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| Howell County, Missouri | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Missouri |
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 Missouri's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | March 2, 1857 |
|---|---|
| Seat | West Plains |
| Largest City | West Plains |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
928 sq mi (2,404 km²) 927 sq mi (2,401 km²) 1.1 sq mi (3 km²), 0.1% |
| PopulationEst. - (2015) - Density |
40,117 44/sq mi (17/km²) |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Website: www.howellcounty.net | |
| Named for: Josiah Howell, pioneer settler | |
Howell County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the population was 40,400. The largest city and county seat is West Plains. The county was officially organized on March 2, 1851, and is named after Josiah Howell, a pioneer settler in the Howell Valley.
Howell County comprises the West Plains, MO Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Howell County was organized on March 2, 1857, from Oregon County, and is named for Josiah Howell, who made the first settlement in Howell Valley.
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 damaged 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.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 928 square miles (2,400 km2), of which 927 square miles (2,400 km2) is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2) (0.1%) is water. It is the third-largest county in Missouri by land area and fourth-largest by total area.
U.S. Route 60
U.S. Route 63
U.S. Route 160
Route 14
Route 17
Route 76
Route 142| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 3,169 | — | |
| 1870 | 4,218 | 33.1% | |
| 1880 | 8,814 | 109.0% | |
| 1890 | 18,618 | 111.2% | |
| 1900 | 21,834 | 17.3% | |
| 1910 | 21,065 | −3.5% | |
| 1920 | 21,102 | 0.2% | |
| 1930 | 19,672 | −6.8% | |
| 1940 | 22,270 | 13.2% | |
| 1950 | 22,725 | 2.0% | |
| 1960 | 22,027 | −3.1% | |
| 1970 | 23,521 | 6.8% | |
| 1980 | 28,807 | 22.5% | |
| 1990 | 31,447 | 9.2% | |
| 2000 | 37,238 | 18.4% | |
| 2010 | 40,400 | 8.5% | |
| Est. 2015 | 40,117 | −0.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2015 |
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As of the census of 2000, there were 37,238 people, 14,762 households, and 10,613 families residing in the county. The population density was 40 people per square mile (16/km²). There were 16,340 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile (7/km²). 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. Among the major first ancestries reported in Howell County were 28.3% American, 16.4% German, 12.2% Irish, and 12.1% English.
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 was spread out with 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.
According to the Association of Religion Data Archives County Membership Report (2000), 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 (47.70%), Churches of Christ (8.81%), and Roman Catholics (6.99%).
