New Madrid County, Missouri

{{short description|County in Missouri, United States}} {{Use American English|date=June 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}} {{Infobox U.S. county | county = New Madrid County | state = Missouri | seal = | founded year = 1812 | founded date = October 1 | seat wl = New Madrid | largest city wl = Portageville | area_total_sq_mi = 697 | area_land_sq_mi = 675 | area_water_sq_mi = 22 | area percentage = 3.1 | population_as_of = 2020 | population_total = 16434 | pop_est_as_of = 2025 | population_est = 15086 {{decrease}} | population_density_sq_mi = auto | time zone = Central | footnotes = | web = | named for = Madrid, Spain | district = 8th | ex image = New Madrid County Courthouse.jpg | ex image cap = New Madrid County Courthouse }}

'''New Madrid County''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|æ|d|r|ᵻ|d}} {{respell|MAD|rid}}; {{langx|es|Condado de Nueva Madrid }}; {{langx|fr|Comté de New Madrid}}) is a county located in the Bootheel of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,434.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0500000US29143|title = Explore Census Data}}</ref> The largest city is Portageville and county seat is New Madrid, located on the northern side of the Kentucky Bend in the Mississippi River, where it has formed an oxbow around an exclave of Fulton County, Kentucky.<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=June 7, 2011|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref> This feature has also been known as New Madrid Bend or Madrid Bend, for the city.

The county was officially organized on October 1, 1812, encompassing most of present-day Arkansas. Named after ''Nuevo Madrid,'' a district located in the region, the area was under Spanish rule following France's cession of Louisiana after being defeated in the Seven Years' War. The Spanish named the district after Madrid, the capital of Spain.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RfAuAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA335 | title=How Missouri Counties, Towns and Streams Were Named | publisher=The State Historical Society of Missouri | author=Eaton, David Wolfe | year=1917 | pages=335}}</ref>

The county includes a large part of the New Madrid fault that produced the 1811–12 New Madrid earthquakes. This zone remains geologically active, and had continued to produce smaller earthquakes with some frequency.

==History== French Canadians from New France landed in this area in 1781 and established the first European settlement in the present county at New Madrid along the Mississippi River.<ref name="archive">{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/historyofgrundyc00kans/historyofgrundyc00kans_djvu.txt|title=Full text of "The History of Grundy County, Missouri: An Encyclopedia of Useful Information, and a Compendium of Actual Facts. It contains a condensed history of the state of Missouri and its chief cities ... ; its pioneer record, war history, resources, biographical sketches"|year=1881|access-date=February 21, 2014}}</ref> France had ceded this area to Spain following its loss in the Seven Years' War. The Spanish governor, Bernardo de Gálvez, appointed American colonel William Morgan, a Revolutionary War veteran from New Jersey, as empresario to recruit new settlers for the area. Morgan attracted about 2,000 settlers before Spain returned this territory to France in the late 18th century. They settled mostly in the area of what is now the city of New Madrid, Missouri. After failing to regain control of its colony of Saint-Domingue, where a slave rebellion had been raging, France gave up on North America, selling its large territory west of the Mississippi River in 1803 to the United States under the Louisiana Purchase.

New Madrid County was organized on October 1, 1812, as an act of the First General Assembly of the Missouri Territory.<ref name="google">{{cite book|title=Missouri Historical Review|author1=Shoemaker, F.C.|author2=State Historical Society of Missouri|year=1917|issue=v. 11|publisher=State Historical Society of Missouri.|issn=0026-6582|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HR0UAAAAYAAJ}}</ref> In the floodplain of the Mississippi, this area was long cultivated by planters using enslaved African Americans for cotton production.

