Population  Overview  

According  to  the  U.S.  Census  Bureau,  in  2010  the  City  of  Dawson  Springs  reported  the  following  demographic  information.    

Population  Distribution  for  the  City  of  Dawson  Springs  Subject   Number   Percent  

Population   3,409   100.0  

         Under  the  Age  of  5   311   9.1  

         Ages  5  to  9   254   7.5  

         Ages  30  to  34   244   7.2  

         Population  over  Age  65   538   15.8  

Median  Age   34.4   -­‐-­‐  

*Table  1

The  data  reflects  the  largest  population  group  in  the  city  is  categorized  by  “Under  the  age  of  five.”  Also,  the  “Ages  5  to  9”  represents  the  second  largest  portion  of  the  city’s  population,  as  cataloged  by  the  U.S.  Census.  Perhaps  this  trend  suggests  population  growth,  or  perhaps  other  underlying  factors  are  affecting  the  data.  The  data  also  shows  an  increase  in  population  category  for  the  “Ages  30  to  34”  group.  This  group  is  most  likely  linked  to  the  population  under  the  age  of  ten;  meaning,  the  “Ages  30-­‐34”  group  are  the  most  likely  population  to  have  children  under  the  age  of  ten.    

To  follow  this  line  of  thought  further,  the  U.S.  Census  Bureau  also  studies  the  types  of  households  in  a  city.  The  findings  of  this  survey  are  provided  in  Table  2.  

Types  of  Households  in  Dawson  Springs  Subject   Number   Percent  

Total  Households   1,329   100.0  

     Family  Households   906   68.2  

         with  children  under  age  18   400   30.1    

(of  total  household)  

     Nonfamily  Households   423   31.8  

*Table  2

The  term  “household”  is  defined  by  the  Census  Bureau  as  a  householder  plus  one  or  more  occupants  related  to  the  householder  by  marriage,  birth,  or  adoption.  The  data  reflects  the  type  of  citizen  base  in  the  city.  A  large  portion  of  the  population  consists  of  “families”  (again,  as  the  Census  

Dawson Springs Demographic Overview

defines  the  term).  Further,  “young”  households  are  prevalent;  nearly  half  of  the  households  include  children  under  the  age  of  eighteen.  While  reviewing  this  data,  the  number  of  single-­‐parent  households  seemed  high.  In  Dawson  Springs,  the  percentage  of  single-­‐parent  households  represented  11.6%  of  total  households.  The  most  recent  average  produced  by  the  Bureau  to  compare  this  statistic  was  in  2005;  in  the  study,  the  agency  found  that  since  1995  the  national  average  for  single-­‐family  households  had  remained  constant  at  9  %.  While  this  is  not  a  “red  flag”  statistic,  the  result  is  somewhat  surprising.    

As  for  home  occupancy,  the  City  reported  a  2.2  Homeowner’s  Vacancy  Rate,  which  is  defined  as  portion  of  homeowner’s  property  that  is  vacant  for  sale.  This  average  was  not  significantly  different  from  the  national  average  for  that  year  (2010).  However,  the  renter  vacancy  was  different  from  the  average.  While  the  Census  reported  the  Rental  Vacancy  Rate  approximately  10.2,  the  City  of  Dawson  Springs  reported  a  4.7  approximate  for  this  rate.  This  may  reflect  less  “movement”  among  the  renting  population  of  Dawson  Springs  relative  to  the  nation.  Perhaps  most  renters  tend  to  remain  at  the  residence  rather  than  move  to  another  rental  property.  Also,  this  may  indicate  low  movement  from  the  renting  to  owning;  perhaps  most  renters  in  Dawson  Springs  remain  renters.  Because  the  city’s  average  for  Homeowner’s  Vacancy  is  low,  the  residents  are  most  likely  not  moving  from  a  status  of  owner  to  renter.    

Education  

The  2006-­‐2010  American  Community  Survey  also  provided  data  concerning  the  educational  enrollment  and  attainment  of  the  citizens  for  the  City  of  Dawson  Springs.    

School  Enrollment  Subject   Estimate   Percentage  

Population  enrolled  in  school  

661                      19.4  

         Through  8th  Grade     395   59.8  

         High  School   178   26.9  

         College  or  Graduate  School   88   13.3  

                          *Table  3  

 

The  data  in  Table  3  reflects  current  educational  enrollment.  Nearly  20%  of  the  population  is  currently  (as  of  the  2010  study)  enrolled  in  an  educational  program.  The  largest  enrollment  group  is  “Through  8th  Grade.”  This  is  not  surprising,  because  the  category  represents  1)  a  larger  group  of  citizens  and  2)  a  mandate  that  these  age  groups  are  legally  required  to  attend  school.    The  next  step  in  understanding  the  educational  prospect  of  the  community  is  to  consider  what  levels  of  education  the  population  has  obtained.  Table  4  reflects  the  data  for  attainment.    

