Dunklin County is located in the Bootheel of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,283. The largest city and county seat is Kennett.
Dunklin County comprises the Kennett, MO Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History The land comprising Dunklin County was previously inhabited by the Delaware Tribe of Indians, who had lived in the area since the early 1800s. The county was officially created from Stoddard County on February 14, 1845, and named in honor of Daniel Dunklin, 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. 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.
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.1%) is water. 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.
Adjacent counties
Stoddard County (north) New Madrid County (northeast) Pemiscot County (east) Mississippi County, Arkansas (southeast) Craighead County, Arkansas (south) Greene County, Arkansas (southwest) Clay County, Arkansas (west) Butler County (northwest)
Demographics
2020 census 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.
37.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 62.7% lived in rural areas.
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.
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%.
The 2020 racial and ethnic composition is detailed in the table below.
2020 census +Dunklin County, Missouri – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)33,75430,15528,96326,49821,62992.92%91.07%87.36%82.93%76.47%Black or African American alone (NH)2,2752,6242,8733,0813,1766.26%7.92%8.67%9.64%11.23%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)36849767700.10%0.25%0.29%0.21%0.25%Asian alone (NH)337088107780.09%0.21%0.27%0.33%0.28%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census374xx0.01%0.02%0.01%Other race alone (NH)1410714650.04%0.03%0.02%0.04%0.23%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census3004521,219xx0.90%1.41%4.31%Hispanic or Latino (any race)2121698241,7272,0420.58%0.51%2.49%5.40%7.22%Total36,32433,11233,15531,95328,283 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2000 census As of the 2000 census of 2000, there were 33,155 people, 13,411 households, and 9,159 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 14,682 housing units at an average density of . 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.
Education 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: - Text list
Bernie R-XIII School District Campbell R-II School District Clarkton C-4 School District Delta C-7 School District Holcomb R-III School District Kennett 39 School District Malden R-I School District Senath-Hornersville C-8 School District Southland C-9 School District
Public schools Campbell R-II School District - Campbell Campbell Elementary School (PK-06) Campbell High School (07-12) Clarkton C-4 School District - Clarkton Clarkton Elementary School (PK-06) Clarkton High School (07-12) Holcomb R-III School District - Holcomb Holcomb Elementary School (PK-06) Holcomb High School (07-12) Kennett School District 39 - Kennett Early Childhood Center - (PK) - Primary School H. Byron Masterson Elementary School (K-02) South Elementary School (03-05) Kennett Middle School (06-08) Kennett High School (09-12) Malden R-I School District - Malden Malden Elementary School (PK-06) Malden High School (07-12) Senath-Hornersville C-8 School District - Senath Senath Elementary School (PK-04) Hornersville Middle School (05-08) Senath-Hornersville High School (09-12) Southland C-9 School District - Cardwell Southland Elementary School (K-06) Southland High School (07-12)
Private schools Kennett Christian Academy - Kennett - (K-12) - Assemblies of God/Pentecostal St. Teresa School - Campbell - (PK-08) - Roman Catholic
Alternative and vocational schools 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 Dunklin County Library Arbyrd Community Library
Colleges and universities Three Rivers College's service area includes Dunklin County.
Transportation
Major highways U.S. Route 62 U.S. Route 412 Route 25 Route 53 Route 84 Route 153 Route 164
Airports 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.
Health care 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.
Media
Radio 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 AM1470 KMAL Malden AM1540 KBOA Kennett
Print Campbell Courier, Campbell, Missouri Delta Dunklin Democrat, Kennett, Missouri
Television 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: ABC- WSIL 3 NBC- WPSD 6 CBS- KFVS 12 FOX- KBSI 23 PBS- WSIU 8 & WKPD 29 MYTV- WDKA 49
However some residents in the south end of the county watch stations from the Memphis, TN and Jonesboro, AR Television Markets.
Politics
Local 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.
State + Past Gubernatorial Elections Results Year Republican Democratic Third Parties202481.40% 8,04016.73% 1,6521.87% 185202076.40% 7,88022.10% 2,2811.10% 118201669.40% 7,25328.90% 3,0140.80% 84201243.55% 4,56054.03% 5,6572.43% 254200841.65% 4,79256.13% 6,4582.22% 255200452.46% 6,01546.25% 5,3021.29% 148200042.70% 4,47156.11% 5,8751.19% 125199631.51% 3,23266.86% 6,8581.63% 167199239.36% 4,30960.64% 6,6400.00% 0198858.16% 5,82241.74% 4,1780.10% 10198451.01% 5,40748.99% 5,1930.00% 0198046.29% 5,20353.62% 6,0260.09% 10197640.86% 4,13159.08% 5,9740.06% 6197249.07% 4,23950.85% 4,3930.09% 7196825.16% 2,87974.84% 8,5660.00% 0196424.32% 2,80475.68% 8,7240.00% 0196030.71% 3,93869.29% 8,8840.00% 0
In the Missouri House of Representatives, Dunklin County is divided into two legislative districts, both of which are represented by Republicans.
District 150 – Consists of most of the county (the central and southern portions). The district includes the entire city of Kennett as well as the communities of Campbell, Clarkton, Holcomb, Senath, Hornersville, Rives, Arbyrd, and Cardwell. Andrew McDaniel, a Republican from Deering.
District 152 – Consists of the northern portion of the county and takes in the entire city of Malden. Hardy Billington, a Republican from Poplar Bluff.
In the Missouri Senate, all of Dunklin County is a part of Missouri's 25th District and is currently represented by Republican Jason Bean of Poplar Bluff.
Federal 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.
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.