Bates County, Missouri was separated from Cass County and organized in 1841. Butler is the County Seat. The present county population is 16,653. The form of county government is township organization. Bates County is in the Western District of the Missouri Court of Appeals.
The first county seat was at Harmony Mission until 1847 when the county seat was moved to nearby Papinville. The county seat was moved to Butler in 1856.
Bates County is named for Fredrick Bates, the second governor of Missouri.
The principal towns, their population, zip codes and prefixes are:
| Town | Population | Zip Code | Telephone Prefix |
| Butler | 4209 | 64730 | 679 |
| Adrian | 1780 | 64720 | 297 |
| Rich Hill | 1461 | 64779 | 395 |
| Hume | 337 | 64752 | 643 |
| Amsterdam | 281 | 64723 | 267 |
| Amorett | 211 | 64722 | 925 |
Bates County has a web site at www.batescountymissouri.com.
[27th Circuit][Bates County][Henry County][St. Clair County]