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Section 2 Existing Conditions/Affected Environment

EAA Storage Reservoirs Revised Draft PIR and EIS February 2006

2-44

From a socioeconomic perspective this area is generally “very depressed,” but

has significant community cohesion. It is an aging area that is likely to continue

to see a loss of working age, educated population - typical of patterns seen in

many rural areas throughout the United States. There is a high concentration of

minority individuals, both African-Americans and Hispanics, with their numbers

far exceeding non-minorities. Income levels are well below state averages with

one-third to one-half of the families living in poverty.

Educational achievement in the EAA is low compared to Florida averages, with

less than 10% of the area’s adults having any formal education beyond high

school and only about one-half having graduated from high school. About one-

fourth of the adults did not complete ninth grade.

While Florida has experienced a population increase of almost 25% in the ten

years between the 1990 and 2000 censuses, the EAA population decreased 5%

from 44,700 to 42,265 persons. The population decline most likely reflects the

mechanization of agricultural processes and out-migration of youth (USACE and

SFWMD, 2003). Reflective of the population decline, the EAA experienced

between 1990 and 2000, the area has seen a decrease in families. Nine of the

eleven census tracts saw a decrease of 10% to 20% in the number of families. The

number of families in the three municipalities also declined.

The southern and central sections of the EAA have a very low population. Table

2-3 provides an overview of the socioeconomic characteristics within each of the

census tracts in the EAA.

A high percentage of the population within the EAA is clustered near Lake

Okeechobee, within and adjacent to the incorporated areas. Census tracts

comprising over 80% of the surface area in the EAA contain just over 4% of the

total population.

When viewing the 2000 income data for the EAA as a percentage of Florida

incomes, the relative poverty of the EAA population is very visible. Median

income levels of eight of the eleven tracts are less than three-quarters of

Florida’s median household and family income. Per capita income differences

are more severe, with six of the tracts having less than one-half of the statewide

average per capita income. Additionally, the per capita income of Florida is

higher than that of all tracts in the EAA. The disparity between the Florida

values and the individual tract values is much greater than in 1990.

Service-oriented occupations comprise the majority of employment in the EAA.

Farming occupations represent a small percent of the workforce, reflective of the

modernization of farming operations, while production, mostly related to

agriculture, continues to be a major occupation in the EAA.

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