Van Buren County, Tennessee
Selected Statistical Information
I.  Geography & Demographics Tennessee Van Buren County County Rank Percent of State
Total Land Area (sq. mi.)                 41,217                273 80th  0.7%
Farmland (2007)          
Acres of Farmland            10,969,798           34,844  90th   0.3%
Number of Farms                 79,280                213  93rd   0.3%
Average Size of Farms (Acres)                     138                164  23rd   118.8%
Population            
2008 Estimate 6,214,888 5,481 94th  0.1%
2000 Census 5,689,283 5,508 94th  0.1%
1990 Census 4,877,203 4,846 93rd  0.1%
Gain (1990 to 2000) 812,080 662 92nd  0.1%
Growth Rate (1990 to 2000) 16.7% 13.7% 62nd  82.0%
Population Density (per sq. mi.)         Comparison to State Figure
2008 Estimate                   150.8               20.0 94th  13.3%
2000 Census                   138.0               20.1 94th  14.6%
1990 Census                   118.3               17.7 94th  15.0%
Urban Population         Percent of State
2000 Census            3,618,968                  -   71st  0.0%
1990 Census            2,969,948                  -   72nd  0.0%
Growth Rate (1990 to 2000) 21.9% n/a n/a n/a
Percent of Population in Urban Areas
2000 Census 63.6% 0.0% 71st  0.0%
1990 Census 60.9% 0.0% 72nd  0.0%
Median Age            
2000 Census 36 39 26th  107.8%
1990 Census 34 34 72nd  100.6%
Population Percentages by Age Bracket        
2000 Census
under 18 24.6% 23.0% 68th 
18-24 9.6% 9.2% 22nd 
25-44 30.2% 27.5% 71st 
45-64 23.2% 26.3% 15th 
65 & over 12.4% 14.0% 44th 
1990 Census
under 18 25.1% 26.4% 20th 
18-24 10.9% 9.7% 46th 
25-44 31.8% 30.9% 26th 
45-64 19.6% 21.0% 48th 
65 & over 12.6% 12.1% 80th 
Population Growth by Age Bracket, 1990 to 2000  
Population Percentages by Race/Ethnicity (2000 Census)  
Tennessee Van Buren County County Rank* Comparison to State Figure
Males per 100 Females (2007) 95.4 98.8 4th  103.7%
Marriages Recorded per 1,000 Population in 2006 10.7 11.8 10th  110.3%
Divorces Recorded per 1,000 Population in 2006 4.7 4.2 31st  89.4%
*A rank of 1 indicates the best condition.
II.  Income & Poverty Tennessee Van Buren County County Rank* Comparison to State Figure
Per Capita Personal Income          
2006 $32,172 $25,245 52nd  78.5%
2000 $26,097 $18,598 73rd  71.3%
Compound Annual Growth Rate 3.55% 5.22% 2nd  147.20%
Median Household Income          
2007 $42,389 $33,993 72nd  80.2%
2000 $35,760 $29,315 71st  82.0%
Compound Annual Growth Rate 2.46% 2.14% 41st  86.92%
2007 Poverty Rate          
All Ages  15.8% 19.2% 69th  121.52%
Related Children Under 18 Years  22.5% 28.5% 69th  126.67%
2000 Census            
All Ages  13.1% 13.9% 40th  106.19%
Related Children Under 18 Years 15.9% 16.8% 35th  105.48%
2007 Food Stamp Recipients (Monthly Average )          
Percent of Households 15.8% 19.3% 63rd  121.76%
Percent of Individuals 14.1% 18.5% 67th  131.16%
2007 Families First           
Percent of Households 2.5% 1.4% 29th  58.60%
Percent of Individuals 2.5% 1.6% 43rd  63.18%
*A rank of 1 indicates the best condition.
