City of Jackson plans to reset ward boundaries post-census

The notable population growth in Jackson since 2010 will soon result in a redrawing of ward boundaries within the city, the county seat of Cape Girardeau County.

According to the Census Bureau, Jackson's population grew from 13,758 in 2010 to 15,481 in 2021, an increase of more than 12.5%.

The Southeast Missouri Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission, based in Perryville, Missouri, and serving a seven-county region including Cape Girardeau, presented a plan Monday to increase the number of residents in Ward 1 and correspondingly decrease them in Wards 2, 3 and 4 -- in order to bring them into as close a population alignment as possible.

Drew Christian, deputy director of SEMO Regional Planning, said the realignment, if given final approval by the Jackson Board of Aldermen, would result in the following ward population counts.

• Ward 1: 3,857, up 260.
• Ward 2: 3,906, down 50.
• Ward 3: 3,929, down 111.
• Ward 4: 3,789, down 99.

"We will be developing legal descriptions of each ward and submit them to the city in the next couple of weeks," said Christian, noting the final decision on boundaries is up to the city aldermen.

Christian said SEMO Regional Planning is currently working on a contract to redraw the three wards in Perryville, which grew by 330 people since 2010 to 8,555 residents, according to the census.