Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,317, settled in 1852. 2 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Missouri town.
Butler grades D overall, 218th of 247 graded towns in Missouri, mostly because of health and incomes. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 98% of the country. The median household income is $42K, and 25% of residents live below the poverty line. In its favor, homes are within reach, about $172K for a typical one, or 2.1 years of the Kansas City metro’s $83K median household income. Butler’s violent crime rate is 7.7 per 1,000 residents, where Missouri’s towns sit at 2.2 and U.S. towns at 1.6. On hazard risk, just 18 of Missouri’s 419 towns do better. Butler's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 96% of U.S. towns.
Where Butler beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Butler is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,064 in 1870, 4,220 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1928 and 4 maps from 1887 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Butler, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Butler.
Butler trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and trades workers with Harrisonville and other neighbors, but it has poverty well above the Missouri rate.
20% of adults report frequent physical distress in Butler. Butler beats the Missouri average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 21. 31% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Butler.
| Butler | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 30% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 22% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 12% |
| What stands out | Butler | MO |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 34.7% | 15.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 14% | 8% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 23.5% | 13.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 174 to 107 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Butler is 17.2 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Homes are within reach (about $172K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 28 miles. At 2.1 years of the Kansas City metro’s $83K median household income, the typical home (about $172K) costs less against local pay than in 88% of Missouri towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living.
The typical Butler home is worth about $172,000, up 3.4% in a year, 35% below the Missouri typical home. 59% of Butler households own their home.
| Butler | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $893 a month | $972 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1.8 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Butler Fair Grounds, at 26 acres.
| Butler | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.8% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Butler Fair Grounds | — | 26 |
| 2. South Park | — | 11 |
| 3. Jaycee Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 72% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Butler.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Butler has chilly winters and warm summers. Butler’s July high is 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Butler has about as many jobs (1,756) as working residents, but only 459 people both live and work here.
About one in 3 of Butler’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Butler has lost 175 jobs, to 1,756 in 2023. The top destinations are Harrisonville (7%), Springfield (4%) and Kansas City (3%).
| Butler | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 30% | 13% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $42,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
None within 15 miles of Butler; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Butler residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
2 places in Butler on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Butler.
City in Missouri, United States
Butler is a city in and the county seat of Bates County, Missouri, United States and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. The population was 4,220 at the 2020 census. The city is named for William Orlando Butler, an American military and political figure of the early and mid-19th century. It is located approximately 50 mi (80 km) south of Kansas City, Missouri on Interstate 49.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Butler grades D overall, better than 10% of U.S. towns and #218 of 247 in Missouri. It grades D− for health, D− for safety and B for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
10 notable people were born here, including Robert A. Heinlein and Charles O'Rear.
