Appendix A:

Profile of the BNR Watershed

The following figures are from the booklet, "1993 Searcy County Profile," for county and state data. National data is from census reports in various almanacs. We also used the Marion and Newton County Profile booklets as necessary. These tables are discussed further in chapter 1.3.

Population, 1950-1990

Table A-1

	MARION	NEWTON	SEARCY	3-County	State of AR	Whole USA
1950	8,609	8,685	10,424	27,718	1,909,511	151,325,798
1960	6,041	5,963	8,124	20,128	1,803,272
1970	7,000	5,844	7,731	20,575	1,923,295	208,066,557
1980	11,334	7,756	8,847	27,937	2,286,435	231,106,727
1990	12,001	7,666	7,841	27,508	2,350,725	253,451,585
¯ % 1990-80	5.9%	-1.2%	-11.4%	-1.5%	2.8%	9.7%
Square Miles	587	823	668	2,078	52,082	3,540,315
Persons/Sq.Mile	20.4	9.3	11.7	13.2	45.1	71.6
Persons/Sq.Mile	20.4	9.3	11.7	13.2	45.1	71.6

Conclusions: BNRW is lightly populated and not growing. (Profile Table A1, source: USDOC Census Bureau)

Population by Age, 1990

Table A-2

MARION NEWTON SEARCY 3-County State of AR Whole USA
0-17 2,614 2,151 1,917 6,682 621,141 73,200,000
18-64 6,653 4,360 4,368 15,381 1,379,526 148,800,000
>64 2,734 1,155 1,556 5,445 350,058 31,700,000
%<18 21.8% 28.1% 24.4% 24.3% 26.4% 28.9%
%18-64 55.4% 56.9% 55.7% 55.9% 58.7% 58.7%
%>64 22.8% 15.1% 19.8% 19.8% 14.9% 12.5%

Conclusion: BNRW is older than AR or US, & will continue to age.

(Profile Table A2, source: Census Bureau)

Education Levels, Age 25+

Table A-3

MARION NEWTON SEARCY 3-County State of AR Whole USA
<12th 3,099 2,064 2,537 7,700 503,481 36,358,000
H.S. Grad 3,093 1,860 1,622 6,575 489,570 57,669,000
Some College 1,446 600 683 2,729 249,100 25,479,000
College Degree 1,025 405 510 1,940 253,999 29,637,000
%<9th 35.8% 41.9% 47.4% 40.6% 33.7% 23.3%
%H.S. Grad 35.7% 37.7% 30.3% 34.7% 32.7% 37.0%
%Some College 16.7% 12.2% 12.8% 14.4% 16.6% 16.4%
%Bach. Degree 11.8% 8.2% 9.5% 10.2% 17.0% 19.0%
%HS or more 64.2% 58.1% 52.6% 59.4% 66.3% 75.6%

Conclusion: BNRW is less educated than AR & US as a whole.

(Profile Table 32, source: USDOC)

Employment & Job Growth

Table A-4

MARION NEWTON SEARCY 3-County State of AR Whole USA
1980 4,000 2,875 2,875 9,750 924,000 99,300,000
1981 4,675 2,500 2,900 10,075 939,000
1982 4,550 2,575 3,025 10,150 925,000
1983 4,800 2,625 2,950 10,375 924,000
1984 4,950 2,925 3,050 10,925 948,000
1985 5,075 2,825 2,925 10,825 961,000 107,200,000
1986 5,175 2,750 3,025 10,950 979,000
1987 5,475 3,000 3,100 11,575 1,001,000
1988 5,875 3,200 3,025 12,100 1,024,000
1989 5,825 3,350 3,050 12,225 1,053,000
1990 5,675 3,500 2,975 12,150 1,056,000 117,900,000
1991 5,425 3,000 2,925 11,350 1,036,000 116,900,000
1980-90 41.9% 21.7% 3.5% 24.6% 14.3% 18.7%
Net of ¯Population 36.0% 22.9% 14.8% 26.2% 11.5% 9.1%

Conclusion: Job growth has been stronger in BNRW than in AR & the US.

