WORK-FORCE1
Refugio County Profile, 2nd ed.
Philip W. Rhoades, Ph.D.
Valerie Villarreal B.A.
Stephanie Jackson B.A.
Swathi Yarlagadda B.S.
Social Science Research Center
June 30, 2005
Refugio County Profile, 2nd ed.
Authors
Philip W. Rhoades, Ph.D.
Valerie Villarreal B.A.
Stephanie Jackson B.A.
Swathi Yarlagadda B.S.
This report has been produced for Work-Force 1 by the Social Science Research Center at Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi. Funding was provided through a contract with the Coastal Bend Work-Force Development Board.
Copyright 2005
All or portions of this report may be duplicated in support of public education, grant writing or planning efforts, if citation is made of sources: The Social Science Research Center, Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi and Work-Force 1.
11
REFUGIO COUNTY
OVERVIEW
According to Texas Economic Development, Refugio County is on the lower Gulf Coast in the Coastal Prairies region, bounded on the south by San Patricio County, on the west by Bee and Goliad counties, on the north by Victoria and Calhoun counties, and on the east by Aransas County and by Hynes and Copano bays. The county consists of 819 square miles with a 2000 population density of 10.2 residents per square mile. The average density in Texas is 79.6 persons per square mile which is the same as the national average. This county ranked 182th in 2000 population compared to all 254 counties in Texas with an estimated population of 7,828.
The county seat is the town of Refugio, which is only thirty five miles north of Corpus Christi. Special events include the “Old-Fashion Fourth” celebration and the State Frog-Jumping Contest.
The population context for Refugio County is important. The 2004 census data indicate that Refugio County did not grow as a county rather the population decreased. Refugio County population decreased 3.4% from 2000 to 2004 while the State grew 7.9%. In 2004, 17.1% of the County’s population was 65 years old and over while only 10.2% of the State was 65 or over.
In 2004, Refugio County had only 55.9% of its population in the 16 years and over labor force as compared to 63.7% for Texas. Refugio County has a median household size of 1.60 that is lower than the State’s 2.67 and also had a lower household median income in 2004 ($31,695) than the State ($43,487).
DEMOGRAPHICS
According to the 2004 U.S. Census Bureau, the total population for Refugio County was 7,559. This reflects a loss of population since 2000 When looking at Race in terms of population numbers, the total number of Whites was 6,051 this includes Hispanics and other due to that some individuals marked more than one option for Race. The total of number of Hispanics or Latinos (of any race) was 3,367. The total number of Blacks or African-Americans was 519. The total number of all other races was 989. The total number of males in the county was 3,646 and total number of females was 3,913. The 12 and under population was 1,360, 13 – 17 age range was 633 and 18 and over (includes elderly population) was 6,094. The total number of elderly population over 65 was 1,423.
YOUTH CRIME
Crime among juveniles is less prevalent in Refugio County as compared to the State. In 2004, Refugio County had a lower arrest rate than the State in alcohol related and drug related arrests. Also, in Refugio County, the rate of violent crime arrests was 0 as compared to 0.6 in the State. The property crime arrest rate in Refugio County was 0.4 as compared to 4.6 for the State
When looking at runaway arrests, the rate in Refugio is lower than that of the State. Juvenile arrests for curfew, vandalism, and disorderly conduct are lower in Refugio County as compared to the State.
ADULT CRIME
When examining adult crimes, it is apparent that adult crime rates for alcohol, violent and property crimes are lower in Refugio County as compared to the State. In 2004, the rates drug-related adult arrest was lower in the county than the State. In Refugio County, the rate of violent crime arrests was 0.1 as compared to 1.8 in the State. The property crime arrest rate in Refugio County was 0.2 as compared to 6.1 for the State.
VICTIMIZATION
When examining confirmed cases of child abuse, the Refugio County rate of confirmed victims of child abuse per 1,000 (14) was greater than that of the State (8.2) in 2004. The rate is also higher when examining confirmed cases of adult abuse in Refugio County as compared to the State.
