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. Its county seat is Steelville. The county was organized in 1829 and is named after U.S. Senator William H. Crawford of Georgia. 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. Crawford County was established in 1829 and the County Seat of Steelville was laid out in 1836.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 744 sqmi, of which 743 sqmi is land and 1.2 sqmi (0.2%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

National protected area

Demographics

At the 2000 census, there were 22,804 people, 8,858 households and 6,351 families residing in the county. The population density was 31 /mi2. There were 10,850 housing units at an average density of 15 /mi2. 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.

2020 Census

Education

Public schools

Private schools

Public libraries

Communities

Cities and towns

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Politics

Local

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

State

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. 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. 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. 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.