A series of more than 1,000 earthquakes struck the area in 1811 and 1812. The New Madrid earthquakes were the strongest non-subduction zone earthquake in the United States. A request dated January 13, 1814, by the Territorial Governor William Clark, asked for federal relief for the "inhabitants of New Madrid County."{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}

The county had its peak of population in 1940, according to US census records, as shown in the table. Many residents left the rural county from 1950 to 1970, seeking better work opportunities in the North and Midwest. County population has continued to decline. In 2017 the county was featured in an episode of ''Madrid de sol a sol'', a show from Spanish public channel Telemadrid exploring locations named "Madrid".<ref>{{cite web|title=Madrid de Sol a Sol: New Madrid, Estados Unidos|url=http://telemadrid.es/programas/madrid-de-sol-a-sol/Madrid-Sol-New-Unidos-2-1928227173--20170807112301.html|website=Telemadrid – Radio Televisión Madrid|date=August 7, 2017|access-date=August 16, 2017}}</ref>

==Geography== [[Image:Kentucky Bend map.png|thumb|Kentucky Bend and surrounding area {{legend|#bfffff|Missouri (MO)|border=thin solid #999933}} {{legend|#febffe|Tennessee (TN)|border=thin solid #999933}} {{legend|#ffffef|Kentucky (KY)|border=thin solid #999933}} ]] According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of {{convert|697|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|675|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|22|sqmi}} (3.1%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_29.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=November 17, 2014|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021170230/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_29.txt|archive-date=October 21, 2013}}</ref>

The county is located on the Kentucky Bend of the Mississippi River, which forms a border of the county. This feature is also known as New Madrid Bend or Madrid Bend. This oxbow flows around an exclave of Fulton County, Kentucky. Scientists expect that eventually the river will cut a new channel across the narrow neck of the peninsula, which will gradually be attached by infill land to Missouri.

Unlike most of Missouri, southern parts of New Madrid County are within the Sun Belt, defined by the Kinder Institute as being south of 36°30'N latitude.<ref>https://kinder.rice.edu/urbanedge/large-young-and-fast-growing-sun-belt-metros-need-urban-policy-innovation#:~:text=The%20Kinder%20Institute%20defines%20the,degrees%2030%20minutes%20north%20latitude</ref>

===Adjacent counties=== *Scott County (north) *Mississippi County (northeast) *Fulton County, Kentucky (south and east across the Mississippi river) *Lake County, Tennessee (south across the river) *Pemiscot County (south) *Dunklin County (southwest) *Stoddard County (northwest)

===Major highways=== *20px Interstate 55 *20px Future Interstate 57 *20px U.S. Route 60 *20px U.S. Route 61 *20px U.S. Route 62 *20px Route 153 *20px Route 162

==Demographics== {{US Census population |1820= 2296 |1830= 2350 |1840= 4554 |1850= 5541 |1860= 5654 |1870= 6357 |1880= 7694 |1890= 9317 |1900= 11280 |1910= 19488 |1920= 25180 |1930= 30262 |1940= 39787 |1950= 39444 |1960= 31350 |1970= 23420 |1980= 22945 |1990= 20928 |2000= 19760 |2010= 18956 |2020= 16434 |estyear=2025 |estimate=15086 |estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2025">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html|title=County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2025|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 12, 2026}}</ref> {{decrease}} |align-fn=center |footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=November 17, 2014}}</ref> 1790-1960<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=November 17, 2014}}</ref> 1900-1990<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/mo190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=November 17, 2014}}</ref> 1990-2000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327165705/http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-date=March 27, 2010 |url-status=live|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=November 17, 2014}}</ref> 2010-2015<ref name="QF">{{cite web|title=State & County QuickFacts|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/29/29143.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=September 12, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607043241/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/29/29143.html|archive-date=June 7, 2011}}</ref> | align = right }}

