Stoddard County, Missouri

Stoddard County is a county in the southeastern part of the state of Missouri. It was named for Amos Stoddard, the first American governor of Upper Louisiana. The population was 29,968 at the 2010 Census. Bloomfield is the county seat, and Dexter is the largest city.

Stoddard County Courthouse, Bloomfield

History

American settlement of what became Stoddard County began in the 1820s, mostly in the Crowley's Ridge area of the central and north-central regions, as the lowland swamps to the west and east were mostly uninhabitable. The county was organized, mostly out of New Madrid County, on January 2, 1835. It was initially somewhat larger than today, with its northeastern and southwestern portions being transferred in the mid-1800s to Cape Girardeau County and Dunklin County, respectively.

No major battles took place in Stoddard County during the Civil War, though there were numerous skirmishes in the area, and organized military units passed through on a regular basis. In November 1861, some Union soldiers in possession of Bloomfield used the town's printing press to strike off the first issue of what became the Stars and Stripes newspaper (it would not become a continuous large-scale publication until the 20th century).

Timber clearing in the swamps and the building of the Frisco and St. Louis Southwestern Railroads led to a significant boom in the county's population from the 1870s onward, though it stagnated in the mid-20th century as the mechanization of agriculture reduced the demand for a large labor force.

Geography

Stoddard County lies in southeastern Missouri, at the northern edge of the Bootheel. It is the tenth-largest county in Missouri by land area, with a total of 829 square miles. It is bordered on the north by Bollinger and Cape Girardeau Counties, on the east by Scott County, on the southeast by New Madrid County, on the southwest by Dunklin County, and on the west by Butler and Wayne Counties.

The chief geographic feature is Crowley's Ridge, running roughly from northeast to southwest across the county. The ridge's highest point, approximately 580 feet above sea level, is located about three miles southwest of Bell City. The rest of the county consists of much lower-lying flatlands that are part of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain.

Demographics

According to the 2010 United States Census, Stoddard County had a population of 29,968. The average population density was 36 persons per square mile. The racial and ethnic makeup of the county was 96.9% White, 1.2% Black or African-American, 0.5% American Indian, 0.3% Asian, and 1.1% two or more races. 1.8% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. 0.7% of the population was foreign-born.

There were 11,773 households, with an average of 2.48 persons per household. 21.9% of the population was under the age of 18, while 19.7% was 65 years old or older. The sex ratio was 49.3% male to 50.7% female. The median household income was $40,076 while the per capita income was $21,684. Approximately 17.1% of the population was below the poverty line.

Of Stoddard County residents 25 years old or older, 81.4% had at least graduated high school. 14.1% also possessed a bachelor's degree or more.

Communities

Stoddard County contains eleven incorporated communities: eight cities, two villages, and one census-designated place (CDP).

Cities

• Advance
• Bell City
• Bernie
• Bloomfield (county seat)
• Dexter
• Dudley
• Essex
• Puxico

Villages

• Baker
• Penermon

CDP

• Grayridge

Government

Like other Missouri counties, Stoddard County is administered by a number of locally elected officials. At present, these positions of county government are almost completely controlled by the Republican party.

Stoddard County, Missouri—Elected officials
Assessor	Dan Creg	Republican
Circuit Clerk	Paula Yancey	Republican
Coroner	Brent Stidham	Republican
County Clerk	Cecil Weeks	Republican
Commissioner (presiding)	Danny Talkington	Republican
Commissioner (District 1)	Steve Jordan	Republican
Commissioner (District 2)	Carol Jarrell	Republican
Prosecuting Attorney	Russell Oliver	Republican
Public Administrator	Cindy Duckworth	Republican
Recorder	Kay Asbell	Democratic
Sheriff	Carl Hefner	Republican
Treasurer/Collector	Josh Speakman	Republican

In the Missouri House of Representatives, all of Stoddard County is part of the 151st District (which also includes the western portions of neighboring Scott County). It is currently represented by Herman Morse (R-Dexter), who took office after a special election in November 2017, winning 70.45% of the vote.

Candidate	Party	Votes	Vote percentage
Herman Morse	Republican	1,557	70.452%
Curtis Clark	Democrat	602	27.240%
Rick Vandeven	Libertarian	51	2.308%

In the Missouri Senate, Stoddard County is part of the 25th District, along with Butler, Carter, Dunklin, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, and Shannon Counties. It is currently represented by Doug Libla (R-Poplar Bluff), who has served since 2012. In the 2016 election, Libla won re-election with 69.35% of the vote.

Candidate	Party	Votes	Vote percentage
Doug Libla	Republican	44,373	69.354%
Bill Burlison	Democrat	19,607	30.646%

(Libla performed significantly better than average in Stoddard County, receiving 76.11% of the vote.)

In the U.S. Congress, Stoddard County is part of Missouri's 8th Congressional District in the House of Representatives, represented by Jason T. Smith (R-Salem). Smith was re-elected to a fourth term in Congress in the November 2018 general election, receiving 73.39% of the vote; he performed significantly better than average in Stoddard County, receiving 83.20% of the vote.

Candidate	Party	Votes	Vote percentage
Jason Smith	Republican	8,981	83.204%
Kathy Ellis	Democrat	1,683	15.592%
Jonathan L. Shell	Libertarian	130	1.204%

As the above figures suggest, Stoddard County leans heavily Republican in its politics, especially on the federal and state levels. Like many Bible Belt counties in southern Missouri, it tends to combine social conservatism with a somewhat more populist stance on economic issues. In 2004, for instance, county residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of preserving the institution of marriage, passing with 88.29% of the vote a constitutional amendment affirming marriage as between a man and a woman only. It has also shown much less support for the legalization of marijuana usage than more urban parts of the state. At the same time, Stoddard County voters have shown approval of such economic measures as an increase in the minimum wage: 72.02 percent voted in favor of Proposition B in 2006, increasing the minimum wage to $6.50 an hour. (A more recent proposal to increase the minimum wage, however, was defeated within the county in 2018.)

Among Missouri counties, Stoddard County was among the strongest in its support for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. Trump received 83.36% of the vote (11,079), compared to 14.12% for Hillary Clinton (1,876). Proportionally, this represented the largest margin of victory for any presidential candidate in county history.