Dunklin County, Missouri

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Template:Infobox U.S. county

Dunklin County is located in the Bootheel of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,283.[1] The largest city and county seat is Kennett.[2]

Dunklin County comprises the Kennett, MO Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

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The land comprising Dunklin County was previously inhabited by the Delaware Tribe of Indians, who had lived in the area since the early 1800s.[3] The county was officially created from Stoddard County on February 14, 1845,[4] and named in honor of Daniel Dunklin,[5] a Governor of Missouri who died the year before the county was organized.

The first courthouse, a two story log cabin, in the county was erected in 1847 by Hiram Langdon in Kennett. It burned in the mid 1860s, during or just after the American Civil War and took most of the county records with it. A second courthouse was constructed in 1872, but it also burned down soon after it was completed.[6] The county government rented a building on the south side of the court square from 1872 to 1892. In 1892, the third courthouse, a two story brick building, was constructed on the square. This building was replaced by the current courthouse in 1929, which was constructed by the Works Progress Administration.[7]

Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 547 square miles (1,420 km2), of which 541 square miles (1,400 km2) is land and 6.1 square miles (16 km2) (1.1%) is water.[8] The lowest point in the state of Missouri is located on the St. Francis River in Buffalo Township in Dunklin County, where it flows out of Missouri and into Arkansas.

Unlike most of Missouri, most of Dunklin County is in the Sun Belt, defined by the Kinder Institute as being south of 36°30'N latitude.[9]

Adjacent counties

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Demographics

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Template:US Census population

2020 census

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As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 28,283 and a median age of 40.9 years. 24.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.2 males age 18 and over.[10]

37.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 62.7% lived in rural areas.[11]

There were 11,573 households in the county, of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 32.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[10]

There were 13,409 housing units, of which 13.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 61.7% were owner-occupied and 38.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.3%.[10]

The 2020 racial and ethnic composition is detailed in the table below.[12]

2020 census

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Dunklin County, Missouri – Racial and ethnic composition
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[13] Pop 1990[14] Pop 2000[15] Pop 2010[16] Pop 2020[17] % 1980 % 1990 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 33,754 30,155 28,963 26,498 21,629 92.92% 91.07% 87.36% 82.93% 76.47%
Black or African American alone (NH) 2,275 2,624 2,873 3,081 3,176 6.26% 7.92% 8.67% 9.64% 11.23%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 36 84 97 67 70 0.10% 0.25% 0.29% 0.21% 0.25%
Asian alone (NH) 33 70 88 107 78 0.09% 0.21% 0.27% 0.33% 0.28%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) x [18] x [19] 3 7 4 x x 0.01% 0.02% 0.01%
Other race alone (NH) 14 10 7 14 65 0.04% 0.03% 0.02% 0.04% 0.23%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) x [20] x [21] 300 452 1,219 x x 0.90% 1.41% 4.31%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 212 169 824 1,727 2,042 0.58% 0.51% 2.49% 5.40% 7.22%
Total 36,324 33,112 33,155 31,953 28,283 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

2000 census

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As of the 2000 census[22] of 2000, there were 33,155 people, 13,411 households, and 9,159 families residing in the county. The population density was 61 people per square mile (24 people/km2). There were 14,682 housing units at an average density of 27 units per square mile (10/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 88.64% White, 8.68% Black or African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.03% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. Approximately 2.49% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Among the major first ancestries reported in Dunklin County were 38.8% American, 10.6% Irish, 8.2% German, and 7.5% English ancestry.

There were 13,411 households, of which 31.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.60% were married couples living together, 13.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.70% were "non-families." Of all households, 28.10% consisted of individuals and 14.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.94.

