Greene County, Missouri

Last updated

Greene County
County
Greene County MO Courthouse 20151022-143.jpg
The Historic Greene County Courthouse in Springfield
Map of Missouri highlighting Greene County.svg
Location within the U.S. state of Missouri
Missouri in United States.svg
Missouri's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 37°16′N93°20′W / 37.26°N 93.34°W / 37.26; -93.34
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
StateFlag of Missouri.svg  Missouri
FoundedJanuary 2, 1833
Named for Nathanael Greene
Seat Springfield
Largest citySpringfield
Area
 • Total
678 sq mi (1,760 km2)
 • Land675 sq mi (1,750 km2)
 • Water2.6 sq mi (7 km2)  0.4%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
298,915
 • Estimate 
(2021)
300,865 Increase2.svg
 • Density440/sq mi (170/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 7th
Website www.greenecountymo.org

Greene County is located in the southwest part of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, its population was 298,915. [1] making it the fourth most-populous county in Missouri and the most populous outside the Kansas City or Saint Louis metropolitan areas.

Contents

Its county seat and most-populous city is Springfield. [2] The county was organized in 1833 and is named after American Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene. [3] Greene County is included in the Springfield metropolitan area. It is in the area of the Ozark Mountains and foothills.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 678 square miles (1,760 km2), of which 675 square miles (1,750 km2) is land and 2.6 square miles (6.7 km2) (0.4%) is water. [4]

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1840 5,372—
1850 12,785138.0%
1860 13,1863.1%
1870 21,54963.4%
1880 28,80133.7%
1890 48,61668.8%
1900 52,7138.4%
1910 63,83121.1%
1920 68,6987.6%
1930 82,92920.7%
1940 90,5419.2%
1950 104,92315.9%
1960 126,27620.4%
1970 152,92921.1%
1980 185,30221.2%
1990 207,94912.2%
2000 240,39115.6%
2010 275,17414.5%
2020 298,9158.6%
2021 (est.)300,865 [5] 0.7%
U.S. Decennial Census [6]
1790-1960 [7] 1900-1990 [8]
1990-2000 [9] 2010-2020 [1]

As of the census of 2000, there were 240,391 people, 97,859 households, and 61,846 families residing in the county. The population density was 356 inhabitants per square mile (137/km2). There were 104,517 housing units at an average density of 155 units per square mile (60 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 93.54% White, 2.26% Black or African American, 0.66% Native American, 1.13% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.67% from other races, and 1.68% from two or more races. Approximately 1.84% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 97,859 households, out of which 28.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.00% were married couples living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.80% were non-families. 29.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.30% under the age of 18, 13.80% from 18 to 24, 28.60% from 25 to 44, 21.80% from 45 to 64, and 13.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $44,185, and the median income for a family was $56,047. Males had a median income of $30,672 versus $21,987 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,770. About 7.60% of families and 12.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.60% of those under age 18 and 7.50% of those age 65 or over.

There are 190,417 registered voters in Greene County. [10]

2020 Census

Greene County Racial Composition [11]
RaceNum.Perc.
White (NH)246,36882.42%
Black or African American (NH)9,9873.34%
Native American (NH)1,7350.6%
Asian (NH)6,1822.1%
Pacific Islander (NH)3750.13%
Other/Mixed (NH)19,8766.65%
Hispanic or Latino 14,3924.81%

Emergency services

Republic and Springfield have city fire departments. Additionally, the county is served by the following fire districts:

Law enforcement is provided by the Greene County Sheriffs Office. The current sheriff is Jim C. Arnott. [12]

Government and politics

Political culture

Like most counties situated in Southwest Missouri, Greene County has long been a Republican stronghold. In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump carried Greene County by a margin of 60% to 33%. [13] It is exceptionally Republican for an urban and suburban county. [14]

The last Democratic presidential nominee to win Greene County was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.

In 2004, state residents voted on a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman. This passed Greene County with 72.04 percent of the vote. The initiative passed the state with 71 percent of support from voters; Missouri became the first state to ban same-sex marriage.[ citation needed ] In 2006, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to fund and legalize embryonic stem cell research in the state—it narrowly failed in Greene County with 51.62 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 Greene County's longstanding tradition of supporting socially conservative platforms, voters in the county have a penchant for advancing populist causes, such as 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 Greene County with 74.41 percent of the vote. The proposition strongly passed every single county in Missouri, with 78.99 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.[ citation needed ] In 2020, Greene County was one of only eight counties in Missouri and the only one outside St. Louis, Kansas City, and Columbia to vote yes on Amendment 2 to expand Medicaid. Its voters recognized they could be helped by such expansion; the measure passed Greene County with 52.3 percent of the vote and statewide with 53.3 percent. [15]

Republicans hold all county-level elected offices. However, the county has been known to support Democrats in statewide races. Mel Carnahan carried the county in both of his runs for governor, as did Jay Nixon. In 2000, Bob Holden's victory in the county provided the margin that allowed him to defeat Jim Talent statewide.

