Population and Change. Over the period from 2000 to 2007, the Southeast Region's population decreased by 34, going from 358,132 in 2000 to 358,098 in 2007. This was a change of -0.0 percent, compared to 5.1 percent for the state.
Components of Change. Natural Increase is defined as births minus deaths. the Southeast Region had 4,154 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, the Southeast Region had an estimated net migration of -4,188.
Age. In 2007, an estimated 15.6 percent of the Southeast Region residents were 65 and older, as compared to 13.3 percent statewide. At the same time, the Census Bureau estimated that young people (under 18) made up 23.7 percent of the Region's population as compared to 24.1 percent for the state.
Racial Diversity. The 2007 vintage estimates from the Census Bureau indicate that 90.9 percent of the population in the region was White (327,572 persons), while the estimated Black population was 25,266 (7.0%). The same set of estimates indicated there were 2,108 Asians (0.6%) and 1,731 American Indians (0.5%). (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 5,186 Hispanic persons (1.4%) were living in the region.
Place of Residence. Sub-county estimates for 2007 indicate that 41.9 percent of the region's population lived in incorporated places of 2,500 or more. Those living in smaller places accounted for 14.5 percent of the region's population, while 43.6 percent lived in unincorporated areas.
Housing. According to the 2006 Census Bureau estimates, there were 166,926 housing units in the Southeast Region. The homeownership rate in 2000 was 70.3 percent compared to 70.3 percent statewide. In 2000, the median value of owner-occupied housing units was $62,779, compared with a statewide figure of $89,900.
Households and Families. There were about 142,562 households in the region according to the 2000 decennial census. Families comprised 69.6 percent of households (99,214). 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 9.3 percent of all Southeast Region households, as compared to 9.1 percent in Missouri.
Families and Children. Median family income for the Southeast Region was $35,282 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 200,294 jobs in the Southeast Region. Manufacturing accounted for more than 12.5 percent of the total jobs (25,106). Retail Trade (24,605), Health care and social assistance (17,926) and Local government (16,713) were the next largest industries for this region.
Agriculture. The 2002 Census of Agriculture reported 8,768 farms in the region with total sales of $686.588 million and production expenses of $591.211 million. In the Southeast Region, $95.377 million in net farm income was reported with 15.8 percent of all farms having sales of $100,000 or more and 55.2 percent of farms with less than $10,000 in sales.
Region Income Patterns. BEA estimates indicate that the Southeast Region generated over $9,213.075 million dollars of total personal income in 2006. Per capita income was $25,729, compared with $32,789 for Missouri. Significant sources of income were:
Commuting. In the Southeast Region, 26.6 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 the Southeast Region 18.6 percent traveled as long. At the same time, 5.6 percent of workers traveled more than 60 minutes to work, compared with 5.4 percent statewide.
Educational Attainment. In 2000, about 12.2 percent of the Southeast Region residents aged 25 years and over (28,647) were college graduates compared with 21.6 percent statewide. An additional 46,461 had some college education (19.8%), compared to 27.0 percent of all Missourians over the age of 25.
In 2006, the high school graduation rate in the Southeast Region (86.3%) was higher than the statewide rate (85.8%), as reported by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Disabilities. In 2000, 31,225 persons age 65 and older in the Southeast Region reported having a disability (60.0%). The corresponding Missouri rate was 55.3 percent. Among the working age population (16 to 64) of the Southeast Region, 28,790 reported some work disability, which was 13.0 percent of all persons in that age cohort, compared to a statewide figure of 10.8 percent.
Health Status Indicators. In 2003, over 22.995360964 percent of Southeast Region 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 Southeast Region was estimated at 16.4 percent.
Age-adjusted Mortality. In 2003, the Southeast Region had no age-adjusted mortality rates significantly higher than overall state rates.
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