Wayne County, Missouri

Wayne County is a county located in the Ozark foothills in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,974.[1] The county seat is Greenville.[2] The county was officially organized on December 11, 1818, and is named after General "Mad" Anthony Wayne, who served in the American Revolution.[3] As of August 28, 2023, Wayne County is designated the UFO Capital of Missouri, along with the city of Piedmont.[4]

For other uses, see Wayne County.

Wayne County
County
Wayne County Courthouse in Greenville
Wayne County Courthouse in Greenville
Map of Missouri highlighting Wayne County
Location within the U.S. state of Missouri
Map of the United States highlighting Missouri
Missouri's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 37°07′N 90°28′W
Country United States
State Missouri
FoundedDecember 11, 1818
Named forAnthony Wayne
SeatGreenville
Largest cityPiedmont
Area
 • Total774 sq mi (2,000 km2)
 • Land759 sq mi (1,970 km2)
 • Water15 sq mi (40 km2)  1.9%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total10,974
 • Density14/sq mi (5.5/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district8th

History

Wayne County was created in December 1818 by the last Missouri Territorial Legislature from portions of Cape Girardeau and Lawrence counties. Wayne County thus actually predates statehood. In March 1819, Congress established the Territory of Arkansas, and most of Lawrence County became Lawrence County, Arkansas Territory. The small strip that had been excluded was added to Wayne County by the Missouri State Constitution of 1820. The Osage Strip on the Kansas border was added in 1825. Between 1825 and 1831, Wayne County was actually larger than the states of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Delaware combined. All or part of 32 present Missouri counties once belonged to Wayne County. Despite its size, the Census of 1820 revealed that Wayne County had a total population of just 1,239 white inhabitants and 204 African American slaves.

When Wayne County was formed in 1818, the territorial legislature appointed five commissioners to govern it. They chose a small settlement called Cedar Cabin on the St. Francis River to be the county seat. Renamed Greenville, it had grown to about 1,000 by the turn of the 20th century. By 1940, however, the population had declined to 572. In 1941, the remaining inhabitants were forced to relocate because of the construction of Lake Wappapello. This new town's population had fallen to 270 in 1950, but has now increased to about 563.

The Wayne County Courthouse was destroyed by a fire in 1854. In 1866, the records in new courthouse were stolen, and in 1892 the courthouse again burned down. Thus few county records survive from that time.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 774 square miles (2,000 km2), of which 759 square miles (1,970 km2) is land and 15 square miles (39 km2) (1.9%) is water.[5]

The most populous community in Wayne County is Piedmont with a population of 2,401 people,[6] followed by Greenville with 563 and Williamsville with 386.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

National protected areas

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18201,443—
18303,264126.2%
18403,4034.3%
18504,51832.8%
18605,62924.6%
18706,0687.8%
18809,09649.9%
189011,92731.1%
190015,30928.4%
191015,181−0.8%
192013,012−14.3%
193012,243−5.9%
194012,7944.5%
195010,514−17.8%
19608,638−17.8%
19708,546−1.1%
198011,27732.0%
199011,5432.4%
200013,25914.9%
201013,5212.0%
202010,974−18.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]
1990-2000[10] 2010-2015[11]

As of the 2010 Census,[12] there were 13,521 people, 5,717 households, and 3,850 families residing in the county. The population density was 18 people per square mile (6.9 people/km2). There were 8,083 housing units at an average density of 11 units per square mile (4.2/km2).

The racial makeup of the county was 97% White, 0.7% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0% Pacific Islander, 0% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. 1.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. According to the 2000 Census, the most common first ancestries reported in Wayne County were 32.9% American, 15.0% German, 11.9% English, 11.7% Irish, 3.0% French (excluding Basque), 2.0% Dutch and 2.0% Italian.

There were 5,717 households, out of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were husband-wife families. 32.7% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.1% under the age of 19, 5% from 20 to 24, 14.2%% from 25 to 39, 36.4% from 40 to 64, and 21.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.8 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,954, and the median income for a family was $39,419. Males had a median income of $26,048 versus $18,250 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,378. About 15.8% of families and 23% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.9% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

According to the Association of Religion Data Archives County Membership Report (2000), Wayne County is a part of the Bible Belt with evangelical Protestantism being the majority religion. The most predominant denominations among residents in Wayne County who adhere to a religion are Southern Baptists (62.76%), Methodists (10.08%), and Roman Catholics (7.07%).