===2020 census=== As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 16,434. The median age was 42.6 years, 23.7% of residents were under the age of 18, and 20.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.1 males age 18 and over.<ref name="Census2020DP">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/dp?get=NAME,DP1_0021P,DP1_0024P,DP1_0025C,DP1_0049C,DP1_0045C,DP1_0069C,DP1_0073C,DP1_0125P,DP1_0126P,DP1_0129P,DP1_0138P,DP1_0139P,DP1_0141P,DP1_0142P,DP1_0143P,DP1_0145P,DP1_0146P,DP1_0147C,DP1_0148C,DP1_0149C,DP1_0156C,DP1_0157C,DP1_0158C,DP1_0159P,DP1_0160P&for=county%3A143&in=state%3A29|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2021|access-date=December 18, 2025|df=mdy}}</ref><ref name="Census2020PL">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=NAME%2CP1_001N%2CP1_003N%2CP1_004N%2CP1_005N%2CP1_006N%2CP1_007N%2CP1_008N%2CP1_009N%2CP2_001N%2CP2_002N%2CH1_001N%2CH1_002N&for=county%3A143&in=state%3A29|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2021|access-date=December 18, 2025|df=mdy}}</ref>

12.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 87.4% lived in rural areas.<ref name="Census2020DHC">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/dhc?get=NAME,P2_002N,P2_003N&for=county%3A143&in=state%3A29|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2023|access-date=December 18, 2025|df=mdy}}</ref>

There were 6,917 households in the county, of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 31.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.<ref name="Census2020DP"/>

There were 7,870 housing units, of which 12.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 63.6% were owner-occupied and 36.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.8%.<ref name="Census2020DP"/>

===2000 census=== As of the census<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 19,760 people, 7,824 households, and 5,508 families residing in the county. The population density was {{convert|29|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people |people|}}. There were 8,600 housing units at an average density of {{convert|13|/mi2|/km2|adj=pre|units }}. The racial makeup of the county was 83.21% White, 15.36% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. Approximately 0.93% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Among the major first ancestries reported in New Madrid County were 32.4% American, 10.3% Irish, 8.8% English, and 8.7% German ancestry.

There were 7,824 households, out of which 32.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.00% were married couples living together, 14.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.60% were non-families. 26.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.40% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 15.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 92.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,758, and the median income for a family was $39,411. Males had a median income of $28,408 versus $19,186 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,227. About 18.60% of families and 22.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.40% of those under age 18 and 19.20% of those age 65 or over.

