Randolph County was primarily settled by migrants from the Upper Southern states, especially Kentucky and Tennessee. They brought slaves and slaveholding traditions with them, and quickly started cultivating crops similar to those in Middle Tennessee and Kentucky: hemp and tobacco. Randolph was one of several counties settled mostly by Southerners to the north and south of the Missouri River. Given their culture and traditions, this area became known as Little Dixie, and Randolph County was at its heart.[4]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 488 square miles (1,260 km2), of which 483 square miles (1,250 km2) is land and 5.1 square miles (13 km2) (1.1%) is water.[5]
U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8] 1990-2000[9] 2010[10]
As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 24,663 people, 9,199 households, and 6,236 families residing in the county. The population density was 51 inhabitants per square mile (20/km2). There were 10,740 housing units at an average density of 22 units per square mile (8.5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 90.58% White, 7.03% Black or African American, 0.48% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 1.26% from two or more races. Approximately 1.14% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.1% were of German, 21.4% American, 10.9% English and 9.1% Irish ancestry.
There were 9,199 households, out of which 31.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.70% were married couples living together, 11.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.20% were non-families. 27.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.80% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 29.30% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 14.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 107.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,464, and the median income for a family was $39,268. Males had a median income of $26,878 versus $20,366 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,010. About 9.20% of families and 12.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.10% of those under age 18 and 13.20% of those age 65 or over.
The Republican Party mostly controls politics at the local level in Randolph County. Republicans hold all but three of the elected positions in the county.
Most of Randolph County is a part of Missouri's 6th District in the Missouri House of Representatives. The southern portions of the county are in the 44th, 47th, and 48th Districts.
^"Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
^Eaton, David Wolfe (1917). How Missouri Counties, Towns and Streams Were Named. The State Historical Society of Missouri. pp. 344.
^The Story of Little Dixie, Missouri, Missouri Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans Archived July 17, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, accessed June 3, 2008
^"2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
^"U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
^"Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
^"Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
^"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 18, 2014.
^"State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
^"Missouri Congressional Map" (PDF). sos.mo.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 1, 2015. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
^"Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler". Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
^Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
External linksedit
Digitized 1930 Plat Book of Randolph County Archived August 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine from University of Missouri Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books