Iron County, Missouri

{{short description|County in Missouri, United States}} {{Use American English|date=June 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}} {{Infobox U.S. county | county = Iron County | state = Missouri | seal = | founded year = 1857 | founded date = February 17 | seat wl = Ironton | largest city wl = Ironton | area_total_sq_mi = 552 | area_land_sq_mi = 550 | area_water_sq_mi = 1.8 | area percentage = 0.3 | population_as_of = 2020 | population_total = 9537 | pop_est_as_of = 2025 | population_est = 9318 {{decrease}} | population_density_sq_mi = auto | time zone = Central | footnotes = | named for = [[Iron ore]] | ex image = Iron County MO courthouse-20140524-114 v2.jpg | ex image cap = County courthouse in Ironton | district = 8th |website=https://ironcountymo.gov/}}

'''Iron County''' is a [[County (United States)|county]] located in the [[Lead Belt|Lead Belt region]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Missouri]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population was 9,537.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0500000US29093|access-date=December 30, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref> The largest city and [[county seat]] is [[Ironton, Missouri|Ironton]].<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=June 7, 2011 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=May 31, 2011 }}</ref> Iron County was officially organized on February 17, 1857, and was named after the abundance of [[iron ore]] found within its borders.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_RfAuAAAAYAAJ | title=How Missouri Counties, Towns and Streams Were Named | publisher=The State Historical Society of Missouri | author=Eaton, David Wolfe | year=1916 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_RfAuAAAAYAAJ/page/n73 176]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n165 166]}}</ref>

Iron County includes the {{convert|6|mi|km|adj=on}}-long, {{convert|2|mi|km|adj=on}}-wide [[Arcadia Valley]], the site of [[Pilot Knob, Missouri|Pilot Knob]], [[Ironton, Missouri|Ironton]], and [[Arcadia, Missouri|Arcadia]], communities established by immigrants in the 19th Century.<ref>[http://web.mst.edu/~whmcinfo/shelf7/r156/info.html “The Arcadia Country” ca. 1920] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201144826/http://web.mst.edu/~whmcinfo/shelf7/r156/info.html |date=December 1, 2008 }} from the Western Historical Manuscript Collection of [[Missouri University of Science and Technology|Missouri S&T]]</ref> The valley is surrounded by the [[Saint Francois Mountains]] of [[The Ozarks|the Ozarks Plateau]]. Iron County is also home to dozens of mountains,<ref>[http://www.topozone.com/states/Missouri.asp?county=Iron&feature=Summit Summits of Iron County] from [[TopoZone]]</ref> including the {{convert|1772|ft|m|adj=on}} [[Taum Sauk Mountain]], the [[List of U.S. states by elevation|highest point in Missouri]].

The county is home to a number of state parks and historical sites including [[Taum Sauk Mountain State Park]], [[Elephant Rocks State Park]] and [[Fort Davidson State Historic Site]] as well as {{convert|96047|acre|km2|sigfig=2}} of [[Mark Twain National Forest]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.fs.fed.us/land/staff/lar/2007/TABLE_6d.htm#TABLE_6_bm31| title=Acreage by State, Congressional District and County Report| date=October 10, 2007| access-date=November 18, 2008| publisher=[[United States Forest Service|U.S. Forest Service]]}}</ref>

==Geography== According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|552|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|550|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|1.8|sqmi}} (0.3%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_29.txt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021170230/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_29.txt |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 21, 2013 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=November 16, 2014 |date=August 22, 2012 |title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files }}</ref>

===Adjacent counties=== *[[Washington County, Missouri|Washington County]] (north) *[[St. Francois County, Missouri|St. Francois County]] (northeast) *[[Madison County, Missouri|Madison County]] (east) *[[Wayne County, Missouri|Wayne County]] (southeast) *[[Reynolds County, Missouri|Reynolds County]] (southwest) *[[Dent County, Missouri|Dent County]] (west) *[[Crawford County, Missouri|Crawford County]] (northwest)

===National protected areas=== *[[Mark Twain National Forest]] (part) *[[Pilot Knob National Wildlife Refuge]]

