I have never seen anyone in America keep their butter on counter and not in the fridge. I have lived in 7 states in both coasts and upper Midwest.

Generally, I assumed if it’s in the refrigerator in grocery store (which butter is) then it goes in refrigerator at home.

You don't keep all the butter on the counter, just one stick in a butter dish at room temp so it's spreadable.

I assume that's what you're talking about. Keeping the butter dish in the fridge at all times would be pretty strange--butter is good for weeks at room temp, far longer than a single stick is likely to last.

City folk vs country folk? Wagering a guess, chilled butter won't squash during handling so manufacturers, transporters, and retailers keep it cold? I think it's odd to keep open sticks of butter in the fridge. Spreading cold butter is a pain. Ghee is seen in stores outside of refrigerated sections.

Butter starts to go off after a few weeks at room temp, which is plenty for a single stick in the butter dish at home but mildly inconvenient for shippers and retailers, or people who like to buy staple ingredients in bulk. It lasts for many months refrigerated, though.

One cube goes in the tray, the rest stays in the fridge. Otherwise making toast for breakfast would be impossible because you'd have to wait an eternity for the butter to soften, at which point you'd be late for work/school/etc.

How do you spread the butter then?

Or do you mean something else than butter?

I grew up on a farm and the first first 15 or so years of the life ordinary butter was the onlh alternative.

It had to be kept in a jar at the counter or it would become unusable.

Take out the butter you need beforehand to thaw. Or I’ve seen people microwave for 5 seconds. My family stopped using butter outside of occasional uses years ago though due to saturated fats.

Generally, I see people using the spreadable alternative to butter though.

Thin slices, then spread those.