New State/Local Data for August 2009

In this issue:

  1. Population
  2. Health and healthcare
  3. Food and nutrition
  4. Energy
  5. Land use

1. Population Issues

Population Dynamics of the Great Plains: 1950-2007

The Great Plains region of the central United States, a vast area stretching across the country’s midsection from the Mexican border to the Canadian border, contains fully 18% of the landmass of the lower 48 states and roughly 3% of their population. (See map 1). Although the population of the Great Plains has grown more rapidly than the U.S. population as a whole since the middle of the 20th century, most of its counties have lost population over this period. The region’s overall population increase was limited primarily to metropolitan counties.

According to this Census Bureau report, the Great Plains population more than doubled over this period, from 4.9 million in 1950 to 9.9 million in 2007. Its 102% population increase slightly exceeded the 99% rise for the U.S. as a whole (Colorado’s population increased by an estimated 266.9% during this period to nearly 4.9 million). Yet at the same time, 244 of the region’s 376 counties saw their populations decline, with 69 of them losing more than half their population. (See maps 2 and 3). Other highlights include:

  • Only 34 counties in the region had more than 50,000 residents. Of the 22 Great Plains counties with populations above 100,000, 21 were located in Colorado or Texas.
  • Although Texas had the highest domestic migration fueling its population growth, Colorado had the greatest international migration of all the Great Plains states.

An Aging World: 2008

The average age of the world’s population is increasing at an unprecedented rate. The number of people worldwide 65 and older was estimated at 506 million as of midyear 2008; by 2040, that number will hit 1.3 billion. Thus, in just over 30 years, the proportion of older people will double from 7% to 14% of the total world population, according to a new report that examines the demographic and socioeconomic trends accompanying this phenomenon. In addition, the overall population is aging. For the first time in history, and probably for the rest of human history, people age 65 and over will outnumber children under age 5. This report was commissioned by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health and produced by the U.S. Census Bureau, and contains detailed information on life expectancy, health, disability, gender balance, marital status, living arrangements, education and literacy, labor force participation and retirement and pensions among older people around the world.

Mexican Immigrants: How Many Come? How Many Leave?

The flow of immigrants from Mexico to the United States has declined sharply since mid-decade, but there is no evidence of an increase during this period in the number of Mexican-born migrants returning home from the U.S., according to a new analysis by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center.

Data from population surveys taken in the U.S. and Mexico indicate that the flow of migrants back to Mexico appears to be stable since 2006. Mexico's “National Survey of Employment and Occupation” estimates that 433,000 Mexican migrants returned home between February 2008 and February 2009. For the same period in 2007-2008, 440,000 did; and for the same period in 2006-2007, 479,000 did. Analysis of the U.S. Current Population Survey also finds no indication of substantially higher outflows to Mexico for 2007 and 2008.

As for migration to the U.S. from Mexico, data from several sources attest to recent substantial decreases in the number of new arrivals. The inflow began to diminish in mid-decade and has continued to do so through early 2009, according to the latest available population surveys from both countries. This finding is reinforced by data from the U.S. Border Patrol showing that apprehensions of Mexicans attempting to cross illegally into the United States decreased by a third between 2006 and 2008. Mexico is by far the leading country of origin for U.S. immigrants, accounting for a third of all foreign-born residents and two-thirds of Hispanic immigrants. The U.S. is the destination for nearly all people who leave Mexico, and about one-in-ten people born there currently lives in the U.S.

2. Health and healthcare issues

Technical Brief: How Many Coloradans Are Uninsured?

This technical brief from the Colorado Health Institute provides an overview of the various sources of statewide uninsured estimates and helps policymakers and other constituents understand the issues related to developing and comparing these estimates. Also included is a discussion of underinsurance.

Colorado Children's Health Insurance: 2009 Update

Over the past several months, the Colorado Health Institute (CHI) has conducted analyses relating to children’s health insurance coverage. The primary data source used for this analysis was the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS), March Supplement, averaged over a three-year period from 2005-07. CHI has developed estimates for almost every county in Colorado, depending on available data for counties with the smallest populations. This brief summarizes these analyses and includes estimates and a discussion of:

  • The number of uninsured and privately insured children in Colorado based on reported family income;
  • The number of uninsured children in Colorado (at the state and county levels) who are eligible but not enrolled in Medicaid and CHP+; and,
  • A subset of uninsured immigrant children who are currently ineligible for Medicaid or CHP+.

