Beech Tree News Network

The Constitutionally mandated census of the United States was conducted in 2010. Since that time the US Census Bureau, and other agencies have been pouring over the collected data to draw conclusions about the population of the USA, what we do, how we live, and who we are. This scrutiny isn’t lost on Butler County and its residents.
 
The 2012 estimated population of Butler County is 12,827, and that is up 1.1% from the 2010 census number of 12,690. Of that number there are slightly more women than men--50.1%, with persons under 18 making up 23.2% of the populace, and persons 65 and over coming in at 16.4%. Respondents listing their race as white comprise 97.7% of Butler countians. Persons of Hispanic heritage represent 2.9% of the county population.
 
Butler countians report a high school graduation rate of 71.7%, with is a full 10 points behind the state average of 81.7%. The percentage of persons in Butler County receiving their bachelor’s degree lags even further behind the state average. Statewide 20.6% of residents report having a bachelor’s degree or higher, but in Butler County that number dips to just 8.0%. However Butler Countians do come in above the state average for home ownership, at 78.0%, compared to the state of Kentucky average of 69.5%.
 
The total number of households in Butler County stands at 5,081, with each household containing 2.47 persons. The per capita personal income in Butler County is $17,163, trailing the state average of $23,033, and the US average of $27,041. The median household income of Butler County is $33,063. That compares to the US median household income of $51,425 and the Kentucky median of $41,197.
 
Some health statistics of note stick out about Butler County. Butler county is getting fat, with 42% of adults being classified as obese, compared to the 27% state average. Overweight individuals in the county are listed as overweight, which is closer to the state average of 64%. Smoking is another bad habit of Butler Countians. Thirty-five percent of Butler residents are smokers, compared to the 29% state figure. Butler Countians listed as being in Less Than Good Health is measured at 29%, compared to the state average of 23%.
 
Asthma and diabetes show up less often in Butler County than the rest of the state. The state average for diabetes cases is 8%, and Butler County’s figure is 7%. 12% of Butler Countians report having asthma, with the state average at 13%. Butler Countians also fare better than the rest of the state with heart disease deaths. The Butler County figure adjusted to the per 100,000 scale is 189.3, compared to the Kentucky figure of 224.0.
 
For a small county Butler County reports more than its share of crime. Kentucky State Police and Census data report that drug arrests--measured against a scale of 100,000 population--are noticeable higher than the state average. The Butler County figure is 1,879 of 100,000 arrested for drug offenses. Statewide the number is 1,116. The 100,000 figure is used in measurement so that the number of arrests in less populated areas can be projected across the state average. Violent crimes in Butler County are higher than the state and federal averages. The number of murders, rapes, and violent assaults are more than twice the state average of 267 offenses per 100,000 residents. Butler County’s figure is 628.8 per 100,000 compared to the state average and the national figure of 469 per 100,000 population.

Story by Joe K. Morris, Beech Tree News