Benton County, Missouri

Benton County is a county located in the west central part of the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 19,056 as of the 2010 Census.[2] Its county seat is Warsaw.[3] The county was organized January 3, 1835, and named for U.S. Senator Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri.[4]

Not to be confused with Benton, Missouri.
Benton County
U.S. county
Benton County courthouse in Warsaw
Location within the U.S. state of Missouri
Missouri's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 38°18′N 93°17′W
Country United States
State Missouri
FoundedJanuary 3, 1835
Named forThomas Hart Benton
SeatWarsaw
Largest cityWarsaw
Area
 • Total753 sq mi (1,950 km2)
 • Land704 sq mi (1,820 km2)
 • Water48 sq mi (120 km2)  6.4%
Population
 (2010)
 • Total19,056
 • Estimate 
(2018)[1]
19,278
 • Density25/sq mi (9.8/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district4th
Websitewww.bentoncomo.com

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 753 square miles (1,950 km2), of which 704 square miles (1,820 km2) is land and 48 square miles (120 km2) (6.4%) is water.[5]

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
18404,205—
18505,01519.3%
18609,07280.9%
187011,32224.8%
188012,3969.5%
189014,97320.8%
190016,55610.6%
191014,881−10.1%
192012,989−12.7%
193011,708−9.9%
194011,142−4.8%
19509,080−18.5%
19608,737−3.8%
19709,69511.0%
198012,18325.7%
199013,85913.8%
200017,18024.0%
201019,05610.9%
Est. 201819,278[6]1.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]
1990-2000[10] 2010-2015[2]

As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 17,180 people, 7,420 households, and 5,179 families residing in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 12,691 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.96% White, 0.15% Black or African American, 0.53% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.12% from other races, and 1.10% from two or more races. Approximately 0.89% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 7,420 households out of which 23.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.60% were married couples living together, 6.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.20% were non-families. 26.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.72.

In the county, the population was spread out with 20.50% under the age of 18, 5.70% from 18 to 24, 21.80% from 25 to 44, 29.70% from 45 to 64, and 22.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 98.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $26,646, and the median income for a family was $32,459. Males had a median income of $26,203 versus $19,054 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,457. About 10.20% of families and 15.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.50% of those under age 18 and 9.60% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public schools
  • Cole Camp R-I School District – Cole Camp
    • Cole Camp Elementary School (PK-05)
    • Cole Camp Middle School (06-08)
    • Cole Camp High School (09-12)
  • Lincoln R-II School District – Lincoln
    • Lincoln Elementary School (K-06)
    • Lincoln High School (07-12)
  • Warsaw R-IX School District – Warsaw
    • Ruth Mercer Elementary School (K-02)
    • North Elementary School (PK-05)
    • South Elementary School (PK-05)
    • John Boise Middle School (06-08)
    • Warsaw High School (09-12)

Private schools
  • Lutheran School Association – Cole Camp (K-08) – Lutheran
  • Most of the students who attend Cole Camp's Lutheran School Association attend Benton County R-1 High in Cole Camp.

Public libraries
  • Boonslick Regional Library[12]

Politics

Local

The Republican Party predominantly controls politics at the local level in Benton County. Republicans hold all but one of the elected positions in the county.

Benton County, Missouri
Elected countywide officials
Assessor Jim Hansen Republican
Circuit Clerk Cheryl Schultz Republican
County Clerk Susan Porterfield Republican
Collector David Brodersen Republican
Commissioner
(Presiding)		 Steve Daleske Republican
Commissioner
(District 1)		 Vacant Republican
Commissioner
(District 2)		 Dale Jr Estes Republican
Coroner J. Weston Miller Republican
Prosecuting Attorney Karen Coffey Woodley Republican
Public Administrator Lori Dunkin Republican
Recorder Carla Brown Republican
Sheriff Eric Knox Republican
Surveyor Jesse Wininger Republican
Treasurer Rick Renno Republican

State
Past Gubernatorial Elections Results
Year Republican Democratic Third Parties
2016 63.41% 6,047 33.55% 3,199 3.04% 290
2012 50.94% 4,641 46.25% 4,213 2.81% 256
2008 41.57% 3,967 56.09% 5,353 2.34% 223
2004 56.67% 5,088 41.95% 3,767 1.39% 124
2000 52.76% 3,944 45.58% 3,407 1.66% 124
1996 44.36% 2,979 52.42% 3,520 3.22% 216

Benton County is split between two of Missouri’s legislative districts that elect members of the Missouri House of Representatives. Both are represented by Republicans.

  • District 57 — Wanda Brown (R-Lincoln). Consists of the northern half of the county, including Cole Camp, Ionia, and Lincoln.
Missouri House of Representatives — District 57 — Benton County (2016)[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Republican Wanda Brown 3,026 73.32% -2.99
Democratic William A. Grimes 1,101 26.68% +7.97
Missouri House of Representatives — District 57 — Benton County (2014)
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Republican Wanda Brown 1,672 76.31% +5.37
Democratic William A. Grimes 410 18.71% -10.35
Constitution Butch Page 109 4.98% +4.98
Missouri House of Representatives — District 57 — Benton County (2012)
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Republican Wanda Brown 2,803 70.94%
Democratic Don Bullock 1,148 29.06%
  • District 125 — Warren Love (R-Osceola). Consists of the southern half of the county, including Edwards and Warsaw.
Missouri House of Representatives — District 125 — Benton County (2016)[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Republican Warren D. Love 4,539 100.00%
Missouri House of Representatives — District 125 — Benton County (2014)
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Republican Warren D. Love 2,069 100.00%
Missouri House of Representatives — District 125 — Benton County (2012)
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Republican Warren D. Love 4,160 100.00%

All of Benton County is a part of Missouri’s 28th District in the Missouri Senate. The seat is currently vacant. The previous incumbent, Mike Parson, was elected Lieutenant Governor in 2016.