===Racial and ethnic composition=== The racial and ethnic composition as reported in the 2020 redistricting data is shown in the table below.<ref name="Census2020PL">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=NAME,P1_001N,P1_003N,P1_004N,P1_005N,P1_006N,P1_007N,P1_008N,P1_009N,P2_001N,P2_002N,H1_001N,H1_002N&for=county%3A143&in=state%3A29|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2021|access-date=December 18, 2025|df=mdy}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;" |+'''New Madrid County, Missouri – Racial and ethnic composition''' {{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}} !Race / Ethnicity (''NH = Non-Hispanic'') !Pop 1980<ref name=1980Census>{{Cite web|title=1980 Census of Population - General Social and Economic Characteristics - Missouri- Table 16 - Persons by Spanish Origin, Race, and Sex: 1980 |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1980/volume-1/missouri/1980a_moabc-02.pdf|website=United States Census Bureau|page=20-25}}</ref> !Pop 1990<ref>{{Cite web |title=1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Missouri: Table 5 - Race and Hispanic Origin |website=United States Census Bureau|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1990/cp-1/cp-1-27.pdf|access-date=|page=13-63}}</ref> !Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – New Madrid County, Missouri|url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=050XX00US29143&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|website=United States Census Bureau |access-date= }}</ref> !Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – New Madrid County, Missouri|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=050XX00US29143&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=United States Census Bureau |access-date= }}</ref> !style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – New Madrid County, Missouri|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=050XX00US29143&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=United States Census Bureau |access-date= }}</ref> !% 1980 !% 1990 !% 2000 !% 2010 !style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020 |- |White alone (NH) |19,183 |17,497 |16,345 |15,380 |style='background: #ffffe6; |12,610 |83.60% |83.61% |82.72% |81.14% |style='background: #ffffe6; |76.73% |- |Black or African American alone (NH) |3,549 |3,267 |3,024 |2,983 |style='background: #ffffe6; |2,731 |15.47% |15.61% |15.30% |15.74% |style='background: #ffffe6; |16.62% |- |Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) |19 |34 |33 |40 |style='background: #ffffe6; |25 |0.08% |0.16% |0.17% |0.21% |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.15% |- |Asian alone (NH) |32 |36 |26 |75 |style='background: #ffffe6; |62 |0.14% |0.17% |0.13% |0.40% |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.38% |- |Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) |x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census</ref> |x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census</ref> |1 |7 |style='background: #ffffe6; |1 |x |x |0.01% |0.04% |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.01% |- |Other race alone (NH) |12 |1 |5 |8 |style='background: #ffffe6; |27 |0.05% |0.00% |0.03% |0.04% |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.16% |- |Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) |x <ref>not an option in the 1980 Census</ref> |x <ref>not an option in the 1990 Census</ref> |143 |249 |style='background: #ffffe6; |725 |x |x |0.72% |1.31% |style='background: #ffffe6; |4.41% |- |Hispanic or Latino (any race) |150 |93 |183 |214 |style='background: #ffffe6; |253 |0.65% |0.44% |0.93% |1.13% |style='background: #ffffe6; |1.54% |- |'''Total''' |'''22,945''' |'''20,928''' |'''19,760''' |'''18,956''' |style='background: #ffffe6; |'''16,434 ''' |'''100.00%''' |'''100.00%''' |'''100.00%''' |'''100.00%''' |style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%''' |}

==Religion== According to the Association of Religion Data Archives County Membership Report (2000), New Madrid County is a part of the Bible Belt as evangelical Protestantism is the majority religion. The most predominant denominations among residents in New Madrid County who adhere to a religion are Southern Baptists (62.86%), Roman Catholics (8.80%), and Methodists (7.36%).

==Education== Of adults 25 years of age and older in New Madrid County, 63.6% possess a high school diploma or higher while 9.6% hold a bachelor's degree or higher as their highest educational attainment.

School districts including sections of the county, no matter how slight, even if the relevant schools and/or administration buildings in another county:<ref>{{cite map|author=Geography Division|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st29_mo/schooldistrict_maps/c29143_new_madrid/DC20SD_C29143.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: New Madrid County, MO|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|date=January 12, 2021|access-date=2025-05-30}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st29_mo/schooldistrict_maps/c29143_new_madrid/DC20SD_C29143_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref> {{div col|colwidth=30em}} * East Prairie R-II School District * Gideon 37 School District * New Madrid County R-I School District * Portageville School District * Risco R-II School District * Sikeston R-VI School District {{div col end}}

===Public schools=== *Gideon School District 37 - Gideon **Gideon Elementary School (K-6) **Gideon High School (7-12) *New Madrid County Central R-I School District - New Madrid **Lilbourn Elementary School (PK-5) - Lilbourn **Matthews Elementary School (PK-5) - Matthews **New Madrid County Central Elementary School (PK-5) **New Madrid County Central Middle School (6-08) **New Madrid County Central High School (9-12) *Portageville School District - Portageville **Portageville Elementary School (PK-5) **Portageville Middle School (6-8) **Portageville High School (9-12) *Risco R-II School District - Risco **Risco Elementary School (K-6) **Risco High School (7-12)

===Private schools=== *St. Eustachius Elementary School - Portageville - (PK-8) - Roman Catholic *Immaculate Conception School - New Madrid - (PK-8) - Roman Catholic

===Alternative/vocational schools=== *New Madrid Bend Youth Center - New Madrid - (6-12) - Alternative *New Madrid R-I Technical Skills Center - New Madrid - (9-12) - Vocational/Technical