==Demographics== {{US Census population |1860= 5842 |1870= 6278 |1880= 8183 |1890= 9119 |1900= 8716 |1910= 8563 |1920= 9458 |1930= 9642 |1940= 10440 |1950= 9458 |1960= 8041 |1970= 9529 |1980= 11084 |1990= 10726 |2000= 10697 |2010= 10630 |2020= 9537 |estyear=2025 |estimate=9318 |estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2025">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html|title=County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2025|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 12, 2026}}</ref> {{decrease}} |align-fn=center |footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=November 16, 2014}}</ref> 1790-1960<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=November 16, 2014}}</ref> 1900-1990<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/mo190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=November 16, 2014}}</ref> 1990-2000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327165705/http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-date=March 27, 2010 |url-status=live|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=November 16, 2014}}</ref> 2010-2015<ref name="QF">{{cite web|title=State & County QuickFacts|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/29/29093.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=September 9, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607042001/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/29/29093.html|archive-date=June 7, 2011}}</ref> 2020<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0500000US29093 | title=Explore Census Data }}</ref> | align = right }}

===2020 census===

As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the county had a population of 9,537. The median age was 45.9 years, 21.0% of residents were under the age of 18, and 22.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.3 males age 18 and over.<ref name="Census2020DP">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/dp?get=NAME,DP1_0021P,DP1_0024P,DP1_0025C,DP1_0049C,DP1_0045C,DP1_0069C,DP1_0073C,DP1_0125P,DP1_0126P,DP1_0129P,DP1_0138P,DP1_0139P,DP1_0141P,DP1_0142P,DP1_0143P,DP1_0145P,DP1_0146P,DP1_0147C,DP1_0148C,DP1_0149C,DP1_0156C,DP1_0157C,DP1_0158C,DP1_0159P,DP1_0160P&for=county%3A093&in=state%3A29|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2021|access-date=December 17, 2025|df=mdy}}</ref>

The racial makeup of the county was 91.1% White, 1.5% [[African Americans|Black or African American]], 0.7% [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian and Alaska Native]], 0.4% [[Asian Americans|Asian]], 0.0% [[Native Hawaiians|Native Hawaiian]] and [[Pacific Islander|Pacific Islander]], 0.1% from some other race, and 6.1% from [[Multiracial Americans|two or more races]]. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] residents of any race comprised 1.9% of the population.<ref name="Census2020PL">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=NAME,P1_001N,P1_003N,P1_004N,P1_005N,P1_006N,P1_007N,P1_008N,P1_009N,P2_001N,P2_002N,H1_001N,H1_002N&for=county%3A093&in=state%3A29|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2021|access-date=December 17, 2025|df=mdy}}</ref>

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.<ref name="Census2020DHC">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/dhc?get=NAME,P2_002N,P2_003N&for=county%3A093&in=state%3A29|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2023|access-date=December 17, 2025|df=mdy}}</ref>

There were 3,892 households in the county, of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 25.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.<ref name="Census2020DP"/>

There were 4,688 housing units, of which 17.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 72.9% were owner-occupied and 27.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.1%.<ref name="Census2020DP"/>

