De Soto, Missouri

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

De Soto is a city in Jefferson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 6,375 at the 2000 census. The town was organized in 1857 and is named for the explorer Hernando De Soto, who claimed the Louisiana Territory for Spain.

[edit] Geography

De Soto is located at 38°8′26″N, 90°33′27″W (38.140481, -90.557585)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.9 km² (3.8 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 6,375 people, 2,544 households, and 1,656 families residing in the city. The population density was 646.0/km² (1,673.6/mi²). There were 2,741 housing units at an average density of 277.8/km² (719.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.71% White, 1.71% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.02% of the population.

There were 2,544 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,725, and the median income for a family was $37,486. Males had a median income of $33,163 versus $20,039 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,971. About 11.4% of families and 14.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.1% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.