Population and Change. Over the period from 2000 to 2006, Benton County's population increased by 1,548, going from 17,180 to 18,728 in 2006. This was a change of 9.0 percent, as compared with Missouri (4.4%).
Components of Change. Natural Increase is defined as births minus deaths. Benton County had 555 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, Benton County had a net migration of 2,103.
Age. In 2006, Benton County reported 22.8 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 18.3 percent. Missouri reported 24.1 percent during the same period.
Racial Diversity. The 2006 vintage estimates from the Census Bureau indicate that 97.9 percent of the population in the county was White (18,327 persons), while the estimated black population was 26 (0.1%). The same set of estimates indicated there were 23 Asians (0.1%) and 101 American Indians (0.5%). Hispanic is not considered to be a race by the Census Bureau, but rather a separate category. In 2006 there were an estimated 200 hispanic persons (1.1%) 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 Benton County. Those living in smaller places account for 24.6 percent of the county's population and 75.4 percent lived in unincorporated areas.
Housing. According to the Census Bureau's estimates, there were 13,167 housing units in Benton County in 2006. The homeownership rate in 2000 was 82.2 percent compared to 70.3 percent statewide. The median value of owner-occupied housing units in 2000 was $65,700 compared with a statewide median value of $89,900.
Households and Families. There were about 7,444 households in the county according to the 2000 decennial census. Families comprised 70.0 percent of households (5,209). About 17.7 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 Benton County (6.3%) were fewer than Missouri (9.1%).
Families and Children. Median family income for Benton County was $32,459 in 2005 compared to $46,044 for Missouri.
The 2005 poverty rate in Benton County was 19.1 percent which was higher than that of the state (13.6%). The poverty rate among children (33.3%) was higher than that of the state (19.5%).
The annual Kids Count reports Benton County indicators on children were ranked 67 out of 114 counties and St. Louis City in the state in 2006. Kids Count indicators show that low birth weight infants decreased to 7.3 percent and births to teenage mothers were 46.6 per 1,000 girls. The area also reported child abuse cases at a rate of 51.4 per 1,000 for 2006 compared to 32.7 per 1,000 statewide.
Jobs by Sector. The October 2007 unemployment rate was 5.8 percent compared with 5.2 percent statewide. There were 7,821 jobs in Benton County in 2006. Retail Trade accounts for more than 16.5 percent of the total jobs (1,292). Farm employment (917), Construction (848) and Local government (844) are the next highest categories.
Agriculture. The 2002 Census of Agriculture reported 839 farms in the county with total sales of about $31.208 million and production expenses of $30.066 million. There was $1.142 million in net farm income reported in the county with 5.8 percent of all farms having sales of $100,000 or more and 55.9 percent of farms with less than $10,000 in sales.
County Income Patterns. Benton County generated over $408.609 million of total personal income in 2005. Per capita income was $21,804 compared with $31,231 for Missouri. Significant sources of income were:
Commuting. In Benton County, 39.0 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 Benton County 26.9 percent traveled as long. At the same time, 8.9 percent of workers traveled more than 60 minutes to work compared with 5.4 percent statewide.
Educational Attainment. In Benton County, about 8.8 percent of residents aged 25 years and over (1,115) were college graduates in 2000 compared with 21.6 percent statewide. An additional 3,085 residents 25 and over in Benton County had some college education (24.4%) compared with 27.0 percent of all Missourians of that age.
The high school graduation rate in Benton County (88.2%) in 2006 as reported by the Missouri Dept. of Education and Secondary Education was higher than the state (85.8%).
Disabilities. There were 1,964 persons age 65 and older in the county who reported having a disability in 2000 (53.5%). The corresponding Missouri rate is 55.3 percent. Among the working age population (aged 16 to 64) in Benton County 1,879 reported some work disability, a rate of 18.3 percent compared to a state rate of 10.8 percent.
Health Status Indicators. In 2003, over 17.2 percent of Benton 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 Benton County was estimated to be 28.5 percent. State health data report the top two prevalence indicators for the county were Current Smoker(29.4%) and High Cholesterol (35 years and older)(41.1%). Missouri reported 26.5 percent and 37.3 percent in those same categories.
Age-adjusted Mortality. The top age-adjusted mortality rates (per 100,000) for Benton County are Lung Cancer (93.1) and Motor Vehicle Accidents (36.8). Missouri's rates were 64.3 and at 20.2 respectively.
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