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;" |+'''Iron County, Missouri – Racial and ethnic composition''' {{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}} !Race / Ethnicity (''NH = Non-Hispanic'') !Pop 1980<ref name=1980Census>{{Cite web|title=1980 Census of Population - General Social and Economic Characteristics - Missouri- Table 16 - Persons by Spanish Origin, Race, and Sex: 1980 |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1980/volume-1/missouri/1980a_moabc-02.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|page=20-25}}</ref> !Pop 1990<ref>{{Cite web |title=1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Missouri: Table 5 - Race and Hispanic Origin |website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1990/cp-1/cp-1-27.pdf|access-date=|page=13-63}}</ref> !Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Iron County, Missouri|url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=050XX00US29093&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|website=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date= }}</ref> !Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Iron County, Missouri|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=050XX00US29093&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date= }}</ref> !style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Iron County, Missouri|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=050XX00US29093&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date= }}</ref> !% 1980 !% 1990 !% 2000 !% 2010 !style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020 |- |[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH) |10,911 |10,601 |10,314 |10,162 |style='background: #ffffe6; |8,602 |98.44% |98.83% |96.42% |95.60% |style='background: #ffffe6; |90.20% |- |[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH) |44 |49 |163 |131 |style='background: #ffffe6; |136 |0.40% |0.46% |1.52% |1.23% |style='background: #ffffe6; |1.43% |- |[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH) |26 |14 |35 |51 |style='background: #ffffe6; |60 |0.23% |0.13% |0.33% |0.48% |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.63% |- |[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH) |23 |12 |10 |11 |style='background: #ffffe6; |34 |0.21% |0.11% |0.09% |0.10% |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.36% |- |[[Native Hawaiian]] or [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH) |x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census</ref> |x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census</ref> |0 |0 |style='background: #ffffe6; |2 |x |x |0.00% |0.00% |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.02% |- |[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other race]] alone (NH) |6 |6 |2 |2 |style='background: #ffffe6; |4 |0.05% |0.06% |0.02% |0.02% |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.04% |- |[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or Multiracial]] (NH) |x <ref>not an option in the 1980 Census</ref> |x <ref>not an option in the 1990 Census</ref> |111 |140 |style='background: #ffffe6; |522 |x |x |1.04% |1.32% |style='background: #ffffe6; |5.47% |- |[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race) |74 |44 |62 |133 |style='background: #ffffe6; |177 |0.67% |0.41% |0.58% |1.25% |style='background: #ffffe6; |1.86% |- |'''Total''' |'''11,084''' |'''10,726''' |'''10,697''' |'''10,630''' |style='background: #ffffe6; |'''9,537 ''' |'''100.00%''' |'''100.00%''' |'''100.00%''' |'''100.00%''' |style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%''' |}

===2000 census===

As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 10,697 people, 4,197 households, and 2,963 families residing in the county. The [[population density]] was {{convert|7|/km2|/mi2|abbr=on}}. There were 4,907 housing units at an average density of {{convert|3|/km2|/mi2|abbr=on}}. The racial makeup of the county was 96.74% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.56% [[Black (U.S. Census)|Black]] or [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.34% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.09% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.22% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.05% from two or more races. Approximately 0.58% of the population were [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race.

There were 4,197 households, out of which 32.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.80% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 9.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.40% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.00% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 25.30% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 17.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,276, and the median income for a family was $38,037. Males had a median income of $28,603 versus $16,615 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the county was $16,717. About 13.80% of families and 19.00% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 27.60% of those under age 18 and 13.20% of those age 65 or over.

===Religion=== According to the Association of Religion Data Archives County Membership Report (2000), Iron County is a part of the [[Bible Belt]] with evangelical Protestantism being the majority religion. The most predominant denominations among residents in Iron County who adhere to a religion are [[Southern Baptist Convention|Southern Baptists]] (56.62%), [[United Methodist Church|Methodists]] (10.60%), and [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholics]] (7.82%). ==Politics==

===Local=== Control is evenly split at the local level in Iron County. Democrats hold 7 of the 14 positions in the county, while Republicans control the other 7.

{{Missouri county elected officials | name =Iron County, Missouri | assessor =David L. Huff | assessorparty =Democratic | circuitclerk =Sammye (Gail) White | circuitclerkparty =Democratic | countyclerk =Stephanie Lebron | countyclerkparty =Republican | presiding =Jim Scaggs | presidingparty =Democratic | district1 =Ben Young | district1party =Republican | district2 =Ronnie Chandler | district2party =Republican | collector =Crystal Price | collectorparty =Republican | coroner =Tim Harbison | coronerparty =Republican | prosecutor =Brian Parker | prosecutorparty =Democratic | administrator =Lisa Light | administratorparty=Republican | recorder =Karen K. Reagan | recorderparty =Democratic | sheriff =Jeff Burkett | sheriffparty =Republican | surveyor =Mark Nations | surveyorparty =Democratic | treasurer =Carol Hardy | treasurerparty =Democratic }}

===State=== In the [[Missouri House of Representatives]], all of Iron County is a part of Missouri's 144th District and is currently represented by [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [http://house.mo.gov/member.aspx?year=2013&district=144 Paul Fitzwater] of [[Potosi, Missouri|Potosi]]. Fitzwater was elected in 2016 to his fourth and final term in the Missouri House.