===Public libraries=== *Lilbourn Memorial Library<ref>{{cite web | last = Breeding | first = Marshall | title = Lilbourn Memorial Library | publisher = Libraries.org | url = https://librarytechnology.org/library/20353 | access-date = May 8, 2017}}</ref> *New Madrid County Library<ref>{{cite web | last = Breeding | first = Marshall | title = New Madrid County Library | publisher = Libraries.org | url = https://librarytechnology.org/library/20383 | access-date = May 8, 2017}}</ref>

===Colleges and universities=== Three Rivers College's service area includes New Madrid County.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://trcc.edu/wp-content/uploads/23-24_Catalog_Information.pdf|title=23-24 Catalog_Information|publisher=Three Rivers College|page=11 (PDF p. 7/44)|access-date=2025-06-01}}</ref>

==Communities== ===Cities and Towns=== {{div col|colwidth=18em}} *Canalou *Catron *Gideon *Howardville *Lilbourn *Marston *Matthews *Morehouse *New Madrid (county seat) *North Lilbourn *Parma *Portageville (partly in Pemiscot County) *Risco *Sikeston (mostly in Scott County) *Tallapoosa {{div col end}}

===Unincorporated communities=== {{Div col|colwidth=10em|rules=yes}} * Bayouville * Big Ridge * Boekerton * Broadwater * Como * Conran * Dodds * Farrenburg * Hartzell * Hurricane Ridge * Kewanee * La Forge * Lorwood * Noxall * Point Pleasant * Ristine {{div col end}}

==Politics==

===Local=== The Democratic Party formerly almost completely controlled politics at the local level in New Madrid County. Democrats and Republicans now almost evenly split all elected positions in the county.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bock/St |first1=Jill |last2=Democrat |first2=ard |title=Filing opens to fill New Madrid County and state offices |url=https://standard-democrat.com/story/2936891.html |website=Sikeston Standard Democrat |language=en |date=March 1, 2022}}</ref>

{{Missouri county elected officials | name =New Madrid County, Missouri | assessor =Jacob E. Johnson | assessorparty =Democratic | circuitclerk =Shannon Landers | circuitclerkparty =Republican | countyclerk =Amy Brown | countyclerkparty =Republican | presiding =Mark Baker | presidingparty =Republican | district1 =Bobby Aycock Jr. | district1party =Democratic | district2 =Michael Kellams | district2party =Republican | collector =Dewayne Nowlin | collectorparty =Republican | coroner =George A. DeLisle | coronerparty =Democratic | prosecutor =Andrew Lawson | prosecutorparty =Republican | administrator =Paula Scobey | administratorparty=Democratic | recorder =Kim St. Mary Hall | recorderparty =Democratic | sheriff =Joey Higgerson | sheriffparty =Republican | surveyor =Charles Ice | surveyorparty =Democratic | treasurer =Steve Riley | treasurerparty =Democratic }}

===State=== New Madrid County is wholly encompassed by the 149th Missouri House of Representatives district and is currently represented by Republican Don Rone of Portageville.<ref name="149 results">{{cite web |title=Our Campaigns - United States - Missouri - MO State House - MO State House 149 |url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/ContainerDetail.html?ContainerID=13071 |website=www.ourcampaigns.com}}</ref> {{Election box begin | title=Missouri House – District 149 – New Madrid County (2020)<ref name="149 results" />}} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = '''Don Rone''' |votes = |percentage = '''100.00%''' |change = }} {{Election box end}} {{Election box begin | title=Missouri House – District 149 – New Madrid County (2018)<ref name="149 results" />}} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = '''Don Rone''' |votes = '''4,083''' |percentage = '''71.57%''' |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = William D. "Bill" Burlison |votes = 1,468 |percentage = 25.73% |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Independent Party (United States) |candidate = Jacqueline T. "Jackie" McGee |votes = 154 |percentage = 2.70% |change = }} {{Election box end}}

