5,900 86.69% 830 12.20% 76 1.12%
1916 2,722 72.45% 977 26.00% 58 1.54%
1912 903 25.82% 926 26.48% 1,668 47.70%
1908 2,467 69.32% 994 27.93% 98 2.75%
1904 2,743 74.99% 815 22.28% 100 2.73%
1900 2,902 70.01% 1,167 28.15% 76 1.83%
1896 2,670 66.07% 1,302 32.22% 69 1.71%

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "2020 Census State Redistricting Data". census.gov. United states Census Bureau. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Butler County's History". Butler County, Iowa. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
  4. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  5. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  9. ↑ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Population and Housing Occupancy Status: 2010 - State – County". United States Census Bureau American FactFinder. Archived from the original on September 29, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
  11. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  12. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
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