The economy of the Bootheel Region generally lags behind the economy of Missouri as a whole. There has been a varied amount of economic growth in this region during the last ten years, with in the western half of the region seeing good progress, while areas in the eastern half of this region struggling. The population growth since 1990 in the Bootheel Region was only 1.4%, compared to 9.1% for the state. The poverty rate for this area is 20.4%, the highest rate among the state's regions. The state's poverty rate is 11.8%. The unemployment rate during 2002 for the Bootheel Region was 7.2%, much higher than the state's rate of 5.5%. On the bright side, the growth in personal income and per capita income in the Bootheel Region over the past decade has matched the growth of the state as a whole. However, per capita income in the region was only $20,442 during 2001, compared with $28,221 for the state.
| Bootheel Region Population | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 Population | 2000 Population Density | 1990 Population | 1999 Population | Change 1990-2000 | Change 1999-2000 | |
| Butler | 40,867 | 58.4 | 38,852 | 40,379 | 5.2% | 1.2% |
| Carter | 5,941 | 11.7 | 5,534 | 6,292 | 7.4% | -5.6% |
| Dunklin | 33,155 | 60.6 | 33,127 | 32,526 | 0.1% | 1.9% |
| Mississippi | 13,427 | 31.3 | 14,435 | 13,339 | -7.0% | 0.7% |
| New Madrid | 19,760 | 28.3 | 20,914 | 19,933 | -5.5% | -0.9% |
| Pemiscot | 20,047 | 39.1 | 21,886 | 21,150 | -8.4% | -5.2% |
| Ripley | 13,509 | 21.2 | 12,364 | 14,174 | 9.3% | -4.7% |
| Scott | 40,422 | 94.9 | 39,427 | 40,564 | 2.5% | -0.4% |
| Stoddard | 29,705 | 35.8 | 28,899 | 29,633 | 2.8% | 0.2% |
| Wayne | 13,259 | 17.1 | 11,560 | 13,046 | 14.7% | 1.6% |
| Region Total | 230,092 | 38.0 | 226,998 | 231,036 | 1.4% | -0.4% |
| 1999 Bootheel Region Demographics | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Females | Males | Population Age < 25 |
Population Age 25-44 |
Population Age > 44 |
1997 Pop. In Poverty |
|
| Butler | 21,035 | 19,344 | 13,435 | 10,921 | 16,023 | 8,120 |
| Carter | 3,217 | 3,075 | 2,286 | 1,645 | 2,361 | 1,599 |
| Dunklin | 17,434 | 15,092 | 11,171 | 8,046 | 13,309 | 7,827 |
| Mississippi | 7,010 | 6,329 | 4,777 | 3,207 | 5,355 | 3,509 |
| New Madrid | 10,424 | 9,509 | 7,576 | 5,201 | 7,156 | 4,541 |
| Pemiscot | 11,160 | 9,990 | 8,323 | 4,920 | 7,907 | 6,106 |
| Ripley | 7,508 | 6,666 | 4,750 | 3,238 | 6,186 | 3,684 |
| Scott | 21,331 | 19,233 | 14,762 | 11,326 | 14,476 | 7,055 |
| Stoddard | 15,417 | 14,216 | 9,741 | 7,516 | 12,376 | 5,063 |
| Wayne | 6,628 | 6,418 | 4,061 | 2,854 | 6,131 | 3,338 |
| Region Total | 121,165 | 109,871 | 80,882 | 58,874 | 91,280 | 50,842 |
| Percent | 52.7% | 47.8% | 35.2% | 25.6% | 39.7% | 22.1% |
| 2000 Bootheel Region Demographics | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | Black | Asian | Other | Hispanic | |
| Butler | 37,663 | 2,132 | 178 | 339 | 412 |
| Carter | 5,739 | 5 | 6 | 82 | 72 |