In the Missouri Senate, all of New Madrid County is a part of Missouri's 25th District and is currently represented by Republican Jason Bean of Poplar Bluff.<ref>{{cite web |title=Missouri Senate – One Hundred First General Assembly – Missouri Senate |url=https://www.senate.mo.gov/2022-senator-listing-2/ |access-date=March 19, 2022 |archive-date=March 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316213316/https://www.senate.mo.gov/2022-senator-listing-2/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

{{Election box begin | title=Missouri Senate – District 25 – New Madrid County (2020)}} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = '''Jason Bean''' |votes = |percentage = '''100.00%''' |change = }} {{Election box end}} {{Election box begin | title=Missouri Senate – District 25 – New Madrid County (2016)<ref>{{cite web |title=Our Campaigns - MO State Senate 25 Race - Nov 08, 2016 |url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=813922 |website=www.ourcampaigns.com}}</ref>}} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = '''Doug Libla''' |votes = '''6,952''' |percentage = '''58.65%''' |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = William D. "Bill" Burlison |votes = 3,195 |percentage = 41.35% |change = }} {{Election box end}} {{Election box begin | title=Missouri Senate - District 25 - New Madrid County (2008)}} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = Rob Mayer |votes = 4,217 |percentage = 54.53 |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = M. Shane Stoelting |votes = 3,517 |percentage = 45.47 |change = }} {{Election box end}}

{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; font-size:95%;" |+ Past Gubernatorial Elections Results<ref>{{cite web |title=Our Campaigns - Container Detail Page |url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/ContainerHistory.html?ContainerID=147 |website=www.ourcampaigns.com}}</ref> |- bgcolor=lightgrey ! Year ! Republican ! Democratic ! Third Parties |- |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|2024 |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''78.32%''' ''5,231'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|19.55% ''1,306'' |align="center" |2.12% ''142'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|2020 |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''74.39%''' ''5,338'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|24.01% ''1,723'' |align="center" |1.80% ''115'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|2016 |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''60.29%''' ''4,392'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|37.80% ''2,754'' |align="center" |1.91% ''139'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|2012 |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|44.64% ''2,732'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''59.70%''' ''4,270'' |align="center" |1.49% ''120'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|2008 |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|38.19% ''3,574'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''53.87%''' ''4,313'' |align="center" |2.11% ''151'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|2004 |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|47.57% ''3,737'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''51.38%''' ''4,036'' |align="center" |1.05% ''82'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|2000 |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|41.28% ''2,978'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''57.50%''' ''4,148'' |align="center" |1.22% ''88'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|1996 |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|28.14% ''2,106'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''70.43%''' ''5,270'' |align="center" |1.43% ''107'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|1992 |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|38.99% ''3,087'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''61.01%''' ''4,830'' |align="center" |0.00% ''0'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|1988 |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''50.94%''' ''3,594'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|48.89% ''3,449'' |align="center" |0.17% ''12'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|1984 |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''50.34%''' ''3,979'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|49.66% ''3,926'' |align="center" |0.00% ''0'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|1980 |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|38.82% ''3,176'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''61.14%''' ''5,002'' |align="center" |0.04% ''3'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|1976 |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|37.75% ''2,951'' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''62.20%''' ''4,863'' |align="center" |0.05% ''4'' |}