III.  Health & Healthcare Tennessee Van Buren County County Rank* Comparison to State Figure
2007 Pregnancy & Birth Rates           
Live births per 1,000 Population                    14.2                9.5 92nd  66.9%
Percent of Live Births to Unmarried Parents 42.8% 23.1% 3rd  54.0%
Percent Low Birth Weight 9.4% 5.8% 3rd  61.7%
Pregnancies per 1,000 Females Aged 15-44                    80.7               49.3 94th  61.1%
Pregnancies per 1,000 Females Aged 10-17                    13.9                8.1 14th  58.3%
Pregnancies per 1,000 Females Aged 10-14                      1.3                  -   1st  0.0%
* A rank of 1 indicates the best condition.
2007 Mortality Rates           
Number of Deaths per 1,000 Population                      9.3                8.6 13th  92.5%
Number of Deaths per 100,000 Population by Cause of Death
Diseases of the Heart                   233.2             256.9 41st  110.2%
Cancer (Malignant Neoplasm)                   215.3             220.2 25th  102.3%
* A rank of 1 indicates the best condition.
n/a
1st 
n/a
Tennessee Van Buren County County Rank Comparison to State Figure
Access to Healthcare          
Medical Doctors per 1,000 (2007)                      1.8                7.3 1st  405.3%
Hospital Beds per 1,000 Population (2006)                      4.2  n/a  n/a n/a
Nursing Home Beds per 1,000 Pop. 65 & older (2006)                    49.2             214.8 8th  436.8%
2006 Charity Care--Percent of All Hospital Care  8.5% n/a n/a n/a
IV.  Employment
Unemployment Rate   Tennessee Van Buren County County Rank* Comparison to State Figure
2009 (February) 9.5% 13.4% 73rd  140.5%
2000 4.0% 4.7% 50th  117.3%
2007 Youth Unemployment Rate  15.7% 40.0% 95th  255.3%
* A rank of 1 indicates the best condition.
2007 Employment Percentages by Major Industry   Tennessee Van Buren County County Rank Comparison to State Figure
Total Employment All Industries 2,745,397 921 95 0.0%
Natural Resources and Mining 0.4% 21.8% 14 5531.4%
Construction 4.9% 3.8% 78 78.3%
Manufacturing 13.8% 25.1% 90 181.2%
Trade, Transportation and Utilities 22.1% 28.0% 88 126.7%
Information 1.8% 29.9% 23 1670.4%
Financial Activities 5.2% 2.4% 91 45.7%
Professional and Business Services 11.8% 0.5% 91 4.6%
Education and Health Services 12.4% 0.0% 95 0.0%
Leisure and Hospitality 10.1% 0.0% 95 0.0%
Other Services 2.6% 120.2% 11 4672.7%
Government 14.9% 0.5% 94 3.6%
Federal 1.8% 0.5% 94 30.6%
State 3.3% 0.0% 68 0.0%
Local 9.9% 0.0% 68 0.0%
2007 Average Annual Wage by Major Industry         County Rank
40th 
32nd 
63rd 
65th 
3rd 
28th 
72nd 
47th 
95th 
95th 
88th 
38th 
80th 
68th 
68th 
V.  Value of Farmland and Agricultural Products Sold
Tennessee Van Buren County Rank
Estimated Market Value of Farmland & Buildings   $           467,420  $      465,800 39th 
(Average Per Farm)
Estimated Market Value of Farmland & Buildings   $               3,378  $         2,847 68th 
(Average Per Acre)
Total Market Value of Agicultural Products Sold   $  2,617,394,000  $   4,198,000 90th 
VI.  County Government Finance (municipalities' revenue data not available)
2001-2002 Revenue by Source (in thousands)   Tennessee Percent of Total Van Buren County Percent of State Total
Grand Total  $         8,062,012 100.0%  $      8,370 100.00%
Total State Revenue  $         2,504,883 31.1%  $      4,839 57.8%
Public Schools            1,949,045 24.2%         3,149 37.6%
All Other               555,838 6.9%         1,690 20.2%
Federal Revenue  $           511,055 6.3%  $        703 8.4%
Total Local Revenue  $         5,046,074 62.6%  $      2,828 33.8%
Property Tax            2,720,971 33.8%         1,371 16.4%
Local Sales Tax            1,123,100 13.9%            449 5.4%
Other Local             1,202,003 14.9%         1,008 12.0%
 Tax Base (in thousands)   Tennessee Van Buren County County Rank Percent of State
2007 Equalized Assessed Property Value  $     131,625,598  $       99,272
Tax Base Per Capita $21,179 $18,112 93rd  85.5%
2007 County Property Tax Rate (per $100) $2.17 62nd 
2008 Total Taxable Sales   $       69,005,974  $       16,209
Tax Base Per Capita $11,103 $2,957 8th  26.6%
2008 County Sales Tax Rate 2.75% 1st 
VII.  Public Infrastructure Needs Inventory