Of the county's population, 26.00% were under the age of 18, 8.10% were from 18 to 24, 26.00% were from 25 to 44, 23.50% were from 45 to 64, and 16.50% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 89.60 males. For every 100 women age 18 and over, there were 85.10 men.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,927, and the median income for a family was $38,439. Males had a median income of $27,288 versus $18,142 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,737. About 19.40% of families and 24.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.90% of those under age 18 and 21.30% of those age 65 or over. Of the state's 115 counties, in 2010 Dunklin ranked 105th in terms of poverty.[23][24]

Education

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Of adults 25 years of age and older in Dunklin County, 63.7% possess a high school diploma or higher while 9.1% hold a bachelor's degree or higher as their highest educational attainment.

School districts including sections of the county, no matter how slight, even if the relevant schools and/or administration buildings in another county:[25]

Public schools

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Private schools

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Alternative and vocational schools

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  • Bootheel State School - Clarkton - (K-12) - A school for handicapped and special need students.
  • Diagnostic Center - Kennett - (PK-12) - Special Education
  • Kennett Area Vocational School - Kennett - (09-12) - Vocational/technical

Public libraries

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  • Dunklin County Library
  • Arbyrd Community Library[26]

Colleges and universities

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Three Rivers College's service area includes Dunklin County.[27]

Transportation

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Major highways

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Airports

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Kennett Memorial Airport is a public-use airport in Dunklin County. It is located one nautical mile (1.85 km) southeast of the central business district of Kennett, which owns the airport.[28]

Health care

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The county no longer has a hospital as the Twin Rivers Regional Medical Center closed on June 11, 2018. The nearest hospital is now Pemiscot County Hospital in Hayti. The region suffers from high infant and maternal mortality rates.[29]

Media

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Radio

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FM

  • FM 89.9 KAUF Kennett
  • FM 92.9 KLSC Malden
  • LPFM 102.5 KCJS Kennett
  • FM 104.3 KXOQ Kennett
  • FM 105.5 KBOA-FM Piggott, AR-Kennett
  • FM 106.5 KTMO New Madrid-Kennett
  • FM 107.5 KFEB Campbell

AM

Print

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Television

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There are no television stations in Dunklin County, Missouri. Dunklin County, Missouri is placed in the Paducah, KY, Cape Girardeau, MO, & Harrisburg, Illinois Television Market. Those stations include:

However some residents in the south end of the county watch stations from the Memphis, TN and Jonesboro, AR Television Markets.

Politics

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Local

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Dunklin County was once a Democratic stronghold. However, like the rest of Southeast Missouri and the Bootheel in particular, the county has swung Republican. In 2020 alone, three formerly Democratic officials switched their registration to Republican, and Republicans now control every elected office.

Template:Missouri county elected officials

State

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Past Gubernatorial Elections Results
Year Republican Democratic Third Parties
2024 81.40% 8,040 16.73% 1,652 1.87% 185
2020 76.40% 7,880 22.10% 2,281 1.10% 118
2016 69.40% 7,253 28.90% 3,014 0.80% 84
2012 43.55% 4,560 54.03% 5,657 2.43% 254
2008 41.65% 4,792 56.13% 6,458 2.22% 255
2004 52.46% 6,015 46.25% 5,302 1.29% 148
2000 42.70% 4,471 56.11% 5,875 1.19% 125
1996 31.51% 3,232 66.86% 6,858 1.63% 167
1992 39.36% 4,309 60.64% 6,640 0.00% 0
1988 58.16% 5,822 41.74% 4,178 0.10% 10
1984 51.01% 5,407 48.99% 5,193 0.00% 0
1980 46.29% 5,203 53.62% 6,026 0.09% 10
1976 40.86% 4,131 59.08% 5,974 0.06% 6
1972 49.07% 4,239 50.85% 4,393 0.09% 7
1968 25.16% 2,879 74.84% 8,566 0.00% 0
1964 24.32% 2,804 75.68% 8,724 0.00% 0
1960 30.71% 3,938 69.29% 8,884 0.00% 0

In the Missouri House of Representatives, Dunklin County is divided into two legislative districts, both of which are represented by Republicans.[31]

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Federal

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Missouri's two U.S. senators are Republicans Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt.

