Median Family Income by Counties and Regions and Change in Median Family Income in Constant Dollars 1989-1999
Missouri median family income increased from $41,537 in 1989 (reported in the 1990 Census) to $46,044 in 1999 (reported in the 2000 Census). The median family income reported in the 1990 Census has been adjusted for inflation to make it comparable to the median family income of $46,044 reported in the 2000 Census. As a result it can be reported that there was an increase in real median income in Missouri of 10.9 percent during the 1990s. Real median family income increased from $41,537 in 1989 to $46,044 in 1999 - an increase in family income of slightly over $4,500 per family.
The Distribution of Family Income Within Each of the Counties 1989 and 1999
Table 1 reports the number of families in Missouri and in each county in both 1989 and 1999 and the median family income for Missouri and for each county for both 1989 and 1999. In addition to knowing the median income of family income, it is also useful, for comparison purposes, to know how income is distributed among families in each county. Therefore, Table 1 also reports for each county in both 1989 and 1999 the percent of county families whose family income was below $50,000, the percent whose income was between $50,000 and $75,000 and the percent whose family income was in excess of $75,000.
Graph 1
Click on graph for larger version.
As evidence of the significant increase in real family income in Missouri during the 1990s, Graph 1 shows that the percent of families with an income of less than $50,000 declined from 75.8 percent of all Missouri families in 1989 to 54.5 percent of all families in 1999. Correspondingly, the percent of families with an income between $50,000 and $75,000 increased from 16.1 percent in 1989 to 22.9 percent in 1999 and the percent of families with an income above $75,000 increased from only 8.1 percent of all families in 1989 to 22.6 percent of families in 1999.
Among the counties having the highest percent of families with an income of greater than $75,000 in 1999 were Platte with 38.8 percent, St. Louis with 38.4 percent, St. Charles with 37.8 percent and Clay with 30.4 percent.
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Conversely, as shown on Map 1 there were 24 counties in which more than 75 percent of families had an income of less than $50,000 in 1999. Of those 24 counties, 15 were concentrated in the Southeast Region with five in the Southwest Region and four in Northeast. The counties with the highest percentage of families in this income bracket were Shannon with 83.5 percent, Oregon with 82.7 percent and Ripley with 80.6 percent. Those counties are adjacent to each other in the South Central Region.
Variation in Family Income Among Counties 1989 and 1999
Table 1 shows that the greatest median family income among Missouri counties in 1989 was a virtual tie between St. Louis, St. Charles and Platte counties with a median family income of $58,988, $58,232 and $58,150 respectively. Those three counties remained the top three in 1999 although they were rearranged somewhat. The highest median family income in 1999 was in Platte County ($65,236) followed by St. Charles with $64,415 and St. Louis with $61,680. Of the three, the greatest growth occurred in Platte County with an increase of 12.2 percent, followed by St. Charles with an increase of 10.6 percent, but with St. Louis County lagging well behind with an increase of only 4.6 percent. A contributing factor to the difference in income growth was the much greater population growth in Platte and St. Charles Counties while population growth in St. Louis County was sluggish.
| Map 2 click map for larger version 
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Map 2 shows that there were ten counties which had a 1999 median family income of less than $30,000. Two of those counties - Pemiscot and Mississippi - are located in the Bootheel; another five - Ripley, Oregon, Carter, Wayne and Shannon - are located in southeast Ozarks; and three - Texas, Wright and Hickory - are in the south central Ozarks. Those ten counties were in the bottom ten counties in 1989 as well as in 1999. There were two of those counties, however, which had relatively great gains from 1989-1999. Wayne increased from $22,272 in 1989 to $28,846 in 1999 - an increase of 28.9 percent. Ripley, which had the states' lowest median family income in 1989, $21,602, also increased by 28.7 percent to $27,799 in 1999. In contrast, there was relatively little increase in median family income during the 1990s in the two Bootheel counties that were in the bottom 10 in both 1989 and 1999. Median family income in Mississippi County increased from $26,499 in 1989 to $28,833 in 1999 - an increase of only 8.8 percent, while median family income in Pemiscot County increased from $24,280 in 1989 to $27,553 in 1999 - an increase of 13.5 percent.
