# Kennett, Missouri

Kennett is a city in and the county seat of Dunklin County, Missouri, United States. The city is located in the southeast corner (or "Bootheel") of Missouri, 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Arkansas and 20 miles (32 km) from the Mississippi River. It had a population of 10,515 at the 2020 census. Kennett is the largest city in the Bootheel, a mostly agricultural area.

## History

Settlers built log cabins in the area in the first half of the 19th century, naming their settlement Chilletecaux in honor of a Delaware Indian chief who lived there. The town was renamed Butler in the late 1840s. Due to mail delivery problems because of other jurisdictions named the same, the settlement was renamed Kennett, in honor of the mayor of the city of St. Louis, Luther M. Kennett.
In the 1890s, a railroad reached the area, stimulating growth in the town. In that same period, the state began construction of a massive drainage program in the St. Francis River basin, which was floodplain and wetlands. In the 20th century, after timber clearing, the area was developed for cultivation of cotton and other commodity crops.
On March 14-15, 2025, an EF-2 tornado hit the city, which caused damage to several homes and businesses near the fairgrounds.

## Geography

Kennett is located at 36°14′25″N 90°02′53″W﻿ / ﻿36.24028°N 90.04806°W﻿ / 36.24028; -90.04806 (36.2403403, -90.0480886). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.96 square miles (18.03 km$^2$), all land.
As part of the southern extremity of Missouri, Kennett has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with cool winters and hot, humid summers, ample precipitation through much of the year, and is part of USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 7. The monthly daily average temperature ranges from 35.3 °F (1.8 °C) in January to 80.7 °F (27.1 °C) in July. On average, there are 4.9 days annually with 100 °F (38 °C)+ highs, 63 days of 90 °F (32 °C)+ highs, 9.4 days where the temperature does not rise above freezing, and 4.8 days with 10 °F (−12 °C) or lower minima.

### Climate

Climate data for Kennett, Missouri :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 44.9 (7.2) | 50.2 (10.1) | 60.4 (15.8) | 71.3 (21.8) | 80.1 (26.7) | 88.9 (31.6) | 91.6 (33.1) | 91.5 (33.1) | 84.5 (29.2) | 73.6 (23.1) | 59.9 (15.5) | 47.5 (8.6) | 70.4 (21.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 25.8 (−3.4) | 29.5 (−1.4) | 37.9 (3.3) | 47.9 (8.8) | 57.8 (14.3) | 66.5 (19.2) | 69.8 (21.0) | 67.7 (19.8) | 59.1 (15.1) | 47.1 (8.4) | 38.3 (3.5) | 28.9 (−1.7) | 48.0 (8.9) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.67 (93) | 4.04 (103) | 4.54 (115) | 4.87 (124) | 5.49 (139) | 3.53 (90) | 3.57 (91) | 2.32 (59) | 3.32 (84) | 4.49 (114) | 4.40 (112) | 4.90 (124) | 49.14 (1,248) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 3.1 (7.9) | 2.7 (6.9) | .5 (1.3) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | trace | .9 (2.3) | 7.2 (18) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 7.5 | 8.3 | 9.1 | 9.2 | 9.7 | 7.4 | 7.0 | 5.4 | 6.5 | 7.4 | 8.4 | 8.6 | 94.5 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | .9 | 1.5 | .1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .6 | 3.1 |
| Source: NOAA ||||||||||||||

## Demographics

The Kennett Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Dunklin County.
As of 2000 the median household income was $26,088 and the median family income was $34,167. Males had a median income of $29,958 versus $18,770 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,397. Living below the poverty line were 26.1% of the population and 20.5% of families. Those living below the poverty line were 37.5% of those under the age of 18 and 24.0% of those 65 and older.

### 2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 10,515 people, 4,252 households, and 2,662 families in Kennett. The population density was 1,502.1 per square mile (579.7/km$^2$). There were 4,837 housing units at an average density of 691.0 per square mile (266.6/km$^2$). The racial makeup was 71.27% (7,494) white, 18.46% (1,941) black or African-American, 0.2% (21) Native American, 0.6% (63) Asian, 0.01% (1) Pacific Islander, 2.61% (274) from other races, and 6.86% (721) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 5.7% (575) of the population.
Of the 4,252 households, 24.3% had children under the age of 18; 38.9% were married couples living together; 31.6% had a female householder with no husband present. Of all households, 29.1% consisted of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.2 and the average family size was 2.8.
23.4% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.3 years. For every 100 females, the population had 84.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 82.6 males.
The 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $40,857 (with a margin of error of +/- $9,064) and the median family income was $55,915 (+/- $4,916). Males had a median income of $33,403 (+/- $12,178) versus $22,135 (+/- $2,919) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $25,639 (+/- $2,302). Approximately, 12.4% of families and 23.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.1% of those under the age of 18 and 8.8% of those ages 65 or over.