In the [[Missouri Senate]], all of Iron County is a part of Missouri's 3rd District and is currently represented by [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [http://www.senate.mo.gov/13info/members/mem03.htm Gary Romine] of [[Farmington, Missouri|Farmington]]. Romine defeated former [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] [[Missouri House of Representatives|State Representative]] [http://www.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills081/member/mem104.htm Joseph Fallert, Jr.] of [[Ste. Genevieve, Missouri|Ste. Genevieve]] in 2012 with 53.84 percent of the vote in the district, which includes most of the Missouri Lead Belt region. The seat was vacated by former [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[Missouri Senate|State Senator]] [http://www.senate.mo.gov/12info/members/mem03.htm Kevin Engler] of [[Farmington, Missouri|Farmington]]. Engler successfully served two terms/eight years in the Missouri Senate and was ineligible to seek a third term due to term limits.

{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; font-size:95%;" |+ Past gubernatorial elections results |- bgcolor=lightgrey ! Year ! [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] ! [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] ! [[Third Party (United States)|Third Parties]] |- |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[2024 Missouri gubernatorial election|2024]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''77.30%''' ''3,399'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|19.35% ''851'' |align="center" |3.24% ''147'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[2020 Missouri gubernatorial election|2020]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''72.08%''' ''3,266'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|24.39% ''1,105'' |align="center" |3.53% ''160'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[Missouri gubernatorial election, 2016|2016]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''60.76%''' ''2,600'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|34.99% ''1,497'' |align="center" |4.25% ''182'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|[[Missouri gubernatorial election, 2012|2012]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|39.87% ''1,596'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''56.91%''' ''2,278'' |align="center" |3.22% ''129'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|[[Missouri gubernatorial election, 2008|2008]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|33.45% ''1,483'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''64.14%''' ''2,844'' |align="center" |2.41% ''107'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[Missouri gubernatorial election, 2004|2004]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''50.62%''' ''2,359'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|47.53% ''2,215'' |align="center" |2.85% ''86'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|2000 |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|45.42% ''2,002'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''51.23%''' ''2,258'' |align="center" |3.35% ''148'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|1996 |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|35.54% ''1,470'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''62.60%''' ''2,589'' |align="center" |1.86% ''77'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|1992 |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|37.07% ''1,653'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''62.93%''' ''2,806'' |align="center" |0.00% ''0'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|1988 |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''55.65%''' ''2,290'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|44.16% ''1,817'' |align="center" |0.19% ''8'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|1984 |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''50.01%''' ''2,127'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|49.99% ''2,126'' |align="center" |0.00% ''0'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|1980 |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''51.18%''' ''2,322'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|48.62% ''2,206'' |align="center" |0.20% ''9'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|1976 |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|46.76% ''2,043'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''52.99%''' ''2,315'' |align="center" |0.25% ''11'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|1972 |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''51.80%''' ''1,840'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|48.86% ''1,760'' |align="center" |0.06% ''2'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|1968 |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|33.82% ''1,246'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''66.18%''' ''2,438'' |align="center" |0.00% ''0'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|1964 |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|28.59% ''1,066'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''71.41%''' ''2,662'' |align="center" |0.00% ''0'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|1960 |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|38.41% ''1,465'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''61.59%''' ''2,349'' |align="center" |0.00% ''0'' |}

===Federal=== Missouri's two [[U.S. senator]]s are [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]] [[Josh Hawley]] and [[Eric Schmitt]].

Hawley was [[United States Senate election in Missouri, 2018|elected to his first term in 2018 with 51.4 percent of the statewide vote]] over [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] [[U.S. Senator]] [[Claire McCaskill]]; Iron County voters backed Hawley with 62.6 percent of the vote.

