Population and Change. Over the period from 2000 to 2007, Newton County's population increased by 3,402, going from 52,636 to 56,038. This was a change of 6.5 percent, compared to 5.1 percent for the state.
Components of Change. Natural Increase is defined as births minus deaths. Newton County had 1,557 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, Newton County had an estimated net migration of 1,845.
Age. In 2007, an estimated 13.8 percent of Newton 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 24.3 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 93.4 percent of the population in the county was White (52,366 persons), while the estimated Black population was 437 (0.8%). The same set of estimates indicated there were 879 Asians (1.6%) and 1,220 American Indians (2.2%). (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 1,644 Hispanic persons (2.9%) were living in the county.
Place of Residence. Sub-county estimates for 2007 indicate that 30.2 percent of the county's population lived in incorporated places of 2,500 or more. Those living in smaller places accounted for 17.8 percent of the county's population, while 52.0 percent lived in unincorporated areas.
Housing. According to the 2006 Census Bureau's estimates, there were 23,022 housing units in Newton County. The homeownership rate in 2000 was 76.6 percent compared to 70.3 percent statewide. In 2000, the median value of owner-occupied housing units was $74,200 compared with a statewide figure of $89,900.
Households and Families. There were about 20,163 households in the county according to the 2000 decennial census. Families comprised 73.3 percent of households (14,779). About 26.7 percent of households were married couples with children under 18, which was more than for the state overall (23.3%). Single parent families accounted for 7.0 percent of all Newton County households, compared to 9.1 percent in Missouri.
Families and Children. Median family income for Newton County was $40,616 in 1999, compared to $46,044 for Missouri.
Jobs by Sector. The May 2008 unemployment rate (per BLS, preliminary and not seasonally adjusted) was 5.2 percent, compared with 5.7 percent statewide. According to Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) estimates, in 2006 there were 26,275 jobs in Newton County. Health care and social assistance accounted for more than 16.6 percent of the total jobs (4,356). Manufacturing (4,271), Retail Trade (2,756) and Local government (2,193) were the next largest industries for this county.
Agriculture. The 2002 Census of Agriculture reported 1752 farms in the county with total sales of $137.647 million and production expenses of $136.847 million. In Newton County, $0.800 million in net farm income was reported with 8.4 percent of all farms having sales of $100,000 or more and 65.8 percent of farms with less than $10,000 in sales.
County Income Patterns. BEA estimates indicate that Newton County generated over $1,547.716 million dollars of total personal income in 2006. Per capita income was $27,896, compared with $32,789 for Missouri. Significant sources of income were:
Commuting. In Newton County, 42.4 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 Newton County 18.9 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 2000, about 16.1 percent of Newton County residents aged 25 years and over (5,524) were college graduates, compared to 21.6 percent statewide. An additional 10,022 had some college education (29.3%) compared with 27.0 percent of all Missourians over the age of 25.
In 2006, the high school graduation rate in Newton County (89.4%) was higher than the statewide rate (85.8%), as reported by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Disabilities. In 2000, 3,772 persons age 65 and older in Newton County reported having a disability (54.2%). The corresponding Missouri rate was 55.3 percent. Among the working age population (16 to 64) of Newton County, 3,397 reported some work disability, which was 10.4 percent of all persons in that age cohort, compared to a statewide figure of 10.8 percent.
Health Status Indicators. In 2003, over 16.2 percent of Newton 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 Newton County was estimated at 23.3 percent. State health data report the top two prevalence indicators for the county were Current Smoker (19.6%) and High Blood Pressure (29.5%). 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 Newton County were Motor Vehicle Accidents (26.3) and Pneumonia and Influenza (45.4). The corresponding Missouri rates were 20.2 and 32.5, respectively.
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