Population and Change. Over the period from 2000 to 2006, Macon County's population decreased by 111, going from 15,762 in 2000 to 15,651 in 2006. This was a change of -0.7 percent, as compared with Missouri (4.4%).
Components of Change. Natural Increase is defined as births minus deaths. Macon County had 122 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, Macon County had a net migration of 11.
Age. In 2006, Macon County reported 18.8 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 22.6 percent. Missouri reported 24.1 percent during the same period.
Racial Diversity. The 2006 vintage estimates from the Census Bureau indicate that 95.7 percent of the population in the county was White (14,978 persons), while the estimated black population was 427 (2.7%). The same set of estimates indicated there were 30 Asians (0.2%) and 66 American Indians (0.4%). Hispanic is not considered to be a race by the Census Bureau, but rather a separate category. In 2006 there were an estimated 191 hispanic persons (1.2%) living in the county.
Place of Residence. Estimates for 2006 also show 34.9 percent of the population lived in places of 2,500 or more in Macon County. Those living in smaller places account for 21.7 percent of the county's population and 43.4 percent lived in unincorporated areas.
Housing. According to the Census Bureau's estimates, there were 7,692 housing units in Macon County in 2006. The homeownership rate in 2000 was 75.9 percent compared to 70.3 percent statewide. The median value of owner-occupied housing units in 2000 was $55,900 compared with a statewide median value of $89,900.
Households and Families. There were about 6,494 households in the county according to the 2000 decennial census. Families comprised 67.1 percent of households (4,356). About 21.6 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 Macon County (7.5%) were fewer than Missouri (9.1%).
Families and Children. Median family income for Macon County was $36,370 in 2005 compared to $46,044 for Missouri.
The 2005 poverty rate in Macon County was 15.3 percent which was higher than that of the state (13.6%). The poverty rate among children (22.8%) was higher than that of the state (19.5%).
The annual Kids Count reports Macon County indicators on children were ranked 61 out of 114 counties and St. Louis City in the state in 2006. Kids Count indicators show that low birth weight infants decreased to 6.6 percent and births to teenage mothers were 52.3 per 1,000 girls. The area also reported child abuse cases at a rate of 35.9 per 1,000 for 2006 compared to 32.7 per 1,000 statewide.
Jobs by Sector. The October 2007 unemployment rate was 5.0 percent compared with 5.2 percent statewide. There were 8,423 jobs in Macon County in 2006. Farm employment accounts for more than 15.6 percent of the total jobs (1,315). Local government (1,300), Retail Trade (1,020) and Manufacturing (643) are the next highest categories.
Agriculture. The 2002 Census of Agriculture reported 1351 farms in the county with total sales of about $41.143 million and production expenses of $31.856 million. There was $9.287 million in net farm income reported in the county with 7.3 percent of all farms having sales of $100,000 or more and 61.3 percent of farms with less than $10,000 in sales.
County Income Patterns. Macon County generated over $378.071 million of total personal income in 2005. Per capita income was $24,231 compared with $31,231 for Missouri. Significant sources of income were:
Commuting. In Macon County, 28.0 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 Macon County 17.1 percent traveled as long. At the same time, 6.4 percent of workers traveled more than 60 minutes to work compared with 5.4 percent statewide.
Educational Attainment. In Macon County, about 13.0 percent of residents aged 25 years and over (1,397) were college graduates in 2000 compared with 21.6 percent statewide. An additional 2,137 residents 25 and over in Macon County had some college education (19.9%) compared with 27.0 percent of all Missourians of that age.
The high school graduation rate in Macon County (90.6%) in 2006 as reported by the Missouri Dept. of Education and Secondary Education was higher than the state (85.8%).
Disabilities. There were 1,571 persons age 65 and older in the county who reported having a disability in 2000 (57.5%). The corresponding Missouri rate is 55.3 percent. Among the working age population (aged 16 to 64) in Macon County 1,263 reported some work disability, a rate of 13.4 percent compared to a state rate of 10.8 percent.
Health Status Indicators. In 2003, over 19.2 percent of Macon 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 Macon County was estimated to be 12.8 percent. State health data report the top two prevalence indicators for the county were High Blood Pressure(26.5%) and High Cholesterol (35 years and older)(50.1%). Missouri reported 28.5 percent and 37.3 percent in those same categories.
Age-adjusted Mortality. The top age-adjusted mortality rates (per 100,000) for Macon County are Kidney Disease (20.6) and (.). Missouri's rates were 13.5 and at . respectively.
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