===Federal=== New Madrid 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. {{Election box begin | title=U.S. House of Representatives – Missouri’s 8th Congressional District – New Madrid County (2020)<ref name="House results">{{cite web |title=Our Campaigns - MO District 08 Race - Nov 03, 2020 |url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=869903 |website=www.ourcampaigns.com}}</ref>}} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = '''Jason Smith''' |votes = '''5,326''' |percentage = '''75.13%''' |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Kathy Ellis |votes = 1,676 |percentage = 23.64% |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Libertarian Party (United States) |candidate = Tom Schmitz |votes = 87 |percentage = 1.23% |change = }} {{Election box end}} {{Election box begin|title=U.S. House of Representatives – Missouri's 8th Congressional District – New Madrid County (2018)<ref name="House results" />}} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = '''Jason Smith''' |votes = '''4,093''' |percentage = '''72.09%''' |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Kathy Ellis |votes = 1,520 |percentage = 26.77% |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Libertarian Party (United States) |candidate = Jonathan L. Shell |votes = 65 |percentage = 1.14% |change = }} {{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin | title=U.S. House of Representatives - District 8 - Special Election – New Madrid County (2013)}} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = '''Steve Hodges''' |votes = '''1,008''' |percentage = '''51.85''' |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = Jason T. Smith |votes = 891 |percentage = 45.83 |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Constitution Party (United States) |candidate = Doug Enyart |votes = 25 |percentage = 1.29 |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Libertarian Party (United States) |candidate = Bill Slantz |votes = 20 |percentage = 1.03 |change = }} {{Election box end}} {{Election box begin | title=U.S. House of Representatives - District 8 – New Madrid County (2012)}} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = '''Jo Ann Emerson''' |votes = '''4,888''' |percentage = '''68.30''' |change = +6.53 }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Jack Rushin |votes = 2,133 |percentage = 29.80 |change = -4.78 }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Libertarian Party (United States) |candidate = Rick Vandeven |votes = 136 |percentage = 1.90 |change = +0.39 }} {{Election box end}}

New Madrid County, along with the rest of the state of Missouri, is represented in the U.S. Senate by Josh Hawley (R-Columbia) and Roy Blunt (R-Strafford). {{Election box begin|title=U.S. Senate – Class I – New Madrid County (2018)<ref name="Senate results">{{cite web |title=Our Campaigns - United States - Missouri |url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/ContainerDetail.html?ContainerID=25 |website=www.ourcampaigns.com}}</ref>}} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = '''Josh Hawley''' |votes = '''3,967''' |percentage = '''69.09%''' |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Claire McCaskill |votes = 1,663 |percentage = 28.96% |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Libertarian Party (United States) |candidate = Japheth Campbell |votes = 44 |percentage = 0.77% |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Independent (politician) |candidate = Craig O'Dear |votes = 48 |percentage = 0.84% |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Green Party (United States) |candidate = Jo Crain |votes = 20 |percentage = 0.35% |change = }} {{Election box end}}

Blunt was elected to a second term in 2016 over then-Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander. {{Election box begin|title=U.S. Senate - Class III - New Madrid County (2016)<ref name="Senate results"/>}} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = '''Roy Blunt''' |votes = '''4,157''' |percentage = '''57.31%''' |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Jason Kander |votes = 2,844 |percentage = 39.21% |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Libertarian Party (United States) |candidate = Jonathan Dine |votes = 115 |percentage = 1.59% |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Green Party (United States) |candidate = Johnathan McFarland |votes = 84 |percentage = 1.14% |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Constitution Party (United States) |candidate = Fred Ryman |votes = 54 |percentage = 0.74% |change = }} {{Election box end}}

