Howell County, Missouri


Howell County is in southern Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,750. The largest city and county seat is West Plains. The county was officially organized on March 2, 1857, and is named after Josiah Howell, a pioneer settler in the Howell Valley.
Howell County comprises the West Plains, MO, Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Howell County was organized on March 2, 1857, from Oregon County, and is named for Josiah Howell, who purchased the first settlement in Howell Valley after the original settler left. Howell is considered the first permanent settler. His descendants contributed greatly to the developing community and held many positions of local authority.
The first circuit court met in a log cabin one mile east of West Plains, according to an 1876 account. A small, wooden courthouse was built on the square in West Plains in 1859. It was burned down during the Civil War in 1862. The county was reorganized three years later, but all of the county records were destroyed in an 1866 fire. A second courthouse was built in West Plains in 1869. It was a small, three-room, frame building, about 24 by 30 feet.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. It is the third-largest county in Missouri by land area and fourth-largest by total area.

Adjacent counties

  • Texas County
  • Shannon County
  • Oregon County
  • Fulton County, Arkansas
  • Ozark County
  • Douglas County

    Major highways

  • 20px U.S. Route 60
  • 20px U.S. Route 63
  • 20px U.S. Route 160
  • 20px Route 14
  • 20px Route 17
  • 20px Route 76
  • 20px Route 142

    National protected area

  • Mark Twain National Forest

    Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 39,750. The median age was 41.5 years. 23.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older.
For every 100 females there were 95.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.9 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 91.4% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.7% from some other race, and 6.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.3% of the population.
RaceNum.Perc.
White 35,97290.5%
Black or African American 1800.45%
Native American 2650.67%
Asian 2170.55%
Pacific Islander 170.04%
Other/Mixed 2,2035.54%
Hispanic or Latino8962.25%

29.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 70.2% lived in rural areas.
There were 16,117 households in the county, of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 26.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 18,048 housing units, of which 10.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 67.2% were owner-occupied and 32.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.1%.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 37,238 people, 14,762 households, and 10,613 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 16,340 housing units at an average density of.
The racial makeup of the county was 96.41% White, 0.31% Black or African American, 0.97% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.28% from other races, and 1.63% from two or more races. Approximately 1.21% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 14,762 households, out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.8% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the county, the population consisted of 26.0% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,761, and the median income for a family was $38,047. Males had a median income of $22,960 versus $16,968 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,184. About 14.00% of families and 18.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.3% of those under age 18 and 14.0% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

According to the Association of Religion Data Archives County Membership Report, Howell County is a part of the Bible Belt with evangelical Protestantism being the majority religion. The most predominant denominations among residents in Howell County who adhere to a religion are Southern Baptists, Churches of Christ, and Roman Catholics.

Education

Of adults 25 years of age and older in Howell County, 73.4% possesses a high school diploma or higher while 10.9% holds a bachelor's degree or higher as their highest educational attainment.

Public schools

  • Mountain View-Birch Tree R-III School District - Mountain View
  • *Birch Tree Elementary School - Birch Tree - - Located in Shannon County
  • *Mountain View Elementary School -
  • *Liberty Middle School -
  • *Liberty High School -
  • West Plains R-VII School District - West Plains
  • *South Fork Elementary School
  • *West Plains Elementary School
  • *West Plains Middle School
  • *West Plains High School
  • Willow Springs R-IV School District - Willow Springs
  • *Willow Springs Elementary School
  • *Willow Springs Middle School
  • *Willow Springs High School
  • Fairview R-XI School District - West Plains
  • *Fairview Elementary School
  • Glenwood R-VIII School District - West Plains
  • *Glenwood Elementary School -
  • Howell Valley R-I School District - West Plains
  • *Howell Valley Elementary School
  • Junction Hill C-12 School District - West Plains
  • *Junction Hill Elementary School -
  • Richards R-V School District - West Plains
  • *Richards Elementary School -

    Private schools

  • Faith Assembly Christian School - West Plains - - Assemblies of God/Pentecostal
  • Ozarks Christian Academy - West Plains - - non denominational/Protestant - Classical Christian Education
  • Trinity Christian Academy - Mountain View - - Pentecostal - Wade St., Mountain View.

    Alternative and vocational schools

  • Ozark Horizon State School - West Plains - - A school for handicapped students and those with other special needs.
  • South Central Career Center - West Plains - - Vocational/technical

    Colleges and universities

  • Missouri State University-West Plains - A satellite campus of Missouri State University

    Public libraries

  • Mountain View Public Library
  • West Plains Public Library
  • Willow Springs Public Library

    Politics

Local

The Republican Party predominantly controls politics at the local level in Howell County. Republicans hold all elected positions in the county. District 2 Commissioner Billy Sexton took office as a Democrat but announced in 2014 he was changing parties and sought re-election as a Republican.

State

In the Missouri House of Representatives, Howell County is divided into two legislative districts, both of which are represented by Republicans.
  • District 154 — Shawn Rhoads. Consists of the city of Mountain View.
All of Howell County is a part of Missouri's 33rd District in the Missouri Senate and is currently represented by Mike Cunningham of Rogersville.

Federal

Missouri's two U.S. senators are Republicans Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt.
All of Howell County is included in Missouri's 8th congressional district and is currently represented by 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 former U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson of Cape Girardeau. Emerson announced her resignation a month after being reelected with over 70 percent of the vote in the district. She resigned to become CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative.

Political culture

Howell County is, like several rural counties located in the Ozarks, conservative and strongly Republican at the presidential level. Bill Clinton of neighboring Arkansas was the last Democratic presidential nominee to win Howell County in 1992; he lost the county during his 1996 reelection bid and since then, voters in Howell County have decisively backed Republicans. Controversy occurred during the course of the 2008 presidential campaign over a billboard displayed near West Plains that depicted a picture of then-Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama in a turban. Some were offended by the billboard and deemed it racist.
Like most rural areas throughout Southeast Missouri, voters in Howell County generally adhere to socially and culturally conservative principles which tend to 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 won in Howell County with 83.36 percent of the vote. The initiative passed the state with 71 percent of support from voters. In 2006, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to fund and legalize embryonic stem cell research in the state—it failed in Howell County with 57.97 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 Howell 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 to increase the minimum wage in the state to $6.50 an hour—it passed Howell County with 67.79 percent of the vote. The proposition strongly passed every single county in Missouri with 78.99 percent voting in favor.