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OSEDA Regional Grouping of Counties Many demographic factors vary by region within the state of Missouri. For the convenience of our user community, OSEDA prepares tables using three different regional groupings of counties: Extension, Economic Development and Transportation. For each of these groupings, one table summarizes the indicators by regional total and a second table shows values for each county grouped by region. Users may select the county grouping most helpful for their application and understanding. |
Median Family Income By Regions 1989 - 1999
Median Family Income 1989 - 1999 by University of Missouri Extension Regions
Median family income is one of the best measures of relative economic status of counties and districts. Generally, family income is a more appropriate measure of economic well being than per capita income because it is typically families holding multiple jobs that earn the income and make consumption decisions. The median shows the level at which there are as many families below that income as above that income.
There was a wide range of median family income among the eight Extension Regions in 1999 - from a low median of $34,978 in the South Central Region to a high median of $54,738 in the East Central Region. Median family income in South Central was only 63.9 percent of the median in East Central. Despite that difference, nearly $20,000 between the low and the high regions, there was relatively little difference in the amount of change in the regions between 1989 and 1999.
Median family income in Missouri in 1989 was $41,537 and $46,044 in 1999 - a difference of about $4,500. There were, however, modest differences in the rate of change in median family income among the eight Extension Regions during the 1990s. Between 1989 and 1999 median family income increased by the greatest dollar amount in the Northwest Region - an increase of about $6,000. Following in order of dollar amount change were the Central Region and the South Central Region each of which increased by about $5,600; the Northeast Region increased by about $5,400; the West Central and Southeast each gained about $5,100; the Southwest Region increased by about $4,300; and in East Central median family income increased by about $4,000. It is notable that the Regions having the lowest median family income such as South Central, Southeast, Northeast and Northwest, generally had greater dollar increases than the higher income regions such as East and West Central.
In general, the lower population regions had the highest percentage of families with an income of less than $50,000 per year and the lowest percent of families with an income in excess of $75,000. In 1999 the East Central Region had 50.8 percent of all Missouri families with an income in excess of $75,000 and the West Central Region had 23.2 percent of all families with a family income in the $75,000 and over category. In comparison, although 41.9 percent of Missouri families lived in the remaining six regions, only 26.0 percent of Missouri families with an income in excess of $75,000 resided in those regions. Conversely, although the two major metro areas included 58.1 percent of all Missouri families, those two regions only included 49.7 percent of Missouri families having a 1999 income of less than $50,000.
Missouri family income in 1999 was strongly skewed toward the two major metropolitan regions.
Median Family Income 1989 - 1999 by Missouri Department of Transportation Districts
Median family income is one of the best measures of relative economic status of counties and districts. Generally, family income is a more appropriate measure of economic well being than per capita income because it is typically families holding multiple jobs that earn the income and make consumption decisions. The median shows the level at which there are as many families below that income as above that income.
There was a wide range of median family income among the ten MODOT Districts in 1999 - from a low median of $32,949 in the Willow Springs District to a high median of $55,990 in the St. Louis District. That indicates that Willow Springs family income is only 58.8 percent of the St. Louis District income. Despite that difference, $23,000 between the low and the high districts, there was relatively little difference in the dollar amount of change in the districts between 1989 and 1999.
Median family income in Missouri in 1989 was $41,537 and $46,044 in 1999 - a difference of about $4,500. There were, however, modest differences in the rate of change in median family income among the ten MODOT Districts during the 1990s. In order of the dollar amount of change between 1989 and 1999 median family income increased by the greatest dollar amount in the St. Joseph District which increased by about $6,100. Following in order of dollar amount change were the Jefferson City District with an increase of $5,800, the Hannibal District with an increase of $5,500, the Macon District with an increase of $5,300, the Kansas City District with an increase of $5,200 and the Sikeston District with an increase of $5,100. Even though the St. Louis District had the greatest median family income in both 1989 and 1999, it had the least dollar increase, increasing from $51,841 in 1989 to $55,990 in 1999. Also, both the Joplin and Springfield Districts, although having significant population increase during the 1990s, saw their median family income increase by only 4.5 percent during the 1990s, tied for the second lowest increase among the 10 districts.
In general, the lower population regions had the highest percentage of families with an income of less than $50,000 per year and the lowest percent of families with an income in excess of $75,000. The District with the highest percentage of its families having an income of less than $50,000 in 1999 was the Willow Springs District with 73.6 percent, followed by the Joplin District with 69.4 percent, the Macon District with 68.4 percent and the Sikeston District with 67.9 percent. In contrast, the St. Louis District and the Kansas City District each had less than 50 percent of families with incomes less than $50,000 - 43.5 and 48.6 respectively.