2020 Census
Wayne County Racial Composition[13]
Race Num. Perc.
White (NH) 10,093 92%
Black or African American (NH) 50 0.45%
Native American (NH) 67 0.6%
Asian (NH) 23 0.21%
Pacific Islander (NH) 5 0.05%
Other/Mixed (NH) 581 5.3%
Hispanic or Latino 155 1.41%

Politics

Local

The Republican Party dominates politics at the local level in Wayne County and controls all but one county-wide offices.

Wayne County, Missouri
Elected countywide officials
Assessor Tara Smith Republican
Circuit Clerk Darren T. Garrison Republican
County Clerk Kent Sisco Republican
Collector Rhonda Cates Republican
Commissioner
(Presiding)		 Brian M. Polk Republican
Commissioner
(District 1)		 Doug Wood Republican
Commissioner
(District 2)		 Steve Foster Republican
Coroner Michael Allen Republican
Prosecuting Attorney Michael Anderson Republican
Public Administrator Penny Schulz Republican
Recorder Cindy Stout Republican
Sheriff Dean Finch Democratic
Treasurer Amber Sturgeon Republican

State

Wayne County is divided among two legislative districts in the Missouri House of Representatives.

All of Wayne County is a part of Missouri's 27th District in the Missouri Senate and is currently represented by Holly Thompson Rehder (R)-Sikeston.

Missouri Senate – District 27 – Wayne County (2020)[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Holly Rehder 4,684 82.81%
Democratic Donnie Owens 972 17.19%
Missouri Senate – District 27 – Wayne County (2016)[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Wayne Wallingford 3,956 73.60%
Democratic Donnie Owens 1,419 26.40%
Past Gubernatorial Elections Results
Year Republican Democratic Third Parties
2020 82.60% 4,801 15.50% 900 1.60% 93
2016 72.00% 4,098 25.00% 1,425 1.40% 80
2012 46.82% 2,642 50.77% 2,865 2.41% 136
2008 44.62% 2,727 53.49% 3,269 1.88% 115
2004 58.84% 3,649 39.86% 2,472 1.31% 81
2000 51.84% 3,008 46.25% 2,684 1.92% 111
1996 42.84% 2,421 55.11% 3,114 2.05% 116
1992 42.65% 2,493 57.35% 3,352 2.05% 116
1988 60.16% 3,047 39.76% 2,014 0.08% 4
1984 53.79% 2,787 46.21% 2,394 0.00% 0
1980 51.05% 2,769 48.89% 2,652 0.06% 3
1976 49.37% 2,428 50.61% 2,489 0.02% 1

Federal

Wayne County is included in Missouri's 8th Congressional District and is currently represented by Jason T. Smith (R-Salem) in the U.S. House of Representatives. Smith won a special election on Tuesday, June 4, 2013, to finish out the remaining term of U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson (R-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.

U.S. House of Representatives - District 8 – Wayne County (2012)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Jo Ann Emerson 4,232 74.65 +5.61
Democratic Jack Rushin 1,311 23.13 -4.40
Libertarian Rick Vandeven 126 2.22 +1.07
U.S. House of Representatives - District 8 - Special Election – Wayne County (2013)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Jason T. Smith 817 56.34
Democratic Steve Hodges 332 22.90
Constitution Doug Enyart 278 19.17
Libertarian Bill Slantz 23 1.59
U.S. House of Representatives - District 8 – Wayne County (2020)[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Jason T. Smith 4,823 84.20
Democratic Kathy Ellis 821 14.30
Libertarian Tom Schmitz 85 1.50