| Dunklin | 29,388 | 2,879 | 90 | 448 | 824 |
| Mississippi | 10,463 | 2,757 | 15 | 73 | 129 |
| New Madrid | 16,442 | 3,035 | 27 | 101 | 183 |
| Pemiscot | 14,386 | 5,259 | 54 | 178 | 315 |
| Ripley | 13,127 | 6 | 30 | 188 | 132 |
| Scott | 35,442 | 4,246 | 93 | 276 | 448 |
| Stoddard | 28,915 | 270 | 28 | 193 | 231 |
| Wayne | 12,951 | 22 | 15 | 91 | 65 |
| Region Total | 204,516 | 20,611 | 536 | 1,969 | 2,811 |
| Percent | 88.9% | 9.0% | 0.2% | 0.9% | 1.2% |
| 2002 Bootheel Region Employment Statistics | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor Force | Employment | Unemployment | Unemployment Rate | |
| Butler | 20,884 | 19,776 | 1,108 | 5.3% |
| Carter | 2,737 | 2,543 | 194 | 7.1% |
| Dunklin | 14,217 | 13,118 | 1,099 | 7.7% |
| Mississippi | 5,965 | 5,480 | 485 | 8.1% |
| New Madrid | 8,642 | 7,806 | 836 | 9.7% |
| Pemiscot | 8,548 | 7,687 | 861 | 10.1% |
| Ripley | 5,540 | 5,147 | 393 | 7.1% |
| Scott | 20,469 | 19,268 | 1,201 | 5.9% |
| Stoddard | 13,949 | 13,004 | 945 | 6.8% |
| Wayne | 3,683 | 3,241 | 442 | 12.0% |
| Region Total | 104,634 | 97,070 | 7,564 | 7.2% |
| 2001 Bootheel Region Industry Employment | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Resources & Mining | Const. | Manu. | Trade, Trans. & Utilities | Info. | Financial Activities | Prof. & Business Services | Education & Health Services | Leisure & Hospitality | Other Services | Govt | |
| Butler | 116 | 855 | 3,393 | 3,432 | 370 | 636 | 850 | 2,952 | 1,316 | 384 | 3,335 |
| Carter | 22 | 22 | 216 | 221 | 0 | 42 | 7 | 108 | 85 | 35 | 459 |
| Dunklin | 358 | 366 | 1,408 | 2,340 | 131 | 525 | 155 | 1,730 | 716 | 192 | 1,700 |
| Mississippi | 335 | 147 | 277 | 1,344 | 20 | 143 | 52 | 355 | 255 | 83 | 835 |
| New Madrid | 268 | 96 | 3,384 | 1,605 | 14 | 220 | 141 | 651 | 304 | 93 | 1,090 |
| Pemiscot | 258 | 62 | 924 | 1,148 | 0 | 216 | 58 | 445 | 336 | 184 | 1,897 |
| Ripley | 23 | 55 | 520 | 454 | 22 | 87 | 23 | 360 | 204 | 86 | 684 |
| Scott | 204 | 713 | 1,774 | 3,917 | 233 | 529 | 897 | 2,005 | 1,141 | 495 | 2,476 |
| Stoddard | 350 | 407 | 2,679 | 2,107 | 74 | 338 | 279 | 1,473 | 627 | 176 | 1,518 |
| Wayne | 69 | 68 | 426 | 434 | 84 | 79 | 45 | 212 | 197 | 134 | 664 |
| Region Total | 2,002 | 2,790 | 15,000 | 17,002 | 947 | 2,814 | 2,507 | 10,290 | 5,180 | 1,861 | 14,657 |
| Percent | 2.7% | 3.7% | 20.0% | 22.7% | 1.3% | 3.7% | 3.3% | 13.7% | 6.9% | 2.5% | 19.5% |
| 2001 Number of Bootheel Region Establishments by Size | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employees | 1-4 | 5-9 | 10-19 | 20-49 | 50-99 | 100-249 | 250-499 | 500-999 | 1000+ | County Total |
| Butler | 549 | 219 | 125 | 88 | 23 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1,028 |
| Carter | 88 | 32 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 143 |
| Dunklin | 471 | 150 | 69 | 47 | 17 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 764 |
