Population and Change. Over the period from 2000 to 2007, Carter County's population decreased by 12, going from 5,941 in 2000 to 5,929 in 2007. This was a change of -0.2 percent, compared to 5.1 percent for the state.
Components of Change. Natural Increase is defined as births minus deaths. Carter County had 41 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, Carter County had an estimated net migration of -53.
Age. In 2007, an estimated 15.8 percent of Carter 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 23.9 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 96.4 percent of the population in the county was White (5,742 persons), while the estimated Black population was 6 (0.1%). The same set of estimates indicated there were 14 Asians (0.2%) and 89 American Indians (1.5%). (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 72 Hispanic persons (1.2%) were living in the county.
Place of Residence. Sub-county estimates for 2007 indicate that none of the county's population lived in places of 2,500 or more. Those living in smaller places accounted for 24.0 percent of the county's population, while 76.0 percent lived in unincorporated areas.
Housing. According to the 2006 Census Bureau's estimates, there were 3,144 housing units in Carter County. The homeownership rate in 2000 was 76.7 percent compared to 70.3 percent statewide. In 2000, the median value of owner-occupied housing units was $51,900 compared with a statewide figure of $89,900.
Households and Families. There were about 2,377 households in the county according to the 2000 decennial census. Families comprised 70.1 percent of households (1,666). About 22.7 percent of households were married couples with children under 18, which was less than for the state overall (23.3%). Single parent families accounted for 8.9 percent of all Carter County households, compared to 9.1 percent in Missouri.
Families and Children. Median family income for Carter County was $28,506 in 1999, compared to $46,044 for Missouri.
Jobs by Sector. The May 2008 unemployment rate (per BLS, preliminary and not seasonally adjusted) was 6.0 percent, compared with 5.7 percent statewide. According to Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) estimates, in 2006 there were 2,593 jobs in Carter County. Local government accounted for more than 12.6 percent of the total jobs (327). Retail Trade (315), Manufacturing (271) and Farm employment (233) were the next largest industries for this county.
Agriculture. The 2002 Census of Agriculture reported 228 farms in the county with total sales of $2.762 million and production expenses of $4.075 million. In Carter County, $-1.313 million in net farm income was reported with 1.8 percent of all farms having sales of $100,000 or more and 75.0 percent of farms with less than $10,000 in sales.
County Income Patterns. BEA estimates indicate that Carter County generated over $135.629 million dollars of total personal income in 2006. Per capita income was $22,941, compared with $32,789 for Missouri. Significant sources of income were:
Commuting. In Carter County, 37.2 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 Carter County 25.7 percent traveled as long. At the same time, 9.7 percent of workers traveled more than 60 minutes to work, compared with 5.4 percent statewide.
Educational Attainment. In 2000, about 10.8 percent of Carter County residents aged 25 years and over (428) were college graduates, compared to 21.6 percent statewide. An additional 812 had some college education (20.5%) compared with 27.0 percent of all Missourians over the age of 25.
In 2006, the high school graduation rate in Carter County (88.0%) was higher than the statewide rate (85.8%), as reported by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Disabilities. In 2000, 603 persons age 65 and older in Carter County reported having a disability (66.6%). The corresponding Missouri rate was 55.3 percent. Among the working age population (16 to 64) of Carter County, 559 reported some work disability, which was 15.3 percent of all persons in that age cohort, compared to a statewide figure of 10.8 percent.
Health Status Indicators. In 2003, over 24 percent of Carter 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 Carter County was estimated at 27.7 percent. State health data report the top two prevalence indicators for the county were Current Smoker (33.1%) and High Blood Pressure (26.5%). Missouri reported 26.5 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 Carter County were Heart Disease (433) and Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease (69.2). The corresponding Missouri rates were 298 and 46.0, respectively.
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