When looking at victims of domestic violence, Refugio County had lower incidences of family violence. According to the 2003 Texas Uniform Crime Reports, Refugio County had a rate of 1.8 incidents of family violence compared to 8.5 for the State.
EDUCATION
Education is a key component to the success of a community. In the 2003 – 2004 academic school year, Texas implemented the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), system of exams to replace the TAAS. For that year, the proportion passing the Reading test was lower than the State in only one out of the three school districts in Refugio County. For the Math test, the proportion passing the test was lower in Refugio and Woodsboro school districts, than the State.
Another area examined was the proportion of eligible students scoring at or above the Texas Education Agency accountability criteria on the SAT or ACT. For the 2003 -2004 school year one of the school districts had a lower proportion than the State (27.2%). This school district was Woodsboro ISD at 5.9%.
Attendance is another important factor in success in school. Of the three school districts two report having a higher average of daily attendance rates as compared to the State average. However, Austwell-Tivoli ISD had a slightly lower attendance rate of 94.4% as compared to the State rate of 95.6%.
Drop-out rates reported for the graduating class of 2003, indicated that one school district had a higher drop-out rate. These are Refugio ISD and Woodsboro ISD.
When looking at the 2003 high school graduation rate in Refugio County, two of the three school districts were above the State average graduation rate of 84.2%, Refugio and Austwell.
Institutions of higher learning were also examined. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, and Del Mar College were the three institutions that were examined.
In the spring semester of 2005 academic enrollment by ethnicity at TAMU-CC was 55.9% White, 36.8% Hispanic, 3.1% Black, 4.1% and other. The total number of students was 7,849. The greatest proportion of students was enrolled in the College of Arts and Humanities (27.3%) followed the College of Education (25%), College of Science and Technology (20.3%), College of Business (17.4%), and the College of Nursing and Health (10.1%).
In the spring semester of 2005 academic school year, enrollment by ethnicity at Del Mar College was 56.5% Hispanic, 36.7% White, 2.8% Black, and 4.0% other. The total number of students was 11,495. A large proportion of the students are enrolled in the Occupation Education & Technology Department (35.5%), followed by Business and Career (27.1%), Arts and Sciences (20.3%) and undeclared (17.1%).
In the fall semester of 2004 academic school year, enrollment by ethnicity at TAMU-K was 27% White, 62% Hispanic, 5% Black, and 6% other. The total number of students was 6,200. A greatest proportion of students are enrolled in the Arts and Sciences (35.0%) followed the Education (24.9%), Engineering (14.9%), Business Administration (14.2%) and Agriculture and Human Sciences (11.1%).
In the spring semester of 2005 academic school year, enrollment by ethnicity at Coastal Bend Community College was 30.7% White, 62.6% Hispanic, 4.5% Black, and 2.2% other. The total number of students was 3,565.
In 2004, the educational attainment level of the population 25 years and over demonstrates that Refugio County lacks much of the education needed for success in the workforce. More residents in Refugio County than the State have dropped out before high school completion. The county has fewer residents that have completed college degrees at all levels than the state.
ECONOMIC DEPRIVATION
A significant stress on families is poverty. The data reveal that poverty is quite present in Refugio County. One way of examining poverty is looking at the per capita income in 2004. For Refugio County the per capita income was $16,252 as compared to the State’s $21,502. The median household income in 2004 was $31,695 for Refugio County and $43,487 for the State. From 2001 to 2004, the unemployment rate in Refugio County has been lower than the State rate.
When examining poverty in Refugio County, a similar proportion of individuals and families are living in poverty as compared to the State. According to the Census data in 2002, the percent of individuals under 18 years of age below the poverty level was 21.1% as compared to the State at 21.3%. The proportion of all ages in poverty in Refugio County is 15.2% below the poverty level as compared to that of the State at 15.4%.
In 1999, the proportion of families living in poverty (with related children under 18) was 21.7% in Refugio County as compared to 16.6% for the State. When examining single parent households, families with only a female householder present, Refugio County had 40.3% living below the poverty level as compared to the State at 29.5%. In single parent households, with related children under 18, the proportion living below the poverty level was 52.4% as compared to 36.2% for the State.
