| Pemiscot County, Missouri | |
Location in the state of Missouri |
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Missouri's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | February 19, 1851 |
|---|---|
| Named for | A Native American word meaning "liquid mud" |
| Seat | Caruthersville |
| Largest city | Caruthersville |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
512.41 sq mi (1,327 km²) 493.08 sq mi (1,277 km²) 19.33 sq mi (50 km²), 3.77% |
| PopulationEst. - (2008) - Density |
18,515 41/sq mi (16/km²) |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
Pemiscot County is a county located in the Bootheel in Southeast Missouri in the United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the county's population was 20,047. A 2008 estimate, however, showed the population to be 18,515. The largest city and county seat is Caruthersville[1]. The county was officially organized on February 19, 1851, and is named for the local bayou, taken from the Fox dialect pem-eskaw, meaning "liquid mud."
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According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 512.41 square miles (1,327.1 km2), of which 493.08 square miles (1,277.1 km2) (or 96.23%) is land and 19.33 square miles (50.1 km2) (or 3.77%) is water.[2] Fishing is a popular activity among residents in the area.
Of adults 25 years of age and older in Pemiscot County, 58.2% possess a high school diploma or higher, while 8.4% hold a bachelor's degree or higher as their greatest educational attainment.
According to the Association of Religion Data Archives County Membership Report (2000), Pemiscot County is a part of the Bible Belt with evangelical Protestantism being the majority religion. The most predominant denominations among residents in Pemiscot County who adhere to a religion are Southern Baptists (69.98%), Methodists (7.56%), and Churches of Christ (4.76%).
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 20,047 people, 7,855 households, and 5,317 families residing in the county. The population density was 41 people per square mile (16/km²). There were 8,793 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 71.76% White, 26.23% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.62% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. Approximately 1.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Among the major first ancestries reported in Pemiscot County were 31.9% American, 7.8% Irish, 5.6% English, and 5.5% German, according to Census 2000.
There were 7,855 households out of which 33.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.00% were married couples living together, 18.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.30% were non-families. 28.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the county the population was spread out with 30.00% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 25.00% from 25 to 44, 21.10% from 45 to 64, and 14.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 88.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $26,992, and the median income for a family was $33,945. Males had a median income of $27,476 versus $17,358 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,599. About 24.80% of families and 30.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 43.20% of those under age 18 and 23.20% of those age 65 or over.
Politics at the local level in Pemiscot County are dominated by the Democratic Party, with all of Pemiscot County's currently elected officeholders Democrats.
| Pemiscot County, Missouri | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elected countywide officials | ||||
| Assessor | Donna Champion Snider | Democratic | ||
| Circuit Clerk | Kelly Cagle Maners | Democratic | ||
| County Clerk | Pam Treece | Democratic | ||
| Collector | Keith Jean | Democratic | ||
| Commissioner (Presiding) |
Jim Atchison | Democratic | ||
| Commissioner (District 1) |
Lee Watkins | Democratic | ||
| Commissioner (District 2) |
Wendell Hoskins | Democratic | ||
| Coroner | James Brimhall | Democratic | ||
| Emergency Management Director | Danny Dodson | Democratic | ||
| Prosecuting Attorney | Chris J. Wynes | Democratic | ||
| Public Administrator | Carol DeRousse Miller | Democratic | ||
| Recorder | Pam Strawbridge | Democratic | ||
| Sheriff | Tommy Greenwell | Democratic | ||
| Treasurer | Pat Hoskins | Democratic | ||
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third Parties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 37.26% 2,491 | 60.50% 4,045 | 2.24% 150 |
| 2004 | 44.93% 2,965 | 53.46% 3,528 | 1.61% 106 |
| 2000 | 34.61% 2,053 | 63.80% 3,784 | 1.59% 94 |
| 1996 | 26.24% 1,461 | 72.31% 4,026 | 1.45% 81 |
In the Missouri House of Representatives, all of Pemiscot County is a part of Missouri’s 162nd District and is currently represented by Terry Swinger (D-Caruthersville). In 2010, Swinger ran unopposed and was reelected with 100 percent of the vote.