{{Election box begin | title=U.S. Senate - Class I - Iron County (2018)}} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = '''Josh Hawley''' |votes = '''2,236''' |percentage = '''62.6''' |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Claire McCaskill |votes = 1,231 |percentage = 34.4 |change = }} {{Election box end}}

Roy Blunt was [[2016 United States Senate election in Missouri|re-elected in 2016 with 49.3 percent of the statewide vote]] over [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] [[Missouri Secretary of State]] [[Jason Kander]], [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian]] Jonathan Dine of [[Riverside, Missouri|Riverside]], [[Constitution Party (United States)|Constitutionalist]] Fred Ryman, and [[Green Party (United States)|Green Party]] candidate Johnathan McFarland; Iron County voters supported Blunt with over 55 percent of the vote.

{{Election box begin | title=U.S. Senate - Class III - Iron County (2016)}} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = '''Roy Blunt''' |votes = '''2,329''' |percentage = '''55.10''' |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Jason Kander |votes = 1,671 |percentage = 39.53 |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Libertarian Party (United States) |candidate = Jonathan Dine |votes = 102 |percentage = 2.41 |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Green Party (United States) |candidate = Johnathan McFarland |votes = 79 |percentage = 1.87 |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Constitution Party (United States) |candidate = Fred Ryman |votes = 46 |percentage = 1.09 |change = }}

All of Iron County is included in [[MO-08|Missouri's 8th Congressional District]] and is currently represented by [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[Jason T. Smith]] of [[Salem, Missouri|Salem]] in the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]]. Smith won a special election on Tuesday, June 4, 2013, to complete the remaining term of former [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[U.S. Representative]] [[Jo Ann Emerson]] of [[Cape Girardeau, Missouri|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.

{{Election box begin | title=U.S. House of Representatives - District 8 – Iron County (2012)}} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = '''Jo Ann Emerson''' |votes = '''2,741''' |percentage = '''69.01''' |change = +15.84 }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Jack Rushin |votes = 1,113 |percentage = 28.02 |change = -13.51 }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Libertarian Party (United States) |candidate = Rick Vandeven |votes = 118 |percentage = 2.97 |change = +0.19 }} {{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin | title=U.S. House of Representatives - District 8 - Special Election – Iron County (2013)}} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = '''Jason T. Smith''' |votes = '''409''' |percentage = '''52.44''' |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Steve Hodges |votes = 229 |percentage = 43.46 |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Constitution Party (United States) |candidate = Doug Enyart |votes = 20 |percentage = 2.56 |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Libertarian Party (United States) |candidate = Bill Slantz |votes = 6 |percentage = 0.77 |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Write-in candidate |candidate = Thomas Brown |votes = 6 |percentage = 0.77 |change = }} {{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin | title=U.S. House of Representatives - District 8 – Iron County (2020)<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.desmoinesregister.com/elections/results/race/2020-11-03-house-MO-26035/ | title=Missouri U.S. House - District 8 Election Results | des Moines Register | website=[[The Des Moines Register]] }}</ref>}} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = '''Jason T. Smith''' |votes = 3,358 |percentage = 75.9 |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Kathy Ellis |votes = 985 |percentage = 22.3 |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Libertarian Party (United States) |candidate = Tom Schmitz |votes = 82 |percentage = 1.9 |change = }} {{Election box end}}

====Political culture==== {{PresHead|place=Iron County, Missouri|source=<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=March 25, 2018}}</ref>}}  {{PresRow|1888|Democratic|662|1,004|102|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1892|Democratic|568|880|18|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1896|Democratic|607|1,016|7|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1900|Democratic|642|932|23|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1904|Democratic|670|861|30|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1908|Democratic|828|931|18|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1912|Democratic|666|845|145|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1916|Democratic|874|1,027|35|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1920|Democratic|1,463|1,554|54|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1924|Democratic|1,328|1,675|68|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1928|Republican|1,910|1,342|3|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1932|Democratic|1,439|2,689|44|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1936|Democratic|1,605|2,413|11|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1940|Democratic|2,062|2,495|8|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1944|Democratic|1,649|2,205|0|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1948|Democratic|1,435|2,552|7|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1952|Democratic|1,831|2,286|7|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1956|Democratic|1,810|1,970|0|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1960|Republican|2,122|1,851|0|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1964|Democratic|1,050|2,730|0|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1968|Democratic|1,600|1,755|491|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1972|Republican|2,203|1,346|0|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1976|Democratic|1,765|2,646|23|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1980|Democratic|2,205|2,226|120|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1984|Republican|2,316|2,023|0|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1988|Democratic|1,877|2,283|10|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1992|Democratic|1,276|2,507|851|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1996|Democratic|1,328|2,221|611|Missouri}} {{PresRow|2000|Republican|2,237|2,044|133|Missouri}} {{PresRow|2004|Republican|2,477|2,157|45|Missouri}} {{PresRow|2008|Democratic|2,090|2,213|111|Missouri}} {{PresRow|2012|Republican|2,252|1,669|110|Missouri}} {{PresRow|2016|Republican|3,173|933|163|Missouri}} {{PresRow|2020|Republican|3,596|945|51|Missouri}} {{PresRow|2024|Republican|3,644|824|50|Missouri}} {{PresFoot}}