2007-2008 Colorado Licensed Practical Nurse Workforce Survey

This report presents the findings of the Colorado Health Institute’s 2007-08 survey of licensed practical nurses (LPN) in Colorado. From task force discussions, key informant interviews and an extensive literature review, a number of LPN workforce policy questions and issues emerged concerning LPNs’ role in today’s health care delivery system, their preparation for their first nursing position, relationship between previous nursing experience and performance as an LPN, factors affecting LPN retention and LPNs’ perceptions of their work environment including job satisfaction.

The State of Colorado's Health Care Safety Net

The Colorado Health Institute developed a data-driven reporting system that identifies, describes and monitors Colorado’s health care safety net providers and the populations they serve annually. The Safety Net Indicators and Monitoring System (SNIMS) has been collecting data on community health centers, local public health departments and nursing services, rural health clinics, school-based health centers, community mental health centers, community-based oral health care clinics and other local clinics. Findings about users and providers, the role of volunteers and principal sources of funding are presented in this first annual report.

3. Food and nutrition issues

The Interplay of Regulation and Marketing Incentives in Providing Food Safety

This USDA ERS report examines the impact of process regulations mandated under the Pathogen Reduction/Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (PR/HACCP) rule by the Food Safety and Inspection Service of USDA on food safety process control. The current level of food safety found in U.S. meat and poultry food products is a result of process and performance regulations and management-determined actions brought about by market incentives. Processing regulations include sanitation and other tasks related to food safety; management-determined actions include capital investment and other actions independent of process regulations, but possibly driven by performance standards. Performance standards—regulations that allow manufacturers to reach an acceptable level of food safety in any manner they see fit—are not a subject of this report. This study used the share of samples testing positive for Salmonella spp. as a measure of food safety process control in meat and poultry processing plants and found empirically that management-determined actions account for about two-thirds of the reduction in samples testing positive for Salmonella spp., while process regulations account for about a third of the reduction. The importance of process regulation varies, but accounts for 50% or more of process control in about a quarter of plants, and in some plants accounts for the entire process control system.

School Meal Program Participation and its Association with Dietary Patterns and Childhood Obesity

This USDA ERS study used data from the School Nutrition Dietary Assessment III Study to examine the dietary patterns of school meal program participants and non-participants and the relationship between school meal participation and children’s Body Mass Index (BMI). School Breakfast Program (SBP) participants ate more low-nutrient energy-dense (LNED) baked goods and more calories at breakfast than did non-participants. National School Lunch Program (NSLP) participants had lower intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and a lower percentage of calories from LNED foods and beverages than did non-participants. Overall, NSLP participation was not significantly related to students’ BMI, although participants were less likely to be overweight or obese than non-participants among Black students but more likely to be so among “other race” students. SBP participants had significantly lower BMI than did non-participants, possibly because SBP participants are more likely to eat breakfast and eat more at breakfast, spreading calorie intake more evenly over the course of the day.

The School Breakfast Program: Participation and Impacts

Participation in the School Breakfast Program is much less common than participation in the National School Lunch Program, even among children with access to both programs. This USDA ERS report examines the determinants of participation in the School Breakfast Program among third grade public school students, as well as the impacts of the program on food insecurity and children‘s risk of skipping breakfast. Data are from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey—Kindergarten Cohort and from the Wisconsin Schools Food Security Survey. The study found that students are more likely to participate when breakfast is served in the classroom, when time available for breakfast in school is longer, and when they come from lower income or time-constrained households. Children with access to the School Breakfast Program are more likely to eat breakfast in the morning and that program access may enhance food security among families at the margin of food insecurity.

4. Energy issues

The Energy and the West series, produced by Headwaters Economics, is designed to assist the public and public officials in making informed choices about energy development that will benefit the region over the long term. The following publications include information on Colorado and are available in this series:


5. Land use

Conservation: An Investment that Pays

The Trust for Public Land released its update of a 1999 report that documents the value of conservation efforts and provides a summary of the most pertinent recent studies and news items on the topic, along with citations of sources. This publication is intended to help agency personnel and community conservationists make the case for conservation as a long-term economic investment.