Crawford County is a county located in the east-central portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. At the 2020 Census, the population was 23,056. The county was organized in 1829 and is named after U.S. Senator William H. Crawford of Georgia. Its county seat, Steelville, was laid out in 1836.

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 southwestern Crawford County.

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.2%) is water.

Adjacent counties Franklin County (north) Washington County (east) Iron County (southeast) Dent County (south) Phelps County (west) Gasconade County (northwest)

Major highways

National protected area Mark Twain National Forest (part)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 23,056. The median age was 43.5 years. 22.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.2 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 91.7% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 5.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.1% of the population.

+Crawford County, Missouri – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)18,14318,99522,28123,80420,98099.14%99.07%97.71%96.39%91.00%Black or African American alone (NH)3332641480.02%0.02%0.14%0.26%0.64%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)4736951051070.26%0.19%0.42%0.43%0.46%Asian alone (NH)19243073810.10%0.13%0.13%0.30%0.35%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census121114xx0.05%0.04%0.06%Other race alone (NH)0108390.00%0.01%0.00%0.03%0.17%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census1782661,205xx0.78%1.08%5.23%Hispanic or Latino (any race)881141763654820.48%0.59%0.77%1.48%2.09%Total18,30019,17322,80424,69623,056 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

6.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 93.2% lived in rural areas.

There were 9,314 households in the county, of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 25.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 11,378 housing units, of which 18.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 69.9% were owner-occupied and 30.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.6%.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 22,804 people, 8,858 households and 6,351 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 10,850 housing units at an average density of . 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 K-12 school districts in the county include: - Text list

Crawford County R-I School District Crawford County R-2 School District Gasconade County R-II School District Iron County C-4 School District St. James R-I School District Steelville R-III School District Sullivan C-2 School District

There are also two elementary school districts: North Wood R-IV School District and Strain-Japan R-XVI School District.

Public schools Crawford County R-I School District - Bourbon Bourbon Elementary School (PK−4) Bourbon Middle School (5−8) Bourbon High School (9–12) Crawford County R-II School District - Cuba Cuba Elementary School (K−4) Cuba Middle School (5−8) Cuba High School (9–12) Steelville R-III School District - Steelville Steelville Elementary School (PK−4) Steelville Middle School (5−8) Steelville High School (9–12)

Private schools Meramec Valley Christian School - Sullivan - Baptist - (PK–12) Holy Cross Catholic School - Cuba - Catholic - (PK−8)

Public libraries Bourbon Branch Library Recklein Memorial Branch Library Steelville Branch Library

Communities Cities and towns

Bourbon Cuba Leasburg St. Cloud Steelville (county seat) Sullivan (partial) West Sullivan

Census-designated place Indian Lake

Unincorporated communities

Argo Berryman Butts Cherry Valley Cherryville Coffeyton Cook Station Czar Davisville Delhi Dillard Elayer Fanning Harrison Mills Hinch Hofflins Huzzah Iron Center Jake Prairie Keysville Midland Oak Hill Patsy Scotia Service Wesco Westover

Townships

Benton Boone Courtois Knobview Liberty Meramec Oak Hill Osage Union

Politics

Local The Republican Party controls politics at the local level in Crawford County. Republicans hold all elected positions in the county.

State + Past Gubernatorial Elections Results Year Republican Democratic Third Parties202479.84% 5,05518.20% 7261.95% 209202077.57% 8,48020.40% 2,2302.03% 222201659.72% 5,89929.28% 2,89211.00% 1,086201252.23% 4,97844.85% 4,2752.92% 278200846.18% 4,62751.94% 5,2041.88% 188200457.70% 5,42240.92% 3,8451.38% 130200052.53% 4,35243.74% 3,6243.73% 309199644.72% 3,42552.87% 4,0492.42% 185199242.17% 3,47057.83% 4,7580.00% 0198866.26% 4,63633.04% 2,3120.70% 49198460.87% 4,40839.13% 2,8340.00% 0198053.65% 3,72245.88% 3,1830.46% 32197649.50% 3,37650.43% 3,4390.07% 5197257.31% 3,98042.56% 2,9560.13% 9196847.84% 2,98352.16% 3,2530.00% 0196446.22% 2,77753.78% 3,2310.00% 0196056.30% 3,57043.70% 2,7710.00% 0

Crawford County is split between two of the districts that elect members of the Missouri House of Representatives, both of which are currently represented by Republicans. District 62 — Tom Hurst (R-Meta). Consists of the northwest corner of the county.

District 120 — Jason Chimpman (R- Steelville). Consists of almost of the county.

In the Missouri Senate, all of Crawford County is a part of Missouri's 16th District and is represented by Republican Justin Brown.

Federal

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 former Republican 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

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

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.

Democratic Then-U.S. Senator Hillary 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.

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

References

External links Digitized 1930 Plat Book of Crawford County from University of Missouri Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books