Historically, Iron County has been one of the most reliably [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] counties in Missouri. Located in the [[Southeast Missouri Lead District|Lead Belt]] region of the state, mining has been important to the county's economy. It was one of only three predominantly [[rural]] counties in Missouri to vote for [[Barack Obama]] in [[2008 United States presidential election|2008]] (nearby [[Washington County, Missouri|Washington]] and [[Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri|Ste. Genevieve]] counties being the other two). Like much of the rest of the state's rural areas, the county saw a rapid rightward swing starting in [[2000 United States presidential election in Missouri|2000]], when [[George W. Bush]] became the first Republican since [[1984 United States presidential election in Missouri|1984]] (and the second since [[1972 United States presidential election in Missouri|1972]]) to carry it, after [[Bill Clinton]] had carried it in [[1996 United States presidential election in Missouri|1996]] by over twenty points. Apart from the interruption in 2008, the Republican vote share has, as of [[2024 United States presidential election in Missouri|2024]], grown in every subsequent election. At the local and state levels, however, Iron County still remains quite Democratic. At the same time [[Mitt Romney|Romney]] won Iron County by 15 points in 2012, all [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] statewide candidates [[Jay Nixon]] ([[Governor of Missouri|Governor]]), [[Claire McCaskill]] ([[U.S. Senator]]), [[Jason Kander]] ([[Missouri Secretary of State|Secretary of State]]), [[Chris Koster]] ([[Attorney General of Missouri|Attorney General]]), and [[Clint Zweifel]] ([[State Treasurer of Missouri|State Treasurer]]) carried Iron County by healthy margins; [[Peter Kinder]] ([[Lieutenant Governor of Missouri|Lieutenant Governor]]) was the only other statewide Republican to win Iron County alongside Romney, and even then, the margin of victory was smaller than in most other rural counties.

Like most rural areas throughout Southeast Missouri, voters in Iron County generally adhere to socially and culturally [[Conservatism|conservative]] principles but are more moderate or [[Populism|populist]] on economic issues. In 2004, Missourians voted on [[Missouri Constitutional Amendment 2 (2004)|a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman]]—it overwhelmingly passed Iron County with 80.90 percent of the vote. The initiative passed the state with 71 percent of support from voters as Missouri became the first state to ban [[same-sex marriage]]. In 2006, Missourians voted on [[Missouri Constitutional Amendment 2 (2006)|a constitutional amendment to fund and legalize embryonic stem cell research in the state]]—it failed in Iron County with 56.03 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|embryonic stem cell research]]. Despite Iron County's longstanding tradition of supporting socially conservative platforms, voters in the county have a penchant for advancing [[Populism|populist]] causes like 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 Iron County with 78.25 percent of the vote. The proposition strongly passed every single county in Missouri with 75.94 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.

===Missouri presidential preference primary (2008)=== {{main|2008 Missouri Democratic presidential primary|2008 Missouri Republican presidential primary}} In the 2008 Missouri Presidential Preference Primary, voters in Iron County from both political parties supported candidates who finished in second place in the state at large and nationally. Former [[U.S. Senator]] [[Hillary Clinton]] (D-[[New York (state)|New York]]) received more votes, a total of 1,180, than any candidate from either party in Iron County during the 2008 Missouri Presidential Primaries. She also received more votes altogether than the total number of votes cast in the entire Republican Primary in Iron County.