The number of recipients receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) decreased slightly from 2003 to 2004. Recipients of Food Stamps from 2003 to 2004 decreased 44.8% in Refugio County. The number of recipients on Medicaid only decreased 32.9% from 2003 to 2004 in Refugio County.
The percentage of children enrolled in CHIPS in 2004 is higher in the county than for the state. Infants and children receiving WIC in 2004 is higher in Refugio (36%), compared to the State (35.6%). There were 42% of children enrolled in head start for Refugio County, compared to 9.8% for the state in 2002.
Poverty in Refugio County is a problem and affects many individuals and families. An example of this is grandparents as caregivers. Grandparents as caregivers according to the U.S. Census Bureau is defined as grandparent living in household with one or more grandchildren under 18 years of age, and being responsible for the grandchildren. In Refugio County that percentage in 2000 was 57.9 compared to the State at 46.7%. This represents 16.3% of all families with children for Refugio County compared to 9.4% for Texas and 7.0% for the Nation.
OCCUPATION & EMPLOYMMENT BY INDUSTRY DATA
According to the 2000 Census data, a majority of the residents in Refugio are employed by the following top six industries: The industry of Education Services, 10.6%, followed by Mining at 10.2%, Health Care and Social Assistance at 9.4%, Retail Trade at 9.3%, Construction at 8.4% and Agriculture forestry fishing and hunting at 8.1%. The County has more employment in the Agriculture and Mining industries. It has less employment in Information, Manufacturing, Professional Scientific Services, Retail and Whole Trade, and Transportation industries.
SOCIAL SERVICES
When examining the area of social services, two variables were examined: adults with mental illness and individuals with disabilities. The estimated number of adults with mental illness from 2001 to 2005 has remained relatively stable with an average of 1,163 adults in the last 5 years.
In 2000, individuals with disabilities in Refugio County were about the same percent as the State. The percent of individuals with disabilities from 5 – 15 years of age was 3.9% in Refugio County in the State of Texas it was 5.3%. The percent of individuals with disabilities from 16 to 64 years of age was 22.9% for Refugio County and 19.2% for the State. For individuals 65 and over, it was 43.0% for Refugio County and 44.8% for the State.
HEALTH DATA
Several variables were examined in regard to health data including: teen births, infant mortality, mortality, chronic liver disease, diabetes, and heart disease.
The percent of teen births in 2003 was slightly higher in Refugio County (6%) as compared to the State at 5.1%.
The percent of low birth weight infants was slightly higher in 2003 at 8.4% in Refugio County as compared to 7.9% for the State. The infant mortality rate per 1,000 in Refugio County in 2002 was 0.0 as compared to 6.4 for the State. The mortality rate per 1,000 in Refugio County was 12.6 as compared to 7.1 in Texas in 2003.
Long term use of alcohol in Refugio County is not as serious a problem as in other parts of the region. When looking at the long term effects of alcohol use, the rate of deaths due to chronic liver disease per 10,000 in 2003 for Refugio County was 0 as compared to 1.1 in the State. When it comes to rate of deaths due to diabetes, Refugio is significantly higher at a rate of 36.2% compared to the state at 2.6%. The rate of deaths due to heart disease is also higher in Refugio County when compared to the state.
In 2003, the HIV rate was 0.1 and AIDS rates per 1,000 in Refugio County was 0.4 compared to the state’s HIV rate of 0.9 and the AIDS rate of 3.0.
QUALITY OF LIFE DATA
When looking at the quality of life in Refugio County, several variables were examined. Public transportation was one variable that was looked at. No use of public transportation was reported. The average time to get to work was 22.5 minutes. For the State in 2000, the average time was 25.4 minutes.
Another area examined was residents’ county to workplace. In 2000, the percent of residents that worked in Refugio County was 70.9% as compared to 29.1% that work outside of the County.