Population and Change. Over the period from 2000 to 2007, Dade County's population decreased by 400, going from 7,923 in 2000 to 7,523 in 2007. This was a change of -5.0 percent, compared to 5.1 percent for the state.
Components of Change. Natural Increase is defined as births minus deaths. Dade County had 254 more deaths than births 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, Dade County had an estimated net migration of -146.
Age. In 2007, an estimated 19.2 percent of Dade 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 21.6 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 97.1 percent of the population in the county was White (7,581 persons), while the estimated Black population was 37 (0.5%). The same set of estimates indicated there were 29 Asians (0.4%) and 63 American Indians (0.8%). (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 96 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 38.1 percent of the county's population, while 61.9 percent lived in unincorporated areas.
Housing. According to the 2006 Census Bureau's estimates, there were 3,863 housing units in Dade County. The homeownership rate in 2000 was 78.8 percent compared to 70.3 percent statewide. In 2000, the median value of owner-occupied housing units was $54,500 compared with a statewide figure of $89,900.
Households and Families. There were about 3,222 households in the county according to the 2000 decennial census. Families comprised 71.0 percent of households (2,289). About 22.1 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 6.8 percent of all Dade County households, compared to 9.1 percent in Missouri.
Families and Children. Median family income for Dade County was $33,651 in 1999, compared to $46,044 for Missouri.
Jobs by Sector. The May 2008 unemployment rate (per BLS, preliminary and not seasonally adjusted) was 5.7 percent, compared with 5.7 percent statewide. According to Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) estimates, in 2006 there were 4,561 jobs in Dade County. Farm employment accounted for more than 20.9 percent of the total jobs (955). Local government (548), Retail Trade (342) and Manufacturing (249) were the next largest industries for this county.
Agriculture. The 2002 Census of Agriculture reported 893 farms in the county with total sales of $41.098 million and production expenses of $36.608 million. In Dade County, $4.490 million in net farm income was reported with 9.2 percent of all farms having sales of $100,000 or more and 49.6 percent of farms with less than $10,000 in sales.
County Income Patterns. BEA estimates indicate that Dade County generated over $181.772 million dollars of total personal income in 2006. Per capita income was $23,908, compared with $32,789 for Missouri. Significant sources of income were:
Commuting. In Dade County, 43.5 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 Dade County 28.9 percent traveled as long. At the same time, 10.8 percent of workers traveled more than 60 minutes to work, compared with 5.4 percent statewide.
Educational Attainment. In 2000, about 9.9 percent of Dade County residents aged 25 years and over (538) were college graduates, compared to 21.6 percent statewide. An additional 1,269 had some college education (23.3%) compared with 27.0 percent of all Missourians over the age of 25.
In 2006, the high school graduation rate in Dade County (91.7%) was higher than the statewide rate (85.8%), as reported by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Disabilities. In 2000, 873 persons age 65 and older in Dade County reported having a disability (57.5%). The corresponding Missouri rate was 55.3 percent. Among the working age population (16 to 64) of Dade County, 472 reported some work disability, which was 10.3 percent of all persons in that age cohort, compared to a statewide figure of 10.8 percent.
Health Status Indicators. In 2003, over 17 percent of Dade 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 Dade County was estimated at 16.2 percent. State health data report the top two prevalence indicators for the county were Overweight (BMI 25-29.9) (43.7%) and Asthma (11.8%). Missouri reported 35.3 percent and 10.7 percent in those same categories.
Age-adjusted Mortality. The age-adjusted cause-of-mortality rates (per 100,000) significantly higher than the state for Dade County were Motor Vehicle Accidents (43.8) and All Injuries and Poisonings (88.0). The corresponding Missouri rates were 20.2 and 64.4, respectively.
Note(s):