Estimated Costs, 2007 - 2012 (in thousands)   Tennessee Van Buren County County Rank Percent of State
Project  Type
Water & Wastewater  $         3,855,355  $       57,700 18th 1.5%
Transportation           17,106,712           41,400 73rd 0.2%
Public Health Facilities               323,093           10,000 7th 3.1%
Housing               100,189           10,000 3rd 10.0%
Law Enforcement            1,826,201             7,000 43rd 0.4%
Recreation            1,118,527             6,975 33rd 0.6%
Industrial Sites & Parks               241,362             5,000 14th 2.1%
Public Buildings               526,288             2,000 33rd 0.4%
School System-wide Need                 63,021             1,831 5th 2.9%
Community Development               367,547             1,750 18th 0.5%
Other Utilities               598,698                631 25th 0.1%
Existing School Improvements            1,899,735                 15 93rd 0.0%
Non K-12 Education            3,015,869                    - 43rd 0.0%
K-12 New School Construction            1,798,581                    - 45th 0.0%
Business District Development               375,758                    - 23rd 0.0%
Stormwater               371,227                    - 39th 0.0%
Libraries, Museums, & Historic Sites               285,785                    - 52nd 0.0%
Fire Protection               220,725                    - 57th 0.0%
Solid Waste                 54,314                    - 30th 0.0%
Other Facilities                 32,755                    - 9th 0.0%
Telecommunications                 17,009                    - 5th 0.0%
Property Acquisition                   3,956                    - 8th 0.0%
Grand Total  $       34,202,707  $      144,302 54th 0.4%
VIII.  Adult & Post-secondary Education
Adult Educational Attainment     Tennessee Van Buren County County Rank
2000 Census
Percent w/ HS diploma (or equivalent) or better 75.9% 62.0% 78th 
Percent w/ Bachelors Degree or better 19.6% 7.8% 75th 
2008 Estimate
1990 Census
Percent w/ HS diploma (or equivalent) or better 67.1% 48.0% 84th 
Percent w/ Bachelors Degree or better 16.0% 4.1% 94th 
 Number of Post-secondary Institutions (2008)      
Four-year Colleges and Universities 77 0
Public 14 0
Private 63 0
Other Public Institutions 93 0
Community Colleges 13 0
Technology Centers 27 0
Two-Year Private Institutions 20 0
Off-campus Sites 33 0
2007 - 2008 Enrollment (full-time equivalent) at Post-secondary Institutions    
Four-year Colleges and Universities*          214,260                     -  
Public 134,696 0
Private 79,564 0
Other Public Institutions* 134,278 0
Community Colleges 80,454 0
Technology Centers 13,939 0
Two-Year Private Insitutions 11,049 0
Off-campus Sites 28,836 0
* Note: By location of instiution, not county of residence of students
IX.  Public School Systems  (Total number of school systems is 136)
Statewide Van Buren County    
Number of Students
2007-2008                 944,738                       782               
Percent of Statewide 0.1%          
1997-1998                 834,318                       748               
Percent of Statewide 0.1%          
Increase/(Decrease)                 110,420 34          
Percent Change 13.2% 4.5%          
2007-2008
Free or Reduced-price Meals 54.5% 61.9%
Federal Title 1 39.7% 50.3%
Special Education 14.7% 11.5%
English Language Learners 3.2% 0.0%
Statewide Van Buren County    
2007-2008 Accreditation by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools 
Elementary Schools 71.5% 100.0%
Secondary Schools 90.8% 100.0%
Students per Classroom Teacher*
2007-2008                      14.9                      12.5               
1997-1998                      15.8                      14.8               
Increase/(Decrease)                       (0.9)                       (2.3)                    
Progress Through School
Promotion Rate
2007-2008 98.0% 98.9%          
1997-1998 96.6% 95.4%
Dropout Rate
2007-2008 10.1% 6.5%
1997-1998 4.5% 1.6%
*Classroom teachers include art, music and physical education teachers.  Because these auxiliary teachers are
included, ratios of students to classroom teachers do not represent and tend to be lower than actual class sizes.
