Demographics

As of the census

Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 528 people, 230 households, and 143 families residing in the town. The population density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 528.8 people per square mile (203.9/km²). There were 257 housing units at an average density of 257.4 per square mile (99.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.48% White, 0.19% African American, 0.19% Native American, and 1.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.14% of the population.

There were 230 households out of which 23.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples

Marriage

Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the town the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $25,438, and the median income for a family was $28,929. Males had a median income of $24,432 versus $16,563 for females. The per capita income

Per capita income

Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the town was $12,504. About 14.3% of families and 23.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.8% of those under age 18 and 28.7% of those age 65 or over.

Local Legends and Phenomena

According to local legend http://www.dddnews.com/story/1168164.html there is a ghostlight (or "spooklight") near Arbyrd. This "Light" is known variously as the "Arbyrd Light" or as the "Senath Light." The alleged location actually lies between three towns (Arbyrd, Senath and Hornersville) on an old gravel road near the community known as Hollywood.

Culture/Notable People

The Missouri Bootheel was the home of two members of The Kentucky Headhunters

The Kentucky Headhunters

The Kentucky Headhunters are an American country rock band. They were founded in 1968 as Itchy Brother, which comprised brothers Richard Young and Fred Young along with Greg Martin and Anthony Kenney...

, Doug and Ricky Phelps. They grew up in Cardwell and Arbyrd and obtained their education from the Southland C-9 school district. Doug and Ricky were both members of the Headhunters who then left to form their own band called - Brother Phelps

Brother Phelps

Brother Phelps was an American country music duo formed by brothers Ricky Lee and Doug Phelps . Prior to the duo's formation in 1992, both brothers were members of The Kentucky Headhunters, a country rock band. In 1993, Brother Phelps charted with its debut single "Let Go", which reached a peak of...

. Once Ricky decided to take his music into a more gospel arena, Doug rejoined the Kentucky Headhunters as the lead singer. Doug and Ricky came back (as Brother Phelps) to the Missouri Bootheel. They performed at the Cotton Pickin Festival in Arbyrd, a place where they spent lots of time while growing up.