(Profile Table A5, source: AR Labor Force Statistics)

Even in Searcy, which looks low, it outpaced population growth (Table A-1).

Unemployment

Table A-5

MARION NEWTON SEARCY 3-County State of AR Whole USA
1980 275 325 325 925 76,000 7,600,000
1981 350 325 400 1,075 94,000
1982 375 325 375 1,075 100,000
1983 400 300 500 1,200 104,000
1984 450 300 425 1,175 93,000
1985 375 325 375 1,075 91,000 8,300,000
1986 375 325 375 1,075 94,000
1987 350 275 325 950 88,000
1988 350 250 325 925 85,000
1989 375 250 250 875 82,000
1990 400 250 300 950 78,000 6,900,000
1991 375 275 250 900 82,000 8,400,000

Unemployment Rates

Table A-6

MARION NEWTON SEARCY 3-County State of AR Whole USA
1980 6.4% 10.2% 10.2% 8.7% 7.6% 7.1%
1981 7.0% 11.5% 12.1% 9.6% 9.1% 7.6%
1982 7.6% 11.2% 11.0% 9.6% 9.8% 9.7%
1983 7.7% 10.3% 14.5% 10.4% 10.1% 9.6%
1984 8.3% 9.3% 12.2% 9.7% 8.9% 7.5%
1985 6.9% 10.3% 11.4% 9.0% 8.7% 7.2%
1986 6.8% 10.6% 11.0% 8.9% 8.8% 7.0%
1987 6.0% 8.4% 9.5% 7.6% 8.1% 6.2%
1988 5.6% 7.2% 9.7% 7.1% 7.7% 5.4%
1989 6.0% 6.9% 7.6% 6.7% 7.2% 5.3%
1990 6.6% 6.7% 9.2% 7.3% 6.9% 5.5%
1991 6.5% 8.4% 7.9% 7.3% 7.3% 6.7%
Average 6.8% 9.2% 10.5% 8.5% 8.3% 7.1%

Conclusion: Unemployment is higher in Newton and Searcy than AR average.

(Profile Table A6, source: AR Labor Force Statistics)

Unemployment is higher in Arkansas, and in the BNRW, than in the US.

Jobs by Sector, 1990

Table A-7

MARION NEWTON SEARCY 3-County State of AR Whole USA
Farm/Livestock 583 558 692 1,833 65,695 3,200,000
Services 832 403 629 1,864 276,117 27,900,000
Government 612 460 427 1,499 179,205 18,300,000
Total jobs 4,275 2,120 3,162 9,557 1,204,161 117,900,000

Jobs by Sector, Percent of Total Jobs

Table A-8

Farm/Livestock	13.6%	26.3%	21.9%	19.2%	5.5%	2.7%
Services	19.5%	19.0%	19.9%	19.5%	22.9%	23.7%
Government	14.3%	21.7%	13.5%	15.7%	14.9%	15.5%

Conclusion: Compared to the rest of AR & US, the BNRW is heavily oriented towards farming & livestock. Services are below AR & US average, and Government employment is comparable to AR & US average.

(Profile Table A8, source: USDOC Bureau of Econ. Analysis)

Earnings by Sector, 1990, K$

Table A-9

MARION NEWTON SEARCY 3-County State of AR Whole USA
Farm/Livestock 5,850 5,638 14,092 25,580 1,602,144 179,218,000
Services 12,237 3,705 9,712 25,654 4,856,388
Government 9,661 7,273 6,815 23,749 3,589,583 470,736,000
Total earnings 62,612 23,271 48,057 133,940 23,586,354 4,459,600,000

Per Job Earnings by Sector

Table A-10

Farm/Livestock	10,034	10,104	20,364	13,955	24,388	56,006
Services	14,708	9,194	15,440	13,763	17,588
Government	15,786	15,811	15,960	15,843	20,031	25,723
Total earnings	14,646	10,977	15,198	14,015	19,587	37,825

Conclusion: Farmers earn a lot less in BNRW than in AR or US as a whole.

