Livingston County, Missouri
Template:Short description Template:Cleanup Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county
Livingston County is a county located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,557.<ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Chillicothe.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The county was organized January 6, 1837, and named for U.S. Secretary of State Edward Livingston.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Geography
[edit]According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (1.2%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>
Adjacent counties
[edit]- Grundy County (north)
- Linn County (east)
- Chariton County (southeast)
- Carroll County (south)
- Caldwell County (southwest)
- Daviess County (northwest)
Major highways
[edit]
Demographics
[edit]As of the 2010 census, there were 15,195 people, 5,871 households and 3,834 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 6,730 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 95.39% White, 2.42% Black or African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.38% from other races, and 1.20% from two or more races. Approximately 1.19% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 5,871 households, of which 29.59% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.29% were married couples living together, 10.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.70% were non-families. 29.94% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.43% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.90.
Age distribution was 21.91% under the age of 18, 7.74% from 18 to 24, 25.34% from 25 to 44, 26.81% from 45 to 64, and 18.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 81.02 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.47 males.
The median household income was $39,683, and the median family income was $53,325. Males had a median income of $38,282 versus $24,944 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,295. About 15.8% of families and 20.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.4% of those under age 18 and 18.4% of those age 65 or over.
2020 Census
[edit]| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 13,368 | 92% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 315 | 2.16% |
| Native American (NH) | 47 | 0.32% |
| Asian (NH) | 87 | 0.6% |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 5 | 0.03% |
| Other/Mixed (NH) | 496 | 3.4% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 239 | 1.64% |
Education
[edit]Public schools
[edit]- Chillicothe R-II School District – Chillicothe
- Chillicothe Early Learning Center (PK)
- Chillicothe Elementary School (K-05)
- Chillicothe Middle School (06-08)
- Chillicothe High School (09-12)
- Grand River Technical School
- Livingston County R-III School District – Chula
- Livingston County Elementary School (PK-08)
- Southwest Livingston County R-I School District – Ludlow
- Southwest Livingston County Elementary School (PK-06)
- Southwest Livingston County High School (07-12)
Private schools
[edit]Public libraries
[edit]- Livingston County Library<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Communities
[edit]Cities
[edit]- Chillicothe (county seat)
- Chula
- Wheeling
Villages
[edit]Census-designated place
[edit]Other unincorporated place
[edit]Notable people
[edit]- Bower Slack Broaddus, U.S. Federal Judge
- Courtney W. Campbell, U.S. Representative from Florida (1953-1955)
- Ray and Faye Copeland, serial killers
- Claude B. Hutchison, botanist, professor, and Mayor of Berkeley, California (1955-1963)
- Mike Lair, Missouri State Representative (2009–2016) and former teacher
- Jerry Litton, U.S. Representative from Missouri (1973-1976)
- Charles H. Mansur, U.S. Representative from Missouri (1887-1893)
- Shirley Collie Nelson, country music artist/actress
- Henry Moses Pollard, U.S. Representative from Missouri (1877-1879)
- John Quinn, Missouri State Representative (2001-2009)
- William Y. Slack, brigadier general and politician
- Clarence Edwin Watkins, publisher
Politics
[edit]Local
[edit]The Republican Party predominantly controls politics at the local level in Livingston County. Republicans hold a majority of the elected positions in the county.
Template:Missouri county elected officials
State
[edit]| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third Parties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 78.76% 5,295 | 19.57% 1,316 | 1.67% 112 |
| 2020 | 78.37% 5,258 | 19.85% 1,332 | 1.77% 119 |
| 2016 | 66.09% 4,189 | 31.43% 1,992 | 2.48% 157 |
| 2012 | 48.72% 2,922 | 48.46% 2,906 | 2.82% 169 |
| 2008 | 43.74% 2,830 | 54.40% 3,520 | 1.86% 120 |
| 2004 | 58.25% 3,680 | 40.84% 2,580 | 0.92% 58 |
| 2000 | 51.99% 3,236 | 46.16% 2,873 | 1.85% 115 |
| 1996 | 29.66% 1,798 | 68.54% 4,155 | 1.80% 109 |
All of Livingston County is a part of Missouri's 7th District in the Missouri House of Representatives and is currently represented by Rusty Black (R-Chillicothe). Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end
All of Livingston County is a part of Missouri's 21st District in the Missouri Senate and is currently represented by Denny Hoskins (R-Warrensburg). Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end
Federal
[edit]All of Livingston County is included in Missouri's 6th Congressional District and is currently represented by Sam Graves (R-Tarkio) in the U.S. House of Representatives. Graves was elected to an eleventh term in 2020 over Democratic challenger Gena Ross. Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end
Livingston 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). Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end
Blunt was elected to a second term in 2016 over then-Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander. Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end
Political Culture
[edit]Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFoot
At the presidential level, Livingston County has become solidly Republican in recent years. Bill Clinton was the last Democratic presidential nominee to carry Livingston County in 1996 with a plurality of the vote, and a Democrat hasn't won majority support from the county's voters in a presidential election since Jimmy Carter in 1976.
Like most rural areas throughout northern Missouri, voters in Livingston County generally adhere to socially and culturally conservative principles which tend to influence their Republican leanings, at least on the state and national levels. Despite support for socially conservative platforms, voters in the county have a penchant for advancing populist causes. In 2018, Missourians voted on a proposition (Proposition A) concerning right to work, the outcome of which ultimately reversed the right to work legislation passed in the state the previous year. 67.72% of Livingston County voters cast their ballots to overturn the law.
Missouri presidential preference primaries
[edit]2020
[edit]The 2020 presidential primaries for both the Democratic and Republican parties were held in Missouri on March 10. On the Democratic side, former Vice President Joe Biden (D-Delaware) both won statewide and carried Livingston County by a wide margin. Biden went on to defeat Trump in the general election. Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end
Incumbent President Donald Trump (R-Florida) faced a primary challenge from former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld, but won both Livingston County and statewide by large margins. Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end
2016
[edit]The 2016 presidential primaries for both the Republican and Democratic parties were held in Missouri on March 15. Businessman Donald Trump (R-New York) narrowly won the state overall and won a plurality of the vote in Livingston County. He went on to win the presidency. Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end
On the Democratic side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D-New York) narrowly won statewide, but Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) carried Livingston County by a single vote. Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end
2012
[edit]The 2012 Missouri Republican Presidential Primary's results were nonbinding on the state's national convention delegates. Voters in Livingston County supported former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania), who finished first in the state at large, but eventually lost the nomination to former Governor Mitt Romney (R-Massachusetts). Delegates to the congressional district and state conventions were chosen at a county caucus, which selected a delegation favoring former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Incumbent President Barack Obama easily won the Missouri Democratic Primary and renomination. He defeated Romney in the general election.
2008
[edit]In 2008, the Missouri Republican Presidential Primary was closely contested, with Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) prevailing and eventually winning the nomination. Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end
Then-Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York) received more votes than any candidate from either party in Livingston County during the 2008 presidential primary. Despite initial reports that Clinton had won Missouri, Barack Obama (D-Illinois), also a Senator at the time, narrowly defeated her statewide and later became that year's Democratic nominee, going on to win the presidency. Template:Election box begin Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box candidate with party link Template:Election box end
See also
[edit]- Hawn's Mill massacre
- Mormon War (1838)
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Livingston County, Missouri
References
[edit]External links
[edit]- Livingston County Library
- Digitized 1930 Plat Book of Livingston County Template:Webarchive from University of Missouri Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books