### 2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 10,932 people, 4,377 households, and 2,849 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,570.7 inhabitants per square mile (606.5/km$^2$). There were 4,863 housing units at an average density of 698.7 per square mile (269.8/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the city was 80.1% White, 16.2% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.3% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.5% of the population.
There were 4,377 households, of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couples living together, 18.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.9% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.95.
The median age in the city was 38.4 years. 25.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.7% were from 25 to 44; 25.5% were from 45 to 64; and 16.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.1% male and 52.9% female.

## Government

Kennett is located in Missouri's 8th congressional district in southeastern Missouri and is the county seat of Dunklin County, Missouri.
The city of Kennett is governed by a city council with 10 elected city council members with the mayor acting as the presiding officer.
| Mayor | Took office | Left office | Additional information |
| Theophilus Robb | | | c. 1917–1918 |
| Paul Caruthers Jones (1901–1981) | 1933 | 1935 | U.S. Representative, Missouri senator, Missouri state representative |
| John Warren Karsten (1887–1964) | c. 1943 | 1951 | |
| Lee A. Pickard, Sr. (1892–1974) | 1951 | 1951 | |
| John Warren Karsten (1887–1964) | 1952 | 1952 | (He previously served as mayor.) |
| Lee A. Pickard, Sr. (1892–1974) | 1953 | 1954 | (He previously served as mayor.) |
| Arthur Oscar Billington (1911–1985) | 1955 | 1963 | |
| Sol Astrachan (1929–2022) | 1963 | 1971 | Born in the Free City of Danzig. He was responsible for paving the streets and implementing zoning ordinances. |
| Harry E. Goddard (1907–1980) | 1971 | 1975 | |
| John Warren Karsten, Jr. (1922–1994) | 1975 | c. 1991 | He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. |
| Charles B. Brown (1940–2020) | c. 1991 | c. 1999 | |
| Donald Parker | | | c. 2005–2006 |
| Roger Wheeler, Sr. | | | c. 2008–2011 |
| Jake Crafton | 2011 | 2015 | He previously served as a councilman for 4 years. |
| Bob Hancock | 2015 | 2019 | He previously served as mayor pro-tem and councilman. |
| Chancellor P. Wayne, DC | 2019 | 2023 | Chiropractor |
| Jake Crafton | 2023 | | (He previously served as mayor.) |

## Education

Kennett has six public schools operated by the Kennett School District 39. The pre-school is called Kennett Early Learning Center. The elementary schools are South Elementary School and H. Byron Masterson Elementary School. The other schools are Kennett Middle School, Kennett High School, and Kennett Career and Technical Center. Kennett High School's baseball team won the class 4 state championship in 2021.
Kennett Christian Academy is a co-ed, private school affiliated with the First United Pentecostal Church that opened in 1979 and offers elementary through high school classes.
Kennett is home to two higher education branch institutions. Southeast Missouri State University at Kennett is a branch of the Cape Girardeau main campus and Three Rivers College (Missouri) is a branch of the Poplar Bluff main campus.
Kennett has a public library, the Dunklin County Library.

## Media

The Delta Dunklin Democrat serves as the area's local newspaper.

## Transportation

Kennett Memorial Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located one nautical mile (1.85 km) southeast of the central business district of Kennett.

## Notable people

* Sheryl Crow, Grammy-winning singer/songwriter
* John M. Dalton, former Missouri governor
* Gene Handley, professional baseball player
* Will Johnson, singer/songwriter and member of band Monsters of Folk
* Paul C. Jones, former congressman from Missouri
* Dan Landrum, hammered dulcimer player who tours with Yanni
* Fred Lasswell, cartoonist of Barney Google and Snuffy Smith
* David Nail, country music recording artist
* Gib Singleton, sculptor, Fulbright Scholar
* Sally Stapleton, Pulitzer-winning photojournalist
* Jeff Stone, former left fielder for the Philadelphia Phillies
* Trent Tomlinson, country singer
* Orville Zimmerman, United States Representative for Missouri's 10th congressional district, was a member of Kennett's board of education, 1928–1936