Dunklin County, Missouri facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dunklin County
U.S. county
Dunklin County Courthouse in Kennett
Location within the U.S. state of Missouri
Missouri's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Missouri
Founded	February 14, 1845
Named for	Daniel Dunklin
Seat	Kennett
Largest city	Kennett
Area
• Total	547 sq mi (1,420 km2)
• Land	541 sq mi (1,400 km2)
• Water	6.1 sq mi (16 km2)  1.1%
Population  (2020)
• Total	28,283
• Density	51.71/sq mi (19.964/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	8th

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. The county was officially organized on February 14, 1845, and is named in honor of Daniel Dunklin, a Governor of Missouri who died the year before the county was organized.

Dunklin County comprises the Kennett, MO Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

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. 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.

Adjacent counties

Demographics

As of the census 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 (23/km²). There were 14,682 housing units at an average density of 27 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.

Religion

According to the Association of Religion Data Archives County Membership Report (2000), Dunklin County is a part of the Bible Belt with evangelical Protestantism being the majority religion. The most predominant denominations among residents in Dunklin County who adhere to a religion are Southern Baptists (64.11%), Methodists (8.66%), and Churches of Christ (6.74%).

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.

Communities

Education

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

Public schools

• • Campbell Elementary School (PK-06)
  • Campbell High School (07-12)
  • 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)
  • 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 Elementary School (PK-06)
  • Malden High School (07-12)
  • Senath Elementary School (PK-04)
  • Hornersville Middle School (05-08)
  • Senath-Hornersville High School (09-12)
  • 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

Notable people

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

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Dunklin para niños