In the St. Louis District, 32.2 percent of families had an income in excess of $75,000 in 1999 followed by Kansas City with 25.9 percent. The percentage in those two districts was far above the third highest district (Jefferson City) with 19.2 percent. The lowest was Willow Springs with only 9.2 percent followed by Joplin with 11.4 percent and Macon with 11.8 percent.
Missouri family income in 1999 was strongly skewed toward the two major metropolitan regions.
Median Family Income 1989 - 1999 Missouri Department of Economic Development Regions
Median family income is one of the best measures of relative economic status of counties and districts. Generally, family income is a more appropriate measure of economic well being than per capita income because it is typically families holding multiple jobs that earn the income and make consumption decisions. The median shows the level at which there are as many families below that income as above that income.
There was a wide range of median family income among the thirteen DED Regions in 1999 - from a low median of $29,399 in the South Central Region to a high median of $55,704 in the St. Louis MSA. That indicates that South Central family income is only 52.8 percent of St. Louis MSA. Despite that difference, $26,300 between the low and the high regions, there was relatively little difference in the dollar amount of change in the regions between 1989 and 1999.
Median family income in Missouri in 1989 was $41,537 and $46,044 in 1999 - a difference of about $4,500. There were, however, modest differences in the rate of change in median family income among the thirteen DED Regions during the 1990s. Between 1989 and 1999 median family income increased by the greatest dollar amount in the Lake Ozark-Rolla Region - an increase of about $6,400. Following in order of dollar amount change were the Central and the Northwest Regions which both increased by about $5,800. South Central was the Region with the smallest increase, $4,000, only slightly less than the St. Louis MSA which increased by $4,100. It is of some significance that the Springfield-Branson and the Southwest Regions, although having significance increases in population and business during the 1990s, had among the lowest dollar increases in family income with increases of $4,300 and $4,400 respectively.
In general, the lower population regions had the highest percentage of families with an income of less than $50,000 per year and the lowest percent of families with an income in excess of $75,000. The Region with the highest percentage of its families having an income of less than $50,000 in 1999 was the South Central Region with 78.9 percent, followed by the Bootheel Region with 72.9 percent, the North Central Region with 70.6 percent and the Southwest Region with 69.1 percent. In contrast the St. Louis MSA had only 43.7 percent of families and the Kansas City MSA had 47.7 percent below $50,000.
In the St. Louis MSA, 31.8 percent of families had an income in excess of $75,000 in 1999 followed by the Kansas City MSA with 26.5 percent. The percentage in those two regions was far above the third highest region (Central) with 20.8 percent. The lowest was the South Central Region with only 7.5 percent followed by North Central with 10.3 percent and the Bootheel Region with 10.4 percent. .
Missouri family income in 1999 was strongly skewed toward the two major metropolitan regions.
Additional tables are attached which report Median Family Income and Selected Family Income Categories, by State and County 1989-1999 for three different sets of regions: eight University of Missouri Extension regions; 10 Missouri Department of Transportation regions; and 13 Missouri Department of Economic Development regions.
| Detailed Tables about Median Family Income and Selected Family Income Categories, by State and County 1989-1999 | ||
| The following links provide detailed tables of Median Family Income and Selected Family Income Categories, by State and County 1989-1999. They are in both HTML and Adobe Acrobat (PDF) formats. | ||
| All Missouri Counties | ||
| Median Family Income and Selected Family Income Categories, 1989-1999 | HTML | |
| Regional Tables | ||
| UO/E Regions | ||
| Median Family Income and Selected Family Income Categories, 1989-1999 - By UM Extension Region | HTML | |
| Median Family Income and Selected Family Income Categories, 1989-1999 - By County Within UM Extension Region | HTML | |
| DED Regions | ||
| Median Family Income and Selected Family Income Categories, 1989-1999 - By DED Region | HTML | |
| Median Family Income and Selected Family Income Categories, 1989-1999 - By County Within DED Region | HTML | |
| MoDOT Regions | ||
| Median Family Income and Selected Family Income Categories, 1989-1999 - By DOT District | HTML | |
| Median Family Income and Selected Family Income Categories, 1989-1999 - By County Within DOT District | HTML | |
This file last modified Friday May 08, 2009, 14:07:24
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