TCOG 9-1-1 Program Implements New Equipment
TCOG continues its push for region-wide next generation 9-1-1 system
June 9, 2017
Kari's Law Requires Direct Access to 9-1-1
Kari’s Law Requires Direct Access to 9-1-1 September 1st, 2017
July 12, 2017
TCOG 9-1-1 Program Implements New Equipment
TCOG continues its push for region-wide next generation 9-1-1 system
June 9, 2017
Kari's Law Requires Direct Access to 9-1-1
Kari’s Law Requires Direct Access to 9-1-1 September 1st, 2017
July 12, 2017
Texoma Economic Development District | Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy 2017-2022

Texoma Economic Development District | Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy 2017-2022

Health and Healthcare

Every year, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation analyzes data on various factors that shed light on the health of communities across the United States. Pictured below (Figure 6) are the health rankings of Grayson, Fannin, and Cooke counties on selected measures. Each county is ranked from 1 to 254, with a ranking of “1” being the best and “254” the worst. There are some incongruities in these rankings. For example, Fannin County ranks much lower (139) on “Social and Economic Factors” than either Cooke (58) or Grayson (78) county, but ranks higher (134) on “Length of Life” than Cooke (169) and Grayson (165). Likewise, Fannin County ranks lower on “Health Factors” (117) than Cooke (84) and Grayson (96), but ranks higher on “