Claire McCaskill was reelected to her second term in 2012 with 54.81 percent of the statewide vote over former Republican U.S. Representative W. Todd Akin of Town & Country and Libertarian Jonathan Dine of Riverside; Dunklin County gave McCaskill just over 50 and a half percent of the vote.

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Roy Blunt was elected to his first term in 2010 with 54.23 percent of the statewide vote over former Democratic Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, Libertarian Jonathan Dine of Riverside, and Constitutionalist Jerry Beck of Novelty; Dunklin County voters backed Blunt with just under 62 and a half percent of the vote.

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All of Dunklin County is included in Missouri's 8th Congressional District and is currently represented by Republican Jason T. Smith of Salem in the U.S. House of Representatives. Smith won a special election on Tuesday, June 4, 2013, to complete the remaining term of former Republican U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson of 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.

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Political culture

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United States presidential election results for Dunklin County, Missouri[33]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
1888 719 28.12% 1,838 71.88% 0 0.00%
1892 659 22.00% 2,167 72.33% 170 5.67%
1896 961 24.38% 2,975 75.47% 6 0.15%
1900 1,276 31.43% 2,711 66.77% 73 1.80%
1904 1,461 38.47% 2,229 58.69% 108 2.84%
1908 1,638 35.17% 2,734 58.69% 286 6.14%
1912 987 18.81% 2,723 51.89% 1,538 29.31%
1916 1,924 31.89% 3,723 61.71% 386 6.40%
1920 4,455 44.72% 5,199 52.18% 309 3.10%
1924 3,436 42.67% 4,357 54.11% 259 3.22%
1928 3,602 42.37% 4,879 57.39% 20 0.24%
1932 1,977 17.63% 9,141 81.54% 93 0.83%
1936 3,775 26.84% 10,233 72.75% 58 0.41%
1940 5,516 33.07% 11,132 66.74% 32 0.19%
1944 4,274 33.57% 8,431 66.22% 27 0.21%
1948 2,466 18.32% 10,979 81.56% 16 0.12%
1952 5,400 36.18% 9,515 63.76% 9 0.06%
1956 4,943 36.24% 8,698 63.76% 0 0.00%
1960 6,708 50.53% 6,568 49.47% 0 0.00%
1964 3,465 29.04% 8,467 70.96% 0 0.00%
1968 4,366 35.40% 5,063 41.06% 2,903 23.54%
1972 5,926 68.10% 2,776 31.90% 0 0.00%
1976 3,314 31.73% 7,107 68.06% 22 0.21%
1980 5,253 45.56% 6,120 53.08% 157 1.36%
1984 6,092 55.09% 4,967 44.91% 0 0.00%
1988 5,026 48.70% 5,281 51.17% 13 0.13%
1992 4,024 35.06% 6,277 54.68% 1,178 10.26%
1996 3,766 37.02% 5,428 53.36% 979 9.62%
2000 5,426 51.55% 4,947 47.00% 152 1.44%
2004 6,720 57.55% 4,901 41.97% 56 0.48%
2008 7,044 59.88% 4,540 38.59% 180 1.53%
2012 6,850 64.31% 3,636 34.14% 165 1.55%
2016 8,026 75.87% 2,360 22.31% 192 1.82%
2020 8,135 78.08% 2,200 21.12% 84 0.81%
2024 8,096 80.55% 1,885 18.75% 70 0.70%
2016 1 33.33% 1 33.33% 1 33.33%


Historically, Dunklin County has tended to support Democrats at the presidential level. A predominantly rural county in the heavily impoverished Bootheel with a fairly substantial African American population, Democrats at all levels have historically performed quite well in Dunklin County. Bill Clinton of neighboring Arkansas was the last Democratic presidential nominee to carry the county in 1996; since then, Dunklin County has, like virtually all counties throughout the state, experienced a rapid trend rightward, as Republicans have been surging at the presidential level. Voters in Dunklin County have left their historically Democratic roots as Republicans hold all the local elected offices in the county, and statewide elections have done much the same.