Missouri Senate — District 28 — Benton County (2014)
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Republican Mike Parson 3,956 100.00%

Federal
U.S. Senate — Missouri — Benton County (2016)[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Republican Roy Blunt 5,891 61.87% +14.66
Democratic Jason Kander 3,097 32.52% -12.55
Libertarian Jonathan Dine 300 3.15% -4.57
Green Johnathan McFarland 103 1.08% +1.08
Constitution Fred Ryman 131 1.38% +1.38
U.S. Senate — Missouri — Benton County (2012)
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Republican Todd Akin 4,277 47.21%
Democratic Claire McCaskill 4,083 45.07%
Libertarian Jonathan Dine 699 7.72%

All of Benton County is included in Missouri’s 4th Congressional District and is currently represented by Vicky Hartzler (R-Harrisonville) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

U.S. House of Representatives — Missouri’s 4th Congressional District — Benton County (2016)[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Republican Vicky Hartzler 6,928 73.73% -0.58
Democratic Gordon Christensen 2,056 21.88% +0.92
Libertarian Mark Bliss 413 4.39% -0.34
U.S. House of Representatives — Missouri's 4th Congressional District — Benton County (2014)
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Republican Vicky Hartzler 3,566 74.31% +7.21
Democratic Nate Irvin 1,006 20.96% -8.89
Libertarian Herschel L. Young 227 4.73% +2.14
U.S. House of Representatives — Missouri's 4th Congressional District — Benton County (2012)
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Republican Vicky Hartzler 6,044 67.10%
Democratic Teresa Hensley 2,689 29.85%
Libertarian Thomas Holbrook 233 2.59%
Constitution Greg Cowan 41 0.46%

Political culture
Presidential elections results
Presidential elections results[14]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2016 75.2% 7,213 21.1% 2,025 3.7% 352
2012 66.3% 6,069 31.9% 2,925 1.8% 163
2008 59.9% 5,759 37.8% 3,629 2.3% 223
2004 61.9% 5,575 37.5% 3,381 0.6% 53
2000 56.0% 4,218 41.8% 3,150 2.2% 166
1996 43.1% 2,895 44.6% 2,996 12.3% 824
1992 34.5% 2,511 43.9% 3,195 21.6% 1,570
1988 56.4% 3,467 43.2% 2,654 0.4% 24
1984 62.8% 3,805 37.2% 2,251
1980 59.0% 3,451 38.3% 2,241 2.7% 160
1976 51.5% 2,875 48.0% 2,684 0.5% 28
1972 71.3% 3,537 28.7% 1,423
1968 61.1% 2,899 28.4% 1,345 10.5% 498
1964 55.0% 2,477 45.0% 2,030
1960 70.0% 3,484 30.0% 1,496
1956 66.8% 3,145 33.2% 1,563
1952 72.3% 3,470 27.2% 1,303 0.5% 26
1948 67.0% 2,768 32.9% 1,360 0.1% 3
1944 74.7% 3,294 25.1% 1,108 0.1% 6
1940 68.7% 3,912 31.0% 1,765 0.3% 18
1936 63.1% 3,375 36.5% 1,950 0.4% 21
1932 43.6% 2,038 55.6% 2,596 0.8% 38
1928 72.3% 3,411 27.5% 1,296 0.2% 9
1924 60.7% 2,693 35.8% 1,588 3.5% 155
1920 68.5% 3,367 30.6% 1,506 0.9% 42
1916 57.9% 1,842 40.4% 1,285 1.8% 56
1912 37.4% 1,142 39.6% 1,209 23.1% 704
1908 59.1% 1,924 39.3% 1,280 1.6% 52
1904 57.0% 1,963 39.8% 1,372 3.2% 109
1900 54.4% 1,980 42.1% 1,532 3.5% 128
1896 51.8% 1,957 46.6% 1,762 1.7% 63
1892 51.0% 1,570 34.4% 1,058 14.6% 450
1888 54.3% 1,704 43.8% 1,374 2.0% 62

Missouri Presidential Preference Primary (2008)
  • Former U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York) received more votes, a total of 1,753, than any candidate from either party in Benton County during the 2008 presidential primary.
Benton County, Missouri
2008 Republican primary in Missouri
John McCain803 (34.67%)
Mike Huckabee824 (35.58%)
Mitt Romney580 (25.04%)
Ron Paul75 (3.24%)
Benton County, Missouri
2008 Democratic primary in Missouri
Hillary Clinton1,753 (68.77%)
Barack Obama687 (26.95%)
John Edwards (withdrawn)80 (3.14%)

Communities

See also
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Benton County, Missouri

References
  1. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  2. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  4. Eaton, David Wolfe (1916). How Missouri Counties, Towns and Streams Were Named. The State Historical Society of Missouri. pp. 209.
  5. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  6. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  7. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  8. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  9. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  10. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  11. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  12. Breeding, Marshall. "Boonslick Regional Library". Libraries.org. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  13. "County Results - State of Missouri - 2016 General Election - November 8, 2016 - Official Results". Missouri Secretary of State. December 12, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  14. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-03-24.

Further reading
  • History of Cole, Moniteau, Morgan, Benton, Miller, Maries and Osage counties, Missouri : from the earliest time to the present, including a department devoted to the preservation of sundry personal, business, professional and the private records; besides a valuable fund of notes, original observations, etc. etc. (1889) online

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