Population and Change. Over the period from 2000 to 2007, Bates County's population increased by 381, going from 16,653 to 17,034. This was a change of 2.3 percent, compared to 5.1 percent for the state.
Components of Change. Natural Increase is defined as births minus deaths. Bates County had 111 more births than deaths between 2000 and 2007. Net migration is the difference between the number of people who moved into an area and the number of people who moved out. A negative net migration means a net loss of persons due to migration (more out-movers than in-movers), while a positive value represents a net gain. Between 2000 and 2007, Bates County had an estimated net migration of 270.
Age. In 2007, an estimated 16.7 percent of Bates County residents were 65 and older compared to 13.3 percent statewide. At the same time, the Census Bureau estimated that young people (under 18) made up 23.4 percent of the county's population, compared to 24.1 percent for the state.
Racial Diversity. The 2007 vintage estimates from the Census Bureau indicate that 97.3 percent of the population in the county was White (16,660 persons), while the estimated Black population was 131 (0.8%). The same set of estimates indicated there were 50 Asians (0.3%) and 116 American Indians (0.7%). (These are all "race alone" figures.) Hispanic is not considered to be a race by the Census Bureau/OMB, but rather a separate ethnic category. In 2006, an estimated 266 Hispanic persons (1.6%) were living in the county.
Place of Residence. Sub-county estimates for 2007 indicate that 25.1 percent of the county's population lived in incorporated places of 2,500 or more. Those living in smaller places accounted for 28.0 percent of the county's population, while 46.9 percent lived in unincorporated areas.
Housing. According to the 2006 Census Bureau's estimates, there were 7,545 housing units in Bates County. The homeownership rate in 2000 was 75.0 percent compared to 70.3 percent statewide. In 2000, the median value of owner-occupied housing units was $58,000 compared with a statewide figure of $89,900.
Households and Families. There were about 6,521 households in the county according to the 2000 decennial census. Families comprised 70.6 percent of households (4,604). About 25.7 percent of households were married couples with children under 18, which was more than for the state overall (23.3%). Single parent families accounted for 7.4 percent of all Bates County households, compared to 9.1 percent in Missouri.
Families and Children. Median family income for Bates County was $36,470 in 1999, compared to $46,044 for Missouri.
Jobs by Sector. The May 2008 unemployment rate (per BLS, preliminary and not seasonally adjusted) was 6.4 percent, compared with 5.7 percent statewide. According to Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) estimates, in 2006 there were 8,558 jobs in Bates County. Farm employment accounted for more than 17.1 percent of the total jobs (1,463). Local government (1,054), Retail Trade (968) and Construction (806) were the next largest industries for this county.
Agriculture. The 2002 Census of Agriculture reported 1293 farms in the county with total sales of $57.326 million and production expenses of $51.738 million. In Bates County, $5.588 million in net farm income was reported with 9.9 percent of all farms having sales of $100,000 or more and 53.1 percent of farms with less than $10,000 in sales.
County Income Patterns. BEA estimates indicate that Bates County generated over $446.638 million dollars of total personal income in 2006. Per capita income was $26,240, compared with $32,789 for Missouri. Significant sources of income were:
Commuting. In Bates County, 43.8 percent of workers commuted outside their home county to work in 2000. Statewide, 25.2 percent of workers traveled between 30 and 60 minutes to work, while in Bates County 22.1 percent traveled as long. At the same time, 18.3 percent of workers traveled more than 60 minutes to work, compared with 5.4 percent statewide.
Educational Attainment. In 2000, about 10.1 percent of Bates County residents aged 25 years and over (1,111) were college graduates, compared to 21.6 percent statewide. An additional 2,353 had some college education (21.4%) compared with 27.0 percent of all Missourians over the age of 25.
In 2006, the high school graduation rate in Bates County (86.3%) was higher than the statewide rate (85.8%), as reported by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Disabilities. In 2000, 1,524 persons age 65 and older in Bates County reported having a disability (56.6%). The corresponding Missouri rate was 55.3 percent. Among the working age population (16 to 64) of Bates County, 1,086 reported some work disability, which was 11.0 percent of all persons in that age cohort, compared to a statewide figure of 10.8 percent.
Health Status Indicators. In 2003, over 23.9 percent of Bates County residents reported their health was “fair or poor” compared with 16.9 percent statewide. While 12.3 percent of Missourians reported having no health coverage, the percent without coverage in Bates County was estimated at 18.6 percent. State health data report the top two prevalence indicators for the county were No Mammogram or Clinical Breast Exam in Last Year (50 - 64 years of age) (59.8%) and High Blood Pressure (25.9%). Missouri reported 35.9 percent and 28.5 percent in those same categories.
Age-adjusted Mortality. The age-adjusted cause-of-mortality rates (per 100,000) significantly higher than the state for Bates County were Motor Vehicle Accidents (30.5) and Kidney Disease (19.8). The corresponding Missouri rates were 20.2 and 13.5, respectively.
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