Local

The Republican Party predominantly controls politics at the local level in Greene County.

Greene County, Missouri
Elected countywide officials
Assessor Brent Johnson Republican
Auditor Cindy Stein Republican
Circuit Clerk Bryan Feemster Republican
County Clerk Shane Schoeller Republican
Collector Allen Icet Republican
Commissioner
(Presiding)		 Bob Dixon Republican
Commissioner
(District 1)		 Rusty MacLachlan Republican
Commissioner
(District 2)		 John Russell Republican
Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson Republican
Public Administrator Sherri Martin Republican
Recorder Cheryl Dawson-Spaulding Republican
Sheriff Jim Arnott Republican
Treasurer Justin Hill Republican

State

Gubernatorial

Past gubernatorial election results
Year Republican Democratic Third Parties
2020 59.72%84,58237.79% 53,5192.49% 3,523
2016 56.77%73,60137.76% 51,2013.72% 4,841
2012 47.62% 59,66049.46%61,9702.92% 3,659
2008 42.84% 57,56554.45%73,1642.71% 3,641
2004 61.45%76,64537.25% 46,4701.30% 1,621
2000 53.57%54,77044.61% 45,6121.82% 1,861
1996 51.63%49,99145.08% 43,6463.29% 3,189

Missouri House of Representatives

Greene County is divided into eight legislative districts in the Missouri House of Representatives; six of which are held by Republicans and two Democratic seats. [16]

  • District 130 — Bishop Davidson (R-Springfield). The district includes the northern part the city of Springfield and rural area of north-central Greene County.
Missouri House of Representatives — District 130 — Greene County (2020) [17]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Bishop Davidson15,60976.83%+5.61
Democratic Dave Gragg4,66522.96%−5.75
  • District 131 — Bill Owen (R-Springfield). The district includes the northern part the city of Springfield and rural area of north-central Greene County.
Missouri House of Representatives — District 131 — Greene County (2020) [17]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Bill Owen10,82765.64%−1.59
Democratic Allison Schoolcraft5,64234.21%+1.63
Missouri House of Representatives — District 132 — Greene County (2020) [17]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Democratic Crystal Quade6,28959.17%−5.0
Republican Sara Semple4,32040.64%+5.09
  • District 133 — Curtis Trent (R-Springfield). The district includes Battlefield and a part of the city of Springfield.
Missouri House of Representatives — District 133 — Greene County (2020) [17]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Curtis D. Trent13,03764.94%+.67
Democratic Cindy Slimp7,00534.90%−.69
Missouri House of Representatives — District 134 — Greene County (2020) [17]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Alex Riley10,46955.72%1.17
Democratic Derrick Nowlin8,29144.13%+1.15
Missouri House of Representatives — District 135 — Greene County (2020) [17]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Democratic Betsy Fogle 8,55548.20%+1.17
Republican Steve Helms8,47647.75%−4.91
Green Vicke Kepling6963.92%+3.92
  • District 136 — Craig Fishel (R-Springfield). The district includes parts of the city of Springfield and some rural area southeast of the city.
Missouri House of Representatives — District 136 — Greene County (2020) [17]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Craig Fishel13,73958.53%+1.39
Democratic Jeff Munzinger9,70941.36%−1.39
  • District 137 — John Black (R-Marshfield). The district includes the communities of Fair Grove, Rogersville, and Strafford, as well as a large portion of Webster County.
Missouri House of Representatives — District 137 — Greene County (2020) [18]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican John Black9,30776.70%+29.12
Democratic Raymond Lampert2,81723.22%−2.13
Libertarian Bill Boone2554.60%−14.97

Missouri Senate

Greene County is divided into two districts in the Missouri Senate, both of which represented by Republicans: District 20, representing large parts of Greene and Christian County, and District 30, representing mostly the city of Springfield. [19]

[20]

Missouri Senate – District 20 – Greene County (2018)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Eric Burlison35,41172.95%N/A
Democratic Jim Billedo13,09826.96%N/A

[20]

Missouri Senate – District 30 – Greene County (2018)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Lincoln Hough34,98753.16%N/A
Democratic Charlie Norr30,69046.63%N/A

Federal

US Senate

U.S. Senate — Missouri — Greene County (2016) [17]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Roy Blunt72,99356.22%+11.79
Democratic Jason Kander50,96739.26%−8.92
Libertarian Jonathan Dine3,6262.79%−4.60
Green Johnathan McFarland1,2560.97%+0.97
Constitution Fred Ryman9780.75%+0.75
Write-In Write-ins70.01%+0.01
U.S. Senate — Missouri — Greene County (2012) [21]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Todd Akin 55,30444.43%
Democratic Claire McCaskill59,97948.18%
Libertarian Jonathan Dine9,1977.39%

