Population and Change. Over the period from 2000 to 2006, Butler County's population increased by 715, going from 40,867 to 41,582 in 2006. This was a change of 1.7 percent, as compared with Missouri (4.4%).
Components of Change. Natural Increase is defined as births minus deaths. Butler County had 217 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, Butler County had a net migration of 498.
Age. In 2006, Butler County reported 16.4 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 23.0 percent. Missouri reported 24.1 percent during the same period.
Racial Diversity. The 2006 vintage estimates from the Census Bureau indicate that 92.1 percent of the population in the county was White (38,299 persons), while the estimated black population was 2,100 (5.1%). The same set of estimates indicated there were 390 Asians (0.9%) and 253 American Indians (0.6%). Hispanic is not considered to be a race by the Census Bureau, but rather a separate category. In 2006 there were an estimated 561 hispanic persons (1.3%) living in the county.
Place of Residence. Estimates for 2006 also show 41.0 percent of the population lived in places of 2,500 or more in Butler County. Those living in smaller places account for 3.3 percent of the county's population and 55.7 percent lived in unincorporated areas.
Housing. According to the Census Bureau's estimates, there were 19,282 housing units in Butler County in 2006. The homeownership rate in 2000 was 68.9 percent compared to 70.3 percent statewide. The median value of owner-occupied housing units in 2000 was $59,400 compared with a statewide median value of $89,900.
Households and Families. There were about 16,737 households in the county according to the 2000 decennial census. Families comprised 68.1 percent of households (11,395). About 21.9 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 Butler County (8.9%) were fewer than Missouri (9.1%).
Families and Children. Median family income for Butler County was $33,371 in 2005 compared to $46,044 for Missouri.
The 2005 poverty rate in Butler County was 19.1 percent which was higher than that of the state (13.6%). The poverty rate among children (32.0%) was higher than that of the state (19.5%).
The annual Kids Count reports Butler County indicators on children were ranked 104 out of 114 counties and St. Louis City in the state in 2006. Kids Count indicators show that low birth weight infants decreased to 10.2 percent and births to teenage mothers were 92.5 per 1,000 girls. The area also reported child abuse cases at a rate of 62.4 per 1,000 for 2006 compared to 32.7 per 1,000 statewide.
Jobs by Sector. The October 2007 unemployment rate was 6.5 percent compared with 5.2 percent statewide. There were 26,662 jobs in Butler County in 2006. Manufacturing accounts for more than 15.6 percent of the total jobs (4,157). Health care and social assistance (4,083), Retail Trade (3,299) and Local government (1,951) are the next highest categories.
Agriculture. The 2002 Census of Agriculture reported 673 farms in the county with total sales of about $43.239 million and production expenses of $40.935 million. There was $2.304 million in net farm income reported in the county with 17.8 percent of all farms having sales of $100,000 or more and 51.4 percent of farms with less than $10,000 in sales.
County Income Patterns. Butler County generated over $1,100.146 million of total personal income in 2005. Per capita income was $26,613 compared with $31,231 for Missouri. Significant sources of income were:
Commuting. In Butler County, 11.1 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 Butler County 12.7 percent traveled as long. At the same time, 4.6 percent of workers traveled more than 60 minutes to work compared with 5.4 percent statewide.
Educational Attainment. In Butler County, about 11.6 percent of residents aged 25 years and over (3,207) were college graduates in 2000 compared with 21.6 percent statewide. An additional 6,790 residents 25 and over in Butler County had some college education (24.6%) compared with 27.0 percent of all Missourians of that age.
The high school graduation rate in Butler County (88.0%) in 2006 as reported by the Missouri Dept. of Education and Secondary Education was higher than the state (85.8%).
Disabilities. There were 3,835 persons age 65 and older in the county who reported having a disability in 2000 (60.6%). The corresponding Missouri rate is 55.3 percent. Among the working age population (aged 16 to 64) in Butler County 4,062 reported some work disability, a rate of 16.2 percent compared to a state rate of 10.8 percent.
Health Status Indicators. In 2003, over 26.9 percent of Butler 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 Butler County was estimated to be 11.9 percent. State health data report the top two prevalence indicators for the county were Obese (BMI greater than or equal to 30)(36.3%) and High Cholesterol (35 years and older)(42.4%). Missouri reported 23.4 percent and 37.3 percent in those same categories.
Age-adjusted Mortality. The top age-adjusted mortality rates (per 100,000) for Butler County are Heart Disease (321) and Lung Cancer (87.8). Missouri's rates were 298 and at 64.3 respectively.
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