Anecdotally, most BNRW farmers are not full-time, as evidenced here.

(Profile Table A13, source: USDOC Bureau of Econ. Analysis)

Number of Farms

Table A-11

MARION NEWTON SEARCY 3-County State of AR Whole USA
1954 993 1,261 1,322 3,576 145,085
1964 737 823 1,039 2,599 79,898
1974 497 466 594 1,557 50,959
1978 548 556 670 1,774 51,751
1982 570 582 710 1,862 50,525
1987 544 562 714 1,820 48,242 2,159,000

Number of Farms per thousand population

Table A-12

	MARION	NEWTON	SEARCY	3-County	State of AR	Whole USA
1954	131	166	139	145	78
1964	115	139	130	128	43
1974	57	71	73	66	25
1978	52	75	78	67	23
1982	50	75	82	67	22
1987	46	73	88	66	21	9

Conclusions: as expected, the BNRW farm rate is much higher than AR & US.

Overall, the number of farms is growing with population in BNRW, while for AR the number of farms is falling slowly in absolute terms.

Farms are shifting from Marion to Searcy County.

(Profile Table A18, source: USDA Census of Agriculture)

Per Capita Income, (inflation adjusted)

Table A-13

MARION NEWTON SEARCY 3-County State of AR Whole USA
1980 7,540 6,131 6,359 6,677 9,059 12,038
1981 7,549 6,079 6,367 6,665 9,153 12,045
1982 7,356 6,245 6,192 6,598 8,917 11,898
1983 7,722 6,167 6,376 6,755 9,135 12,149
1984 7,647 6,507 6,289 6,814 9,560 12,624
1985 8,056 6,636 6,435 7,042 9,783 12,917
1986 9,002 7,041 7,194 7,746 10,192 13,370
1987 9,620 7,228 7,682 8,177 10,234 13,639
1988 9,714 7,215 7,930 8,286 10,540 14,032
1989 9,748 7,440 8,188 8,459 10,723 14,305
1990 9,649 7,483 8,309 8,480 10,846 14,305
1980-90 28.0% 22.1% 30.7% 27.0% 19.7% 18.8%

Conclusion: BNRW incomes are well below AR and US average. However, BNRW income levels have grown in real terms, and have been growing faster than AR & US averages.

(Profile Table A12, source: USDOC Bureau of Econ. Analysis)

Persons Below the Poverty Level

Table A-14

MARION NEWTON SEARCY 3-County State of AR Whole USA
1979 2,648 2,449 2,686 7,783 424,558 26,072,000
% 1979 23.4% 31.6% 30.4% 27.9% 18.6% 11.3%
1989 2,240 2,242 2,316 6,798 423,733 31,528,000
% 1989 18.7% 29.2% 29.5% 24.7% 18.0% 12.4%

Conclusion: BNRW has many more people below poverty line than AR, and AR has many more people below poverty line than US as a whole.

(Profile Table A14, source: USDOC Census Bureau)

Persons Accepting AFDC

Table A-15

MARION NEWTON SEARCY 3-County State of AR Whole USA
Adults, 1980 101 106 72 279 33,079
Children, 1980 238 202 174 614 86,559
Total persons 339 308 246 893 119,638 11,101,556
% AFDC, 1980 3.0% 4.0% 2.8% 3.2% 5.2% 4.8%
% AFDC÷poverty 12.8% 12.6% 9.2% 11.5% 28.2% 42.6%
Adults, 1990 183 86 61 330 33,810
Children, 1990 358 191 129 678 79,645
Total persons 541 277 190 1,008 113,455 10,866,000
% AFDC, 1990 4.8% 3.6% 2.1% 3.6% 5.0% 4.7%
% AFDC÷poverty 24.2% 12.4% 8.2% 14.8% 26.8% 34.5%

Conclusion: The proportion of people below the poverty level who accept AFDC is very low in BNRW compared to AR. Marion County is getting closer to normal. They're "too proud" to take money, or independent enough to survive without government handouts, depending on your perspective.

(Profile Table A16, source: AR Dept. of Human Services)