==Education== Of adults 25 years of age and older in Iron County, 65.2% possesses a [[High School Diploma (United States)|high school diploma]] or higher while 8.4% holds a [[bachelor's degree]] or higher as their highest educational attainment.

===Public schools=== *[[Arcadia Valley School District]] - [[Ironton, Missouri|Ironton]] **Arcadia Valley Elementary School (PK-04) **Arcadia Valley Middle School (05-08) **Arcadia Valley High School (09-12) *Belleview R-III Elementary School - [[Belleview, Missouri|Belleview]] - (K-08) *[http://www.ironc4.k12.mo.us/ Iron County C-4 School District] - [[Viburnum, Missouri|Viburnum]] **Viburnum Elementary School (K-06) **Viburnum High School (07-12) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090121040857/http://www.schoolweb.missouri.edu/southiron.k12.mo.us/ South Iron County R-I School District] - [[Annapolis, Missouri|Annapolis]] **South Iron County Elementary School (PK-06) **South Iron County High School (07-12)

===Vocational/technical schools=== *Arcadia Valley Career Technical Center - [[Ironton, Missouri|Ironton]] - (09-12)

===Public libraries=== * Ozark Regional Library<ref>{{cite web | last = Breeding | first = Marshall | title = Ozark Regional Library | publisher = Libraries.org | url = https://librarytechnology.org/library/20288 | access-date = May 8, 2017}}</ref>

==Transportation==

===Railroads=== *The [[St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway|Iron Mountain Railroad]],<ref>[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llhb&fileName=040/llhb040.db&recNum=4796 H.R. 1424], an [[Act of Congress]] dated July 13, 1868, from the [[American Memory]] website</ref> later incorporated into [[Union Pacific Railroad|Union Pacific]], runs through [[Arcadia Valley]]. The [[Arcadia Valley station|train station]] in Arcadia serves [[Amtrak]]'s ''[[Texas Eagle]]''.

==Communities== ===Cities and Towns===

===Unincorporated communities=== {{Div col|colwidth=10em|rules=yes}} * [[Banner, Missouri|Banner]] * [[Belleview, Missouri|Belleview]] * [[Bixby, Missouri|Bixby]] * [[Chloride, Missouri|Chloride]] * [[Ghermanville, Missouri|Ghermanville]] * [[Glover, Missouri|Glover]] * [[Good Water, Missouri|Good Water]] * [[Goodland, Iron County, Missouri|Goodland]] * [[Graniteville, Missouri|Graniteville]] * [[Hogan, Missouri|Hogan]] * [[Middlebrook, Missouri|Middlebrook]] * [[Minimum, Missouri|Minimum]] * [[Pin Hook, Iron County, Missouri|Pin Hook]] * [[Redmondville, Missouri|Redmondville]] * [[Sabula, Missouri|Sabula]] * [[Vulcan, Missouri|Vulcan]] {{div col end}}

==See also== *[[National Register of Historic Places listings in Iron County, Missouri]]

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20081013004207/http://web.mst.edu/~whmcinfo/counties/iron Iron County] from the Western Historical Manuscript Collection of [[Missouri University of Science and Technology]] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20110618204032/http://cdm.sos.mo.gov/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=%2Fmoplatbooks&CISOPTR=1018&REC=6 Plat book of Iron County] from the Missouri Digital Heritage website of the [[Missouri Secretary of State]] *[http://www.icsomo.org/ Iron County Sheriff's Office] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807040103/http://www.icsomo.org/ |date=August 7, 2016 }}

{{Geographic Location |Centre = Iron County, Missouri |North = [[Washington County, Missouri|Washington County]] |Northeast = [[St. Francois County, Missouri|St. Francois County]] |East = [[Madison County, Missouri|Madison County]] |Southeast = [[Wayne County, Missouri|Wayne County]] |South = |Southwest = [[Reynolds County, Missouri|Reynolds County]] |West = [[Dent County, Missouri|Dent County]] |Northwest = [[Crawford County, Missouri|Crawford County]] }}

{{coord|37.55|-90.76|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-MO_source:UScensus1990}}

[[Category:Iron County, Missouri| ]] [[Category:1857 establishments in Missouri]] [[Category:Populated places established in 1857]]