Population and Change. Over the period from 2000 to 2009, Christian County's population increased by 23,170, going from 54,285 to 77,455. This was a change of 42.7 percent, compared to 7.0 percent for the state.
Components of Change. Natural Increase is defined as births minus deaths. Christian County had 4,489 more births than deaths between 2000 and 2009. 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 2009, Christian County had an estimated net migration of 18,681.
Age. In 2009, an estimated 11.8 percent of Christian County residents were 65 and older compared to 13.7 percent statewide. At the same time, the Census Bureau estimated that young people (under 18) made up 26.7 percent of the county's population, compared to 24.0 percent for the state.
Racial Diversity. The 2009 vintage estimates from the Census Bureau indicate that 96.8 percent of the population in the county was White (74,982 persons), while the estimated Black population was 759 (1.0%). The same set of estimates indicated there were 359 Asians (0.5%) and 385 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 2009, an estimated 1,909 Hispanic persons (2.5%) were living in the county.
Place of Residence. Sub-county estimates for 2009 indicate that 49.0 percent of the county's population lived in incorporated places of 2,500 or more. Those living in smaller places accounted for 7.7 percent of the county's population, while 43.3 percent lived in unincorporated areas.
Housing. According to the 2009 Census Bureau's estimates, there were 30,789 housing units in Christian County. The homeownership rate in 2000 was 75.9 percent compared to 70.3 percent statewide. In 2000, the median value of owner-occupied housing units was $97,900 compared with a statewide figure of $89,900.
Households and Families. There were about 20,473 households in the county according to the 2000 decennial census. Families comprised 77.6 percent of households (15,893). About 31.1 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 8.2 percent of all Christian County households, compared to 9.1 percent in Missouri.
Families and Children. Median family income for Christian County was $44,428 in 1999, compared to $46,044 for Missouri.
Unemployment / Jobs by Sector. The 05 / 2010 unemployment rate (per BLS, preliminary and not seasonally adjusted) was 7.4 percent, compared with 8.7 percent statewide. According to Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) estimates, in 2008 there were 31,312 jobs in Christian County. Construction accounted for more than 14.8 percent of the total jobs (4,619). Retail Trade (4,137), Local government (2,509) and Other services, except public administration (2,407) were the next largest industries for this county.
County Income Patterns. BEA estimates indicate that Christian County generated over $2,158.886 million dollars of total personal income in 2008. Per capita income was $28,539, compared with $36,356 for Missouri. Significant sources of income were:
Commuting. In Christian County, 64.3 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 Christian County 31.2 percent traveled as long. At the same time, 4.3 percent of workers traveled more than 60 minutes to work, compared with 5.4 percent statewide.
Educational Attainment. In 2000, about 20.9 percent of Christian County residents aged 25 years and over (7,277) were college graduates, compared to 21.6 percent statewide. An additional 10,724 had some college education (30.8%) compared with 27.0 percent of all Missourians over the age of 25.
In 2008, the high school graduation rate in Christian County (88.3%) was higher than the statewide rate (85.8%), as reported by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Disabilities. In 2000, 2,453 persons age 65 and older in Christian County reported having a disability (45.9%). The corresponding Missouri rate was 42.6 percent. Among the working age population (16 to 64) of Christian County, 3,335 reported some work disability, which was 9.5 percent of all persons in that age cohort, compared to a statewide figure of 10.8 percent.
Health Status Indicators. In 2003, over 18.7 percent of Christian 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 Christian County was estimated at 14.4 percent. State health data report the top two prevalence indicators for the county were Overweight (BMI 25-29.9) (38.2%) and High Blood Pressure (28.9%). Missouri reported 35.3 percent and 28.5 percent in those same categories.
Age-adjusted Mortality. In 2003, Christian County had no age-adjusted mortality rates significantly higher than overall state rates.
Note(s):