====Political culture==== {{PresHead|place=New Madrid County, Missouri|source=<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=March 25, 2018}}</ref>}}  {{PresRow|1888|Democratic|352|1,114|0|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1892|Democratic|361|1,215|71|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1896|Democratic|480|1,639|2|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1900|Democratic|668|1,379|5|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1904|Democratic|922|1,257|17|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1908|Democratic|1,436|1,824|115|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1912|Democratic|1,607|1,945|967|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1916|Democratic|2,039|2,715|125|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1920|Republican|3,745|3,637|116|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1924|Democratic|4,018|4,167|127|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1928|Republican|4,750|4,153|22|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1932|Democratic|3,768|7,837|47|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1936|Democratic|5,056|7,791|25|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1940|Democratic|6,318|9,591|24|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1944|Democratic|4,108|7,626|18|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1948|Democratic|2,082|8,925|11|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1952|Democratic|3,809|8,504|16|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1956|Democratic|3,552|8,419|0|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1960|Democratic|4,205|7,373|0|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1964|Democratic|2,583|7,415|0|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1968|Democratic|2,317|4,195|2,984|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1972|Republican|4,735|3,500|0|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1976|Democratic|2,798|5,319|19|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1980|Democratic|4,041|4,171|86|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1984|Republican|4,323|3,776|0|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1988|Democratic|3,387|3,812|9|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1992|Democratic|2,431|4,883|975|Missouri}} {{PresRow|1996|Democratic|2,417|4,451|702|Missouri}} {{PresRow|2000|Democratic|3,416|3,738|112|Missouri}} {{PresRow|2004|Republican|4,154|3,716|37|Missouri}} {{PresRow|2008|Republican|4,593|3,370|129|Missouri}} {{PresRow|2012|Republican|4,284|2,814|152|Missouri}} {{PresRow|2016|Republican|5,270|1,933|154|Missouri}} {{PresRow|2020|Republican|5,447|1,748|55|Missouri}} {{PresRow|2024|Republican|5,203|1,561|47|Missouri}} {{PresFoot}}

At the presidential level, New Madrid County, lying in the Missouri Bootheel (one of the regions of Missouri most closely associated with the American South), was powerfully Democratic from shortly after the Civil War through 2000; from 1868 through 2000, it voted Republican only in Harding's, Hoover's, Nixon's, and Reagan's national landslides in 1920, 1928, 1972, and 1984, respectively.<ref>{{Cite web|title=County winners, 1836-2016|url=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZmDRzvm83BYurKX7LsrET-C7tcIsE5Em42Wt-gTydXk/edit?usp=embed_facebook|access-date=January 16, 2021|website=Google Docs|language=en-US}}</ref> However, after the county switched from Gore to Bush in 2004, it has become a Republican stronghold, having, as of 2020, voted Republican five elections in a row, with the Republican vote share increasing in every election. In 2020, Trump exceeded three-quarters of the vote in the county.

Voters in New Madrid County generally adhere to socially and culturally conservative principles but are more moderate or populist on economic issues, typical of the Dixiecrat philosophy. In 2004, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman. New Madrid County passed it with 83.82 percent of the vote. The initiative passed the state with 71 percent support 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 New Madrid County with 56.09 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 New Madrid County's longstanding tradition of supporting socially conservative platforms, voters in the county support such populist causes as 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 New Madrid County with 75.66 percent of the vote. The proposition was strongly in every county in Missouri, with 78.99 percent voting in favor. During the same election, voters in five other states also strongly approved increases in the minimum wage.

===Missouri presidential preference primary (2008)=== {{main|2008 Missouri Democratic presidential primary|2008 Missouri Republican presidential primary}} In the 2008 presidential primary, voters in New Madrid 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 1,801, than any candidate from either party in New Madrid County during the 2008 presidential primary. She also received more votes than the total number of votes cast in the entire Republican Primary in New Madrid County.

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *[http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/specialcollections/platbooks.htm Digitized 1930 Plat Book of New Madrid County] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816173126/http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/specialcollections/platbooks.htm |date=August 16, 2011 }} from University of Missouri Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books

{{Geographic location |Centre = New Madrid County, Missouri |North = Scott County |Northeast = Mississippi County |East = Fulton County, Kentucky |Southeast = Lake County, Tennessee |South = Pemiscot County |Southwest = Dunklin County |West = |Northwest = Stoddard County }}

{{Coord|36.59|-89.66|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-MO_source:UScensus1990}}

Category:New Madrid County, Missouri Category:1812 establishments in Missouri Territory Category:Populated places in the United States established in 1812 Category:Missouri counties on the Mississippi River