Population and Change. Over the period from 2000 to 2006, Atchison County's population decreased by 298, going from 6,430 in 2000 to 6,132 in 2006. This was a change of -4.6 percent, as compared with Missouri (4.4%).
Components of Change. Natural Increase is defined as births minus deaths. Atchison County had 149 more deaths than births between 2000 and 2006. Net migration is the difference between the number of people who moved into an area and the number of people who moved out. So a negative net migration means a net loss of persons due to migration, while a positive value represents a net gain. Between 2000 and 2006, Atchison County had a net migration of -150.
Age. In 2006, Atchison County reported 20.0 percent of its residents were 65 and older compared to 13.3 percent statewide. At the same time, the proportion of young people under 18 in the county was 21.2 percent. Missouri reported 24.1 percent during the same period.
Racial Diversity. The 2006 vintage estimates from the Census Bureau indicate that 96.6 percent of the population in the county was White (5,921 persons), while the estimated black population was 149 (2.4%). The same set of estimates indicated there were 21 Asians (0.3%) and 22 American Indians (0.4%). Hispanic is not considered to be a race by the Census Bureau, but rather a separate category. In 2006 there were an estimated 81 hispanic persons (1.3%) living in the county.
Place of Residence. Estimates for 2006 also show that no population lived in places of 2,500 or more and in Atchison County. Those living in smaller places account for 65.9 percent of the county's population and 34.1 percent lived in unincorporated areas.
Housing. According to the Census Bureau's estimates, there were 3,137 housing units in Atchison County in 2006. The homeownership rate in 2000 was 69.2 percent compared to 70.3 percent statewide. The median value of owner-occupied housing units in 2000 was $49,800 compared with a statewide median value of $89,900.
Households and Families. There were about 2,736 households in the county according to the 2000 decennial census. Families comprised 65.4 percent of households (1,790). About 20.3 percent of households were married couples with children under 18, which was less than for the state overall (23.3 percent). Single parent families in Atchison County (6.3%) were fewer than Missouri (9.1%).
Families and Children. Median family income for Atchison County was $38,279 in 2005 compared to $46,044 for Missouri.
The 2005 poverty rate in Atchison County was 14.1 percent which was higher than that of the state (13.6%). The poverty rate among children (20.6%) was higher than that of the state (19.5%).
The annual Kids Count reports Atchison County indicators on children were ranked 10 out of 114 counties and St. Louis City in the state in 2006. Kids Count indicators show that low birth weight infants decreased to 5.4 percent and births to teenage mothers were 50.0 per 1,000 girls. The area also reported child abuse cases at a rate of 51.2 per 1,000 for 2006 compared to 32.7 per 1,000 statewide.
Jobs by Sector. The October 2007 unemployment rate was 4.5 percent compared with 5.2 percent statewide. There were 3,270 jobs in Atchison County in 2006. Farm employment accounts for more than 18.1 percent of the total jobs (592). Health care and social assistance (367), Local government (357) and Retail Trade (335) are the next highest categories.
Agriculture. The 2002 Census of Agriculture reported 465 farms in the county with total sales of about $48.374 million and production expenses of $40.948 million. There was $7.426 million in net farm income reported in the county with 33.5 percent of all farms having sales of $100,000 or more and 25.8 percent of farms with less than $10,000 in sales.
County Income Patterns. Atchison County generated over $160.809 million of total personal income in 2005. Per capita income was $25,874 compared with $31,231 for Missouri. Significant sources of income were:
Commuting. In Atchison County, 27.2 percent of workers commute outside their home county to work in 2000. Statewide, 33.4 percent of workers traveled between 30 and 60 minutes to work, while in Atchison County 15.8 percent traveled as long. At the same time, 4.5 percent of workers traveled more than 60 minutes to work compared with 5.4 percent statewide.
Educational Attainment. In Atchison County, about 16.6 percent of residents aged 25 years and over (749) were college graduates in 2000 compared with 21.6 percent statewide. An additional 1,088 residents 25 and over in Atchison County had some college education (24.2%) compared with 27.0 percent of all Missourians of that age.
The high school graduation rate in Atchison County (95.9%) in 2006 as reported by the Missouri Dept. of Education and Secondary Education was higher than the state (85.8%).
Disabilities. There were 750 persons age 65 and older in the county who reported having a disability in 2000 (60.0%). The corresponding Missouri rate is 55.3 percent. Among the working age population (aged 16 to 64) in Atchison County 484 reported some work disability, a rate of 13.1 percent compared to a state rate of 10.8 percent.
Health Status Indicators. In 2003, over 14.3 percent of Atchison County residents report their health was “fair or poor” compared with 16.9 percent statewide. While . percent of Missourians reported having no health coverage, the percent without coverage in Atchison County was estimated to be 18.4 percent. State health data report the top two prevalence indicators for the county were No Mammogram or Clinical Breast Exam in Last Year (40 - 49 years of age)(75.4%) and Never had a Sigmoidoscopy or Colonoscopy(69.4%). Missouri reported 49.4 percent and 49.2 percent in those same categories.
Age-adjusted Mortality. The top age-adjusted mortality rates (per 100,000) for Atchison County are Alzheimer's Disease (22.6) and (.). Missouri's rates were 12.7 and at . respectively.
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