Like most rural areas throughout Missouri, voters in Dunklin County generally adhere to socially and culturally conservative principles but are more moderate or populist on economic issues, typical of the Dixiecrat philosophy. In 2004, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman—it overwhelmingly passed Dunklin County with 87.57 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 a constitutional amendment to fund and legalize embryonic stem cell research in the state—it failed in Dunklin County with 53.70 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 research. Despite Dunklin County's longstanding tradition of supporting socially conservative platforms, voters in the county have a penchant for advancing 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 Dunklin County with 79.42 percent of the vote. The proposition strongly passed every single county in Missouri with 78.99 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)

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Main articles: 2008 Missouri Democratic presidential primary and 2008 Missouri Republican presidential primary

In the 2008 Missouri Presidential Preference Primary, voters in Dunklin 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) received more votes in Dunklin County, 2,587, than any candidate from either party during the 2008 Missouri Democratic presidential preference primary. The 2,587 is more votes than the total number cast in the entire Republican primary in Dunklin County.

Communities

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Cities

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Town

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Census-designated places

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Unincorporated Communities

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Townships

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Notable people

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  • Sheryl Crow, Grammy-winning singer/songwriter, was born in Kennett and grew up there.
  • David Nail, country music singer, was born and raised in Kennett.
  • Trent Tomlinson, country music singer/songwriter, was born and raised in Kennett
  • Onie Wheeler, country music and bluegrass musician [34]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "Explore Census Data". Data.census.gov. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Shawnee & Delaware Settlements in Missouri". KRCU Public Radio. March 9, 2022. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  4. ↑ Eaton, David Wolfe (1916). How Missouri Counties, Towns and Streams Were Named. The State Historical Society of Missouri. p. 165.
  5. ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 110.
  6. ↑ History of southeast Missouri. Chicago, IL: Goodspeed Publishing Co. 1888. p. 368.
  7. ↑ "Dunklin County". American Courthouses. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  8. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Large, young and fast-growing Sun Belt metros need urban policy innovation | Kinder Institute for Urban Research". Kinder Institute for Urban Research | Rice University. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  11. ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  12. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Census2020PL
  13. ↑ "1980 Census of Population - General Social and Economic Characteristics - Missouri- Table 16 - Persons by Spanish Origin, Race, and Sex: 1980" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. p. 20-25.
  14. ↑ "1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Missouri: Table 5 - Race and Hispanic Origin" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. p. 13-63.
  15. ↑ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Dunklin County, Missouri". United States Census Bureau.
  16. ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Dunklin County, Missouri". United States Census Bureau.
  17. ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Dunklin County, Missouri". United States Census Bureau.
  18. ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
  19. ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
  20. ↑ not an option in the 1980 Census
  21. ↑ not an option in the 1990 Census
  22. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  23. ↑ "SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2012.
  24. ↑ "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved November 25, 2012.
  25. ↑ Geography Division. 2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Dunklin County, MO (PDF) (Map). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved May 30, 2025. - Text list
  26. ↑ Breeding, Marshall. "Dunklin County Library". Libraries.org. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  27. ↑ "23-24 Catalog_Information" (PDF). Three Rivers College. p. 11 (PDF p. 7/44). Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  28. ↑ Template:FAA-airport. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective February 11, 2010.
  29. ↑ Healy, Jack (July 17, 2018). "It's 4 a.m. The Baby's Coming. But the Hospital Is 100 Miles Away". New York Times. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  30. ↑ "Delta Dunklin Democrat | Newspaper serving Kennett, Missouri". Delta Dunklin Democrat. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  31. ↑ "Missouri House of Representative - Members". www.house.mo.gov.
  32. ↑ "Missouri Senate – One Hundred First General Assembly – Missouri Senate". Archived from the original on March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  33. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  34. ↑ "Neighbors: All roads lead to Rome for Limmie Pulliam". Delta Dunklin Democrat. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
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Template:Geographic Location

Template:Dunklin County, Missouri Template:Missouri

Coordinates: 36°16′N 90°05′W / 36.27°N 90.09°W / 36.27; -90.09

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