Butler County is situated entirely within the Flint Hills physiographic region underlain by Lower Permian limestone and shale. Most of the area is devoted to rangeland for cattle grazing. Winter wheat and other crops are raised mainly toward the west, and cotton is grown in the southernmost portion.
Major industries are oil production and refining, and transportation.
See Bulter County landcover map . Most of the county is part of the Walnut drainage basin located on the western, relatively gentle, dip slope of the Flint Hills. The eastern edge of the county has some rugged topography on the Flint Hills escarpment, which is in the Fall and Grouse drainage basins. The modern drainage system is strongly influenced by such structural features as joints, folds, and crustal warping. Sinkholes and cave systems are present, where thick limestones are exposed on structural domes.