Population and Change. Over the period from 2000 to 2007, Dunklin County's population decreased by 1,532, going from 33,155 in 2000 to 31,623 in 2007. This was a change of -4.6 percent, compared to 5.1 percent for the state.
Components of Change. Natural Increase is defined as births minus deaths. Dunklin County had 62 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, Dunklin County had an estimated net migration of -1,596.
Age. In 2007, an estimated 16.1 percent of Dunklin 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 25.4 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 88.9 percent of the population in the county was White (28,704 persons), while the estimated Black population was 2,999 (9.3%). The same set of estimates indicated there were 98 Asians (0.3%) and 114 American Indians (0.4%). (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 1,315 Hispanic persons (4.1%) were living in the county.
Place of Residence. Sub-county estimates for 2007 indicate that 48.2 percent of the county's population lived in incorporated places of 2,500 or more. Those living in smaller places accounted for 23.1 percent of the county's population, while 28.7 percent lived in unincorporated areas.
Housing. According to the 2006 Census Bureau's estimates, there were 15,108 housing units in Dunklin County. The homeownership rate in 2000 was 65.9 percent compared to 70.3 percent statewide. In 2000, the median value of owner-occupied housing units was $48,500 compared with a statewide figure of $89,900.
Households and Families. There were about 13,414 households in the county according to the 2000 decennial census. Families comprised 68.8 percent of households (9,234). About 21.5 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 10.0 percent of all Dunklin County households, compared to 9.1 percent in Missouri.
Families and Children. Median family income for Dunklin County was $30,779 in 1999, compared to $46,044 for Missouri.
Jobs by Sector. The May 2008 unemployment rate (per BLS, preliminary and not seasonally adjusted) was 7.8 percent, compared with 5.7 percent statewide. According to Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) estimates, in 2006 there were 14,651 jobs in Dunklin County. Retail Trade accounted for more than 14.2 percent of the total jobs (2,076). Local government (1,471), Manufacturing (1,132) and Other services, except public administration (899) were the next largest industries for this county.
Agriculture. The 2002 Census of Agriculture reported 429 farms in the county with total sales of $82.291 million and production expenses of $69.974 million. In Dunklin County, $12.317 million in net farm income was reported with 41.5 percent of all farms having sales of $100,000 or more and 29.1 percent of farms with less than $10,000 in sales.
County Income Patterns. BEA estimates indicate that Dunklin County generated over $796.558 million dollars of total personal income in 2006. Per capita income was $25,032, compared with $32,789 for Missouri. Significant sources of income were:
Commuting. In Dunklin County, 28.9 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 Dunklin County 20.1 percent traveled as long. At the same time, 5.0 percent of workers traveled more than 60 minutes to work, compared with 5.4 percent statewide.
Educational Attainment. In 2000, about 9.1 percent of Dunklin County residents aged 25 years and over (1,989) were college graduates, compared to 21.6 percent statewide. An additional 3,762 had some college education (17.2%) compared with 27.0 percent of all Missourians over the age of 25.
In 2006, the high school graduation rate in Dunklin County (83.2%) was less than the statewide rate (85.8%), as reported by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Disabilities. In 2000, 3,044 persons age 65 and older in Dunklin County reported having a disability (60.6%). The corresponding Missouri rate was 55.3 percent. Among the working age population (16 to 64) of Dunklin County, 2,951 reported some work disability, which was 14.8 percent of all persons in that age cohort, compared to a statewide figure of 10.8 percent.
Health Status Indicators. In 2003, over 27.3 percent of Dunklin 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 Dunklin County was estimated at 23.8 percent. State health data report the top two prevalence indicators for the county were Current Smoker (38.5%) and High Blood Pressure (35.9%). 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 Dunklin County were Heart Disease (388) and Lung Cancer (77.4). The corresponding Missouri rates were 298 and 64.3, respectively.
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