US House of Representatives

All of Greene County is included in Missouri's 7th Congressional District and is currently represented by Billy Long (R-Springfield) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

U.S. House of Representatives — Missouri's 7th Congressional District — Greene County (2016) [17]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Billy Long74,87658.57%+4.75
Democratic Genevieve Williams45,38235.50%−2.19
Libertarian Benjamin T. Brixey7,5805.93%−2.56
U.S. House of Representatives — Missouri's 7th Congressional District — Greene County (2014) [18]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Billy Long33,73853.82%−3.08
Democratic Jim Evans23,62437.69%+0.14
Libertarian Kevin Craig5,3238.49%+2.94
U.S. House of Representatives — Missouri's 7th Congressional District — Greene County (2012) [21]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Billy Long70,21256.90%
Democratic Jim Evans46,33137.55%
Libertarian Kevin Craig6,8505.55%

Presidential

United States presidential election results for Greene County, Missouri [22]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No. %No. %No. %
2024 85,95659.33%55,97138.63%2,9492.04%
2020 83,63058.78%55,06838.71%3,5742.51%
2016 78,03559.79%42,72832.74%9,7607.48%
2012 76,90060.83%46,21936.56%3,3002.61%
2008 77,68357.06%56,18141.26%2,2831.68%
2004 77,88562.18%46,65737.25%7240.58%
2000 59,17857.50%41,09139.92%2,6572.58%
1996 48,19349.60%39,30040.45%9,6719.95%
1992 46,45743.95%41,13738.91%18,11917.14%
1988 52,21159.36%35,47540.33%2670.30%
1984 57,25067.18%27,96532.82%00.00%
1980 43,11655.69%30,49839.39%3,8114.92%
1976 37,69152.20%33,82446.84%6900.96%
1972 48,34870.58%20,15529.42%00.00%
1968 32,63855.27%19,65933.29%6,75111.43%
1964 23,98944.33%30,13055.67%00.00%
1960 36,94364.36%20,45735.64%00.00%
1956 29,94459.71%20,20640.29%00.00%
1952 29,67360.57%19,23439.26%810.17%
1948 18,83647.49%20,76252.34%660.17%
1944 21,53155.37%17,28744.46%680.17%
1940 21,45649.10%22,13050.65%1090.25%
1936 17,29844.46%21,48955.23%1190.31%
1932 13,94342.52%18,25555.67%5961.82%
1928 22,16666.86%10,90132.88%840.25%
1924 13,61845.74%13,08443.95%3,06910.31%
1920 15,75556.02%11,51440.94%8573.05%
1916 7,54348.95%7,19146.66%6764.39%
1912 4,35034.63%5,08940.52%3,12124.85%
1908 6,43949.81%5,83045.10%6595.10%
1904 6,57054.98%4,54037.99%8397.02%
1900 6,00950.65%5,51946.52%3362.83%
1896 5,80847.58%6,32751.83%720.59%
1892 4,83945.81%4,05138.35%1,67315.84%
1888 4,93450.68%3,98440.92%8188.40%

Missouri presidential preference primary (2008)

Voters in Greene County from both political parties supported candidates who finished in second place in the state at large and nationally. During the 2008 presidential primary, U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York) received more votes, a total of 18,322, in Greene County than any other candidate from either party.

Education

School districts include: [23]

Public schools

Private schools

Alternative/other schools

Colleges and universities

Public libraries

Transportation

Major highways

Transit

Airports

Communities

Cities and towns

Unincorporated communities

Notable people

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ↑ Eaton, David Wolfe (1916). How Missouri Counties, Towns and Streams Were Named. The State Historical Society of Missouri. pp.  170.
  4. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021" . Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  6. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  9. ↑ "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 November 15, 2014.
  10. ↑ IT, Missouri Secretary of State -. "Registered Voters in Missouri". www.sos.mo.gov. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  11. ↑ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Greene County, Missouri".
  12. ↑ "Sheriff".
  13. ↑ "Elections 2016 - USA TODAY Network". USA TODAY. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  14. ↑ "2. Voting patterns in the 2022 elections". July 12, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Live Results: Missouri Medicaid Expansion Amendment". The New York Times. August 11, 2020. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  16. ↑ "County Clerk". greenecountymo.gov. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Summary Report for November 8, 2016". Greene County Clerk. November 11, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  18. 1 2 "County Results, State of Missouri - General Election - November 4, 2014" . Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  19. ↑ "County Clerk". greenecountymo.gov. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  20. 1 2 "County Clerk".
  21. 1 2 "County Results, State of Missouri - General Election - November 6, 2012" . Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  22. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  23. ↑ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Greene County, MO" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved December 16, 2024. - Text list
  24. ↑ Breeding, Marshall. "Springfield-Greene County Library". Libraries.org. Retrieved May 8, 2017.

37°16′N93°20′W / 37.26°N 93.34°W / 37.26; -93.34

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