Missouri's Southeast Region

The Southeast region is both modern, like its largest metro, Cape Girardeau, and traditional, with some of the oldest historic sites in the state. The southernmost part of the region is commonly referred to as “the Bootheel” of Missouri, due to its shape.  The area features the rugged St. Francois mountains, the mighty Mississippi River, and some of the richest land for agriculture in the country. The region’s excellent transportation network is one of the many reasons companies like Proctor & Gamble, Tyson, and Unilever have operations here.

January 2013- AT&T announced it would hire more than 30 new full-time employees at its Cape Girardeau call center.

July 2012- National Asset Recovery Services, NARS, announced it was expanding again by hiring more than 100 new workers. This latest expansion will bring the company's workforce to about 700 employees in Cape Girardeau. The company provides business process outsourcing services to financial service firms in the U.S.

March 2012- TG Missouri, an auto supply plant in Perryville, announced a $39 million expansion which will result in 200 new jobs over the next five years.

Key Industries

Agribusiness, Manufacturing, Life Sciences, Transportation/Logistics

Major Employers

Accent Marketing Services: (Farmington)
American Railcar Inc.: (Kennett) 
Kyowa USA: (Cape Girardeau)
Buzzi Unicem, USA: (Cape Girardeau)
Delta Companies, Inc.: (Cape Girardeau)
Faurecia: (Dexter)
Gilster Mary-Lee: (Perryville)
Havco Wood Products: (Cape Girardeau)
Mondi Jackson Inc.: (Jackson)
Newell Rubbermaid: (Jackson)
Noranda Aluminum: (New Madrid)
Orgill: (Sikeston)
Piramal Glass: (Park Hills)
Proctor & Gamble Paper Products: (Jackson)
Sabreliner: (Perryville and Ste. Genevieve)
SRG Global: (Portageville)
TG Missouri Corp: (Perryville)
Trinity Marine: (Caruthersville)
Tyson Foods: (Dexter)
Unilever: (Sikeston)
RapcoHorizon: (Jackson)
Workforce, Inc.: (Cape Girardeau) 
WW Wood Products: (Dudley)

Area	Population 2011	Population Projection 2030	Civilian Labor Force (July 2012)	Employment (July 2012)	Unemployment (July 2012)	Unemployment Rate (July 2012)
Bollinger County	12,356	12,805	5,454	5,020	434	8%
Cape Girardeau County	76,632	84,612	37,804	35,194	2,610	6.90%
Dunklin County	31,974	28,765	13,532	12,193	1,339	9.90%
Iron County	10,656	7,494	4,764	4,295	469	9.80%
Madison County	12,195	13,304	6,052	5,593	459	7.60%
Mississippi County	14,306	11,443	5,677	5,110	567	10.00%
New Madrid County	18,783	12,554	8,272	7,511	761	9.20%
Pemiscot County	18,174	16,447	7,720	6,977	743	9.60%
Perry County	19,041	21,164	10,432	9,861	571	5.50%
St. Francois County	39,136	73,382	9,622	8,901	721	7.50%
Ste. Genevieve County	65,577	18,426	28,476	25,884	2592	9.10%
Scott County	18,124	41,076	20,031	18,494	1,537	7.70%
Stoddard County	29,807	28,973	14,679	13,454	1,225	8%
Southeast Region Summary	366,761	370,445	172,515	158,487	14,028	8%

Sources: MERIC and Missouri Office of Administration

Median Wages:

The regional average wage was $628 per week in the 1st Quarter of 2012.

Major roads in the region include I-55, I-57, I-155, US-60, US-61, US-62, and US-67. I-55 allows travel from Chicago to Louisiana, passing through St. Louis and Memphis. I-57 also originates in Chicago, passing through Effingham and Champaign, IL before terminating in Minor, Mo.  I-155 runs from Dyersburg, TN to Hayti, MO.

US-60 links Virginia to Arizona, with major junctions at Richmond, Lexington, Louisville, and Phoenix. U-61 provides transportation from St. Paul to New Orleans, passing through Memphis, Vicksburg, and Davenport. US-62 links New York to Texas, through Ohio, Kentucky, and Oklahoma. US-67 begins in Iowa and ends at the U.S.-Mexico border at Presidio.

Air travel to the region is provided by the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.

Class I rail access is provided by Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific.

There are several Mississippi River port facilities in the region, in Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, and Scott Counties.

Cape Girardeau (Pop: 38,402)
Sikeston (16,288)
Farmington (16,286)
Jackson (13,938)
Kennett (10,939)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011

Higher Education Institutions:

Mineral Area College: (Park Hills) 2-year, public
Southeast Missouri State University: (Cape Girardeau) 4-year, public

Educational Attainment:

Area	High School Diploma	Associate's Degree	Bachelor's Degree	Graduate Degree	Total Degrees
Bollinger County	3,741	398	503	352	4,994
Cape Girardeau County	16,063	2,189	8,387	4,351	30,990
Dunklin County	8,081	825	1,215	932	11,053
Iron County	3,057	414	462	211	4,144
Madison County	3,058	578	614	282	4,532
Mississippi County	3,923	265	733	275	5,196
New Madrid County	5,287	339	997	568	7,191
Pemiscot County	4,667	626	652	495	6,440
Perry County	5,882	778	1,083	452	8,195
St. Francois County	15,652	3,451	4,093	2,414	25,610
Ste. Genevieve County	5,378	972	1,016	449	7,815
Scott County	11,156	657	2,418	1,153	15,384
Stoddard County	8,825	1,001	1,493	928	12,247
Southeast Region Summary	94,770	12,493	23,666	12,862	143,791

University of Missouri Delta Research Center: (Portageville) Located in Pemiscot County, the Delta Research Center is one of the University of Missouri's Agriculture Experiment Stations. Researchers there are studying soybean cropping systems, as well as weed, insect and disease control with an emphasis on soybean cyst nematode resistance.

The quality of life in Southeast Missouri is impressive. Great schools, state-of-the-art medical facilities, a low cost of living, and a plethora of recreational options make it easy to see why so many call it home.

Hospitals in the region include Southeast Hospital (Cape Girardeau), St. Francis Medical Center (Cape Girardeau), Parkland Health Center (Farmington), Missouri Delta Medical Center (Sikeston).

Ste. Genevieve, a historic French Colonial village, is the oldest community west of the Mississippi River.  In addition to historic sites, the area has many wineries, such as Chaumette Vineyards.

Several state parks in the region offer endless opportunities for outdoor recreation.  Trail of Tears State Park has numerous trails for hiking and camping in addition to an accessible overlook of the Mississippi river.  At the Bollinger Mill State Historic Site a 19th-century mill and its neighboring covered bridge offer a glimpse of yesteryear.  Iron County contains some of the most beautiful scenic areas in the region, including Taum Sauk Mountain, the highest point in Missouri, and Johnson Shut-ins and Elephant Rocks State Parks. Johnson Shut-Ins is a uniquely beautiful swimming and camping area, while Elephant Rocks features hiking trails that wind through large granite rock formations. 

There are also many attractions to be found in the region’s cities. Sikeston is home to one of the top five professional outdoor rodeos, The Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo.  Jackson’s Iron Mountain Railway is the only rolling railroad museum in Missouri. The region’s largest city, Cape Girardeau offers many antique and specialty shops as well as historic sites. Cape is also the home of the Southeast Missouri State University Redhawks.