| Missouri House of Representatives - District 162 - Pemiscot County (2010) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Terry Swinger* | 2,851 | 100.00 | 0 | |
In the Missouri Senate, all of Pemiscot County is a part of Missouri's 25th District and is currently represented by State Senator Rob Mayer (R-Dexter). In 2008, Mayer defeated M. Shane Stoelting (D) 65.32-34.68 percent in the district. The 25th Senatorial District consists of Butler, Dunklin, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Ripley, Stoddard, and Wayne counties.
| Missouri Senate - District 25 - Pemiscot County (2008) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Rob Mayer | 3,586 | 55.61 | ||
| Democratic | M. Shane Stoelting | 2,862 | 44.39 | ||
In the U.S. House of Representatives, Pemiscot County is represented by Jo Ann Emerson (R-Cape Girardeau) who represents all of southeast Missouri as part of Missouri's 8th Congressional District.
| U.S. House of Representatives - District 8 - Pemiscot County (2010) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Jo Ann Emerson | 2,178 | 62.82 | +0.39 | |
| Democratic | Tommy Sowers | 1,220 | 35.19 | -0.95 | |
| Independent | Larry Bill | 42 | 1.21 | +1.21 | |
| Libertarian | Rick Vandeven | 27 | 0.78 | -0.31 | |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third Parties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 56.11% 3,954 | 42.98% 3,029 | 0.91% 64 |
| 2004 | 49.93% 3,398 | 49.68% 3,381 | 0.39% 27 |
| 2000 | 45.38% 2,750 | 53.55% 3,245 | 1.07% 65 |
| 1996 | 32.06% 1,820 | 59.38% 3,371 | 8.56% 486 |
At the presidential level, Pemiscot County is a fairly independent-leaning or battleground county although, like many counties in the impoverished Bootheel with a large African American population, it has a significant tendency to vote Democratic. While George W. Bush carried Pemiscot County by just 17 votes in 2004, Al Gore won the county in 2000, although both times the margin of victory was significantly closer than in many other rural areas. Bill Clinton also carried Pemiscot County in both 1992 and 1996 by double-digit margins. As was the case in many of the other rural counties in Missouri, Pemiscot County favored John McCain over Barack Obama in 2008, although the margin of victory was smaller than in many of the other rural areas.
In 1968, Pemiscot County was the only county in Missouri to be won by George Wallace, the former Governor of Alabama who ran as a pro-segregationist presidential candidate.
As in most rural areas throughout Missouri, voters in Pemiscot 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 passed Pemiscot County with 84.73 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 Pemiscot County, with 52.41 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 Pemiscot County’s longstanding tradition of supporting socially conservative platforms, voters in the county have a penchant for advancing populist causes, such as 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 Pemiscot County with 78.01 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 strongly approved increases in the minimum wage.
In the 2008 Missouri Presidential Preference Primary, voters in Pemiscot County from both political parties supported candidates who finished in second place in the state at large and nationally.
| Pemiscot County, Missouri | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2008 Republican primary in Missouri | ||
| John McCain | 233 (23.75%) | |
| Mike Huckabee | 565 (57.59%) | |
| Mitt Romney | 149 (15.19%) | |
| Ron Paul | 20 (2.04%) | |
| Pemiscot County, Missouri | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2008 Democratic primary in Missouri | ||
| Hillary Rodham Clinton | 1,270 (70.83%) | |
| Barack Obama | 466 (25.99%) | |
| John Edwards (withdrawn) | 34 (1.90%) | |
| Uncommitted | 19 (1.06%) | |
| New Madrid County | Lake County, Tennessee | |||
| Dunklin County | ||||
| Pemiscot County, Missouri | ||||
| Mississippi County, Arkansas | Dyer County, Tennessee |
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