Political culture
United States presidential election results for Wayne County, Missouri[16]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 4,987 84.84% 845 14.38% 46 0.78%
2016 4,658 80.84% 948 16.45% 156 2.71%
2012 3,790 66.26% 1,813 31.70% 117 2.05%
2008 3,784 61.49% 2,243 36.45% 127 2.06%
2004 3,919 63.17% 2,250 36.27% 35 0.56%
2000 3,346 57.22% 2,387 40.82% 115 1.97%
1996 2,172 38.45% 2,754 48.75% 723 12.80%
1992 2,101 34.91% 3,073 51.05% 845 14.04%
1988 2,648 51.80% 2,456 48.04% 8 0.16%
1984 2,867 54.82% 2,363 45.18% 0 0.00%
1980 2,823 51.86% 2,549 46.82% 72 1.32%
1976 1,963 39.59% 2,987 60.25% 8 0.16%
1972 3,091 63.90% 1,746 36.10% 0 0.00%
1968 2,156 47.79% 1,714 38.00% 641 14.21%
1964 2,019 40.19% 3,005 59.81% 0 0.00%
1960 3,069 58.78% 2,152 41.22% 0 0.00%
1956 2,513 50.62% 2,451 49.38% 0 0.00%
1952 2,423 49.08% 2,500 50.64% 14 0.28%
1948 1,937 41.80% 2,695 58.16% 2 0.04%
1944 2,171 49.92% 2,169 49.87% 9 0.21%
1940 2,735 47.66% 2,991 52.12% 13 0.23%
1936 2,494 43.41% 3,235 56.31% 16 0.28%
1932 1,955 37.82% 3,172 61.37% 42 0.81%
1928 2,662 56.82% 2,011 42.92% 12 0.26%
1924 1,958 44.11% 2,283 51.43% 198 4.46%
1920 2,380 52.28% 2,072 45.52% 100 2.20%
1916 1,528 47.32% 1,594 49.37% 107 3.31%
1912 1,052 35.46% 1,432 48.26% 483 16.28%
1908 1,554 47.11% 1,641 49.74% 104 3.15%
1904 1,678 50.38% 1,567 47.04% 86 2.58%
1900 1,648 48.09% 1,745 50.92% 34 0.99%
1896 1,418 47.14% 1,568 52.13% 22 0.73%
1892 964 39.85% 1,393 57.59% 62 2.56%
1888 1,001 41.13% 1,428 58.67% 5 0.21%

At the presidential level, Wayne County was traditionally a fairly independent county or battleground, though in recent years the county has become strongly Republican. President Donald Trump received a record 85% of the vote in 2020, building on his former record of 81% he set, in 2016. Bill Clinton also carried the county both times in 1992 and 1996, and since that point the county has been solidly Republican to Extremely Republican. Like many rural counties in Missouri and throughout the United States in 2008, voters in Wayne County favored John McCain over Barack Obama, and favored Mitt Romney by a significantly larger margin in 2012.

In 2004, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman—it overwhelmingly passed Wayne County with 87.75 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 Wayne County with 55.15 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 Wayne 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 Wayne County with 77.36 percent of the vote. The proposition strongly passed every single county in Missouri with 75.94 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)
Main articles: 2008 Missouri Democratic presidential primary and 2008 Missouri Republican presidential primary

In the 2008 presidential primary, voters in Wayne 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, a total of 1,458, than any candidate from either party in Wayne County during the 2008 presidential primary. Wayne County was Clinton's second best county in Missouri; her only better result was in Dunklin County.

Education

Of all adults 25 years of age and older in Wayne County, 87% possessed a high school diploma or higher while 30.3% had a bachelor's degree or higher as their highest educational attainment.

Public schools
  • Clearwater R-I School District - Piedmont
    • Clearwater Elementary School (PK-04)
    • Clearwater Middle School (05-08)
    • Clearwater High School (09-12)
  • Greenville R-II School District - Greenville
    • Williamsville Elementary School (PK-06) - Williamsville
    • Greenville Elementary School (PK-06)
    • Greenville Jr. High School (07-08)
    • Greenville High School (09-12)

Private schools

Public libraries

Communities

Cities

Village

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

See also

References
  1. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. Eaton, David Wolfe (1918). How Missouri Counties, Towns and Streams Were Named. The State Historical Society of Missouri. p. 370.
  4. "10.247". revisor.mo.gov. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  5. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
  6. Bureau, U.S. Census. "American FactFinder - Results". factfinder.census.gov. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  7. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
  8. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
  9. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
  10. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
  11. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
  12. Bureau, U.S. Census. "American FactFinder - Community Facts". factfinder.census.gov. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  13. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Wayne County, Missouri".
  14. "Our Campaigns - MO State Senate 27 Race - Nov 03, 2020". www.ourcampaigns.com.
  15. "Missouri Election Results: Eighth Congressional District". The New York Times. November 3, 2020.
  16. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  17. Breeding, Marshall. "Piedmont Public Library". Libraries.org. Retrieved May 8, 2017.

37.11°N 90.46°W / 37.11; -90.46

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