 

Educational  Attainment  for  Ages  25  and  Greater      

Subject   Estimate   Percentage    

Total  Population  Greater  than  25  

1,766   -­‐-­‐  

Less  than  9th  Grade   194   11.0  

Grades  9th  through  12th,  no  diploma  

263   14.9  

High  School  Diploma  or  Equivalency  

729   41.3  

Some  College,  no  degree   296   16.8  

Associate’s  Degree   158   8.9  

Bachelor’s  Degree   74   4.2  

Graduate  or  Professional  Degree  

52   2.9  

                  *Table  4  

The  data  seems  to  reflect  lower  attainment.  However,  this  data  should  be  coupled  with  the  estimate  that  nearly  16%  of  the  population  is  over  the  age  of  sixty-­‐five.  Younger  generations  tend  to  have  higher  overall  level  of  education  attainment  and  this  may  have  skewed  the  results  in  this  study.    

Employment  

Based  on  the  2006-­‐2010  American  Community  Survey,  the  City  of  Dawson  Springs  reported  1,034  people  over  the  age  of  16  were  in  the  labor  force;  conversely,  the  city  reported  1,060  citizens  were  not  in  the  labor  force.    The  caveat  of  the  data  is  the  inclusion  of  individuals  who  are  incapable  of  working  at  the  time  of  the  survey.  The  U.S.  Census  Bureau  defines  the  variable  “not  in  the  labor  force”  as:    

All  people  16  years  old  and  over  who  are  not  classified  as  members  of  the  labor  force.  This  category  consists  mainly  of  students,  homemakers,  retired  workers,  seasonal  workers  interviewed  in  an  off  season  who  were  not  looking  for  work,  institutionalized  people,  and  people  doing  only  incidental  unpaid  family  work  (less  than  15  hours  during  the  reference  week).  

 The  employment  rate  is  represented  in  Graph  A.      

Dawson  Springs  Employment  for  16  Years  Old  and  Higher

In  Labor  force

Not  in  Labor  force

                  *Graph  A  

 Placing  this  data  in  perspective,  the  state  of  Kentucky  reported  that  of  the  3,437,562  residents  of  the  age  of  16  and  older,  2,073,873  are  in  the  work  force  and  1,363,689  residents  are  outside  of  the  work  force.        

State  of  Kentucky  Employment  for  16  Years  Old  and  Higher

In  Labor  force

Not  in  Labor  force

                        *Graph  B        

This  data  speaks  to  the  age  trend  of  Dawson  Springs.  Nearly  16%  of  the  city  is  over  the  age  of  sixty-­‐five.  This  data  reflects  a  barrier  of  entry  if  the  city  where  to  try  to  recruit  industry;  currently,  the  city’s  labor  force  may  not  have  the  labor  capital  necessary  to  support  a  much  business  expansion.  However,  the  aging  population  does  hint  to  an  increasing  need  for  healthcare  in  the  area.      Focusing  first  on  what  Dawson  Springs  currently  offers  in  employment,  the  Census  produced  the  following  statistics:        

                    *Graph  C  

 The  Graph  above  demonstrates  the  distribution  of  occupations  in  the  city.  The  occupations  listed  are  all  relatively  equal  in  distribution.  However,  Sales  &  Office  does  represent  the  greatest  portion  of  the  workforce,  followed  closely  by  the  category  Production,  Transportation,  &  Material  Moving.  The  lowest  represented  occupation  is  Natural  Resources,  Construction,  &  Maintenance.      To  better  explain  the  distribution,  a  review  of  the  different  work  environments  in  Dawson  Springs  helps  shed  light  on  the  city’s  employment  outlook.      

                    *Graph  D    

   Graph  D  shows  that  the  Education  &  Health  Care  and  Social  Assistance  Industry  has  the  greatest  represenation  in  the  city.  Perhaps  the  Census  data  would  have  been  clearer  if  the  categories  were  seperated  further;  for  example,  looking  at  the  most  populated  industry,  the  analysis  does  not  clarify  whether  1)  Education,  2)  Health  Care  or  3)  Social  Assistance  has  the  most  employees.      Next,  Graph  E  demonstrates  the  smaller  industries  in  Dawson  Springs.        

                  *Graph  E  

 

Graph  E  was  scaled  to  the  same  value  incriments  as  Graph  D  in  order  to  compare  the  two  reports.  These  four  indsutries  have  less  than  40  workers  each.  Also,  the  industy  “Professional,  Scientific,  and  Management  &  Waste  Management  Services”  is  not  reported  because  1)  the  categorical  classification  is  too  convoluted  and  2)  the  industry  only  represents  4  employees.  Perhaps  these  smaller  industries  need  assistance  in  acquiring  more  (or  any)  labor  force.