Widespread Decline in Number of School Age Children and Youth 2000-2004
The Census Bureau 2004 population estimates report the population of Missouri school age children and youth (ages 5-19) declined from 1.22 million in 2000 to 1.18 million in 2004 - a decline of 3.5 percent. What was most dramatic about the loss of population in that age cohort is that it occurred in 102 of Missouri's 115 counties.
| Map 1 click map for larger version 
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Map 1 shows that, of the 13 counties gaining school age children from 2000-2204, eight were metropolitan suburban counties - St. Charles, Lincoln and Warren in the St. Louis MSA, Clay, Platte and Cass in the Kansas City MSA, and Webster and Christian in the Springfield MSA. Of the remaining five counties having a gain, Benton and Camden are in the Lake of the Ozarks Area, Stone and Taney are in the Branson Area and the 5th county - Pulaski - is home to Fort Leonard Wood.
It is also significant that the decline in the 5-19 age range was greater than 10 percent in 16 counties in just a four-year period. A loss of that magnitude will clearly have an impact on school enrollment in those counties.
The major reason for the recent decline in the population of school age children is largely a result of the continuing aging of the baby boom generation. That population cohort is now concentrated in the 40-64 age range and most families in that age range no longer have school age children living at home. The age cohort following the baby boomers is much smaller and, therefore, there is a smaller number of school age children. The 30-39 age cohort in 2004, many of which are parents of present school age children, is much smaller than it has been in past decades. The 30-39 age cohort in Missouri declined from 820,280 in 2000 to 769,020 in 2004 - a decline of 51,260 in a four-year time period.
This file last modified Friday May 08, 2009, 14:32:46
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