| Mississippi | 158 | 62 | 32 | 21 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 283 |
| New Madrid | 189 | 66 | 43 | 29 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 344 |
| Pemiscot | 186 | 70 | 40 | 25 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 335 |
| Ripley | 150 | 51 | 27 | 13 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 247 |
| Scott | 576 | 226 | 158 | 96 | 38 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1,110 |
| Stoddard | 409 | 136 | 83 | 56 | 16 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 710 |
| Wayne | 164 | 41 | 21 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 245 |
| Region Total | 2,940 | 1,053 | 616 | 392 | 124 | 63 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 5,209 |
| Percent | 56.4% | 20.2% | 11.8% | 7.5% | 2.4% | 1.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 100.0% |
| Bootheel Region Farms | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 1997 | % Change | |
| Butler | 734 | 678 | -7.6% |
| Carter | 196 | 202 | 3.1% |
| Dunklin | 537 | 473 | -11.9% |
| Mississippi | 293 | 267 | -8.9% |
| New Madrid | 442 | 429 | -2.9% |
| Pemiscot | 348 | 306 | -12.1% |
| Ripley | 465 | 472 | 1.5% |
| Scott | 545 | 541 | -0.7% |
| Stoddard | 953 | 941 | -1.3% |
| Wayne | 361 | 380 | 5.3% |
| Region Total | 4,874 | 4,689 | -3.8% |
| Bootheel Region Personal Income ($000) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 2000 | 2001 | % Change 1991-2001 | % Change 2000-2001 | |
| Butler | $542,995 | $906,880 | $948,437 | 74.7% | 4.6% |
| Carter | $65,953 | $105,362 | $106,071 | 60.8% | 0.7% |
| Dunklin | $450,398 | $651,128 | $658,549 | 46.2% | 1.1% |
| Mississippi | $185,037 | $266,964 | $263,646 | 42.5% | -1.2% |
| New Madrid | $265,957 | $381,922 | $383,387 | 44.2% | 0.4% |
| Pemiscot | $263,501 | $380,040 | $376,292 | 42.8% | -1.0% |
| Ripley | $129,539 | $211,018 | $220,031 | 69.9% | 4.3% |
| Scott | $571,256 | $876,306 | $908,405 | 59.0% | 3.7% |
| Stoddard | $384,895 | $599,263 | $598,766 | 55.6% | -0.1% |
| Wayne | $130,141 | $205,682 | $212,154 | 63.0% | 3.1% |
| Region Total | $2,989,672 | $4,584,565 | $4,675,738 | 56.4% | 2.0% |
| Bootheel Region Per Capita Personal Income | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 2000 | 2001 | % Change 1991-2001 | % Change 2000-2001 | |
| Butler | $13,788 | $22,219 | $23,317 | 69.1% | 4.9% |
| Carter | $11,733 | $17,720 | $18,015 | 53.5% | 1.7% |
| Dunklin | $13,676 | $19,667 | $19,978 | 46.1% | 1.6% |
| Mississippi | $12,890 | $19,991 | $20,016 | 55.3% | 0.1% |
| New Madrid | $12,804 | $19,408 | $19,622 | 53.2% | 1.1% |
| Pemiscot | $12,213 | $18,976 | $18,953 | 55.2% | -0.1% |
| Ripley | $10,449 | $15,633 | $16,445 | 57.4% | 5.2% |
| Scott | $14,555 | $21,697 | $22,471 | 54.4% | 3.6% |
| Stoddard | $13,339 | $20,178 | $20,205 | 51.5% | 0.1% |
| Wayne | $10,946 | $15,509 | $16,067 | 46.8% | 3.6% |
| Region Total | $13,169 | $19,952 | $20,442 | 55.2% | 2.5% |
