Population and Change. Over the period from 2000 to 2006, Barton County's population increased by 474, going from 12,541 to 13,015 in 2006. This was a change of 3.8 percent, as compared with Missouri (4.4%).
Components of Change. Natural Increase is defined as births minus deaths. Barton County had 188 more births than deaths 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, Barton County had a net migration of 286.
Age. In 2006, Barton County reported 15.5 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 24.7 percent. Missouri reported 24.1 percent during the same period.
Racial Diversity. The 2006 vintage estimates from the Census Bureau indicate that 97.0 percent of the population in the county was White (12,628 persons), while the estimated black population was 45 (0.3%). The same set of estimates indicated there were 47 Asians (0.4%) and 120 American Indians (0.9%). Hispanic is not considered to be a race by the Census Bureau, but rather a separate category. In 2006 there were an estimated 166 hispanic persons (1.3%) living in the county.
Place of Residence. Estimates for 2006 also show 35.5 percent of the population lived in places of 2,500 or more in Barton County. Those living in smaller places account for 19.2 percent of the county's population and 45.3 percent lived in unincorporated areas.
Housing. According to the Census Bureau's estimates, there were 5,635 housing units in Barton County in 2006. The homeownership rate in 2000 was 73.4 percent compared to 70.3 percent statewide. The median value of owner-occupied housing units in 2000 was $55,800 compared with a statewide median value of $89,900.
Households and Families. There were about 4,908 households in the county according to the 2000 decennial census. Families comprised 70.6 percent of households (3,466). About 26.5 percent of households were married couples with children under 18, which was more than for the state overall (23.3 percent). Single parent families in Barton County (7.5%) were fewer than Missouri (9.1%).
Families and Children. Median family income for Barton County was $35,638 in 2005 compared to $46,044 for Missouri.
The 2005 poverty rate in Barton County was 15.1 percent which was higher than that of the state (13.6%). The poverty rate among children (22.1%) was higher than that of the state (19.5%).
The annual Kids Count reports Barton County indicators on children were ranked 66 out of 114 counties and St. Louis City in the state in 2006. Kids Count indicators show that low birth weight infants decreased to 7.8 percent and births to teenage mothers were 56.7 per 1,000 girls. The area also reported child abuse cases at a rate of 36.4 per 1,000 for 2006 compared to 32.7 per 1,000 statewide.
Jobs by Sector. The October 2007 unemployment rate was 10.4 percent compared with 5.2 percent statewide. There were 8,325 jobs in Barton County in 2006. Manufacturing accounts for more than 21.7 percent of the total jobs (1,807). Farm employment (1,061), Retail Trade (852) and Local government (800) are the next highest categories.
Agriculture. The 2002 Census of Agriculture reported 960 farms in the county with total sales of about $66.376 million and production expenses of $63.523 million. There was $2.853 million in net farm income reported in the county with 11.9 percent of all farms having sales of $100,000 or more and 47.8 percent of farms with less than $10,000 in sales.
County Income Patterns. Barton County generated over $288.394 million of total personal income in 2005. Per capita income was $22,108 compared with $31,231 for Missouri. Significant sources of income were:
Commuting. In Barton County, 23.7 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 Barton County 16.9 percent traveled as long. At the same time, 4.0 percent of workers traveled more than 60 minutes to work compared with 5.4 percent statewide.
Educational Attainment. In Barton County, about 10.6 percent of residents aged 25 years and over (854) were college graduates in 2000 compared with 21.6 percent statewide. An additional 1,911 residents 25 and over in Barton County had some college education (23.7%) compared with 27.0 percent of all Missourians of that age.
The high school graduation rate in Barton County (82.4%) in 2006 as reported by the Missouri Dept. of Education and Secondary Education was less than the state (85.8%).
Disabilities. There were 1,091 persons age 65 and older in the county who reported having a disability in 2000 (55.8%). The corresponding Missouri rate is 55.3 percent. Among the working age population (aged 16 to 64) in Barton County 672 reported some work disability, a rate of 9.1 percent compared to a state rate of 10.8 percent.
Health Status Indicators. In 2003, over 16.2 percent of Barton 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 Barton County was estimated to be 23.3 percent. State health data report the top two prevalence indicators for the county were High Blood Pressure(29.5%) and High Cholesterol (35 years and older)(36.5%). Missouri reported 28.5 percent and 37.3 percent in those same categories.
Age-adjusted Mortality. The top age-adjusted mortality rates (per 100,000) for Barton County are Total Unintentional Injuries (55.9) and Motor Vehicle Accidents (29.4). Missouri's rates were 40.9 and at 20.2 respectively.
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