Statewide Van Buren County    
Expenditures per Student
2007-2008 $7,742 $7,533
Percent of Statewide 97.3%          
1997-1998 $5,123 $4,905
Percent of Statewide 95.7%          
Increase/Decrease $2,618 $2,628          
Percent Change 51.1% 53.6%          
Classroom Teachers' Average Salary*
2007-2008 $44,820 $38,932
Percent of Statewide 86.9%
1997-1998 $34,584 $29,251
Percent of Statewide 84.6%
Gain $10,236 $9,681
Percent Change 29.6% 33.1%          
Revenue by Source (percent of total)
2007-2008
State 47.6% 70.8%
Federal 10.8% 11.2%
Local 41.6% 18.0%
System Rank for Percent Local 116th 
2006-2007
State 45.5% 70.9%
Federal 11.0% 10.6%
Local 43.5% 18.6%
System Rank for Percent Local 118th 
Statewide Van Buren County County Rank
2008-2009 County Area Fiscal Capacity        
Estimated Local Revenue per Student $2,782 $1,030 84th 
Sources of Information for County Profiles
I. Geography & Demographics
U.S. Bureau of the Census--all data except for marriage and divorce rates.
www.census.gov
U.S. Department of Agriculture - farmland data
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome
TN Dept. of Health - marriage and divorce rates.
http://health.state.tn.us/
II. Income & Poverty
U.S. Bureau of the Census--median household income data & poverty rates.
www.census.gov
TN Dept. of Human Services--Food Stamp data and Families First data.
http://www.tennessee.gov/humanserv/adfam/afs_fsp.htm
http://www.tennessee.gov/humanserv/adfam/afs_tanf.htm
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis - per capita income data
www.bea.gov
III. Health & Healthcare
TN Dept.of Health, Health Statistics & Research--pregnancy, births, mortality & healthcare access data.
http://health.state.tn.us/statistics/healthdata.htm
IV. Employment
TN Dept. Of Labor and Workforce Development - unemployment data. 
http://www.state.tn.us/labor-wfd/
U.S. Department of Labor - employment data.
ww.bls.gov/lau/home.htm
V. Value of Farmland and Agricultural Product Sold
U.S. Department of Agriculture - farmland data
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome
VI. County Government Finance (municipalities' revenue data not available)
TN County Technical Advisory Service (CTAS), Resource Center--county revenue data.
www.ctas.utk.edu
TN Comptroller of the Treasury, Division of Property Assessment--equalized assessed property values.
http://www.comptroller.state.tn.us/pa/taxaggr.htm
TN Dept. of Revenue--total taxable sales.
www.state.tn.us/revenue/files.htm
VII. Public Infrastructure Needs Inventory
TN Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations--all data. 
http://tn.gov/tacir/infrastructure.html
VIII. Adult & Post-secondary Education
U.S. Bureau of the Census--educational attainment.
www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/educ-attn.html
TN Higher Education Commission--post-secondary institution and enrollment data.
www.state.tn.us/thec
IX. Public School Systems (Total number of school systems is 136)
TN Department of Education--all data except fiscal capacity.
http://www.state.tn.us/education/mdata.shtml
TN Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations--education fiscal capacity.
http://tn.gov/tacir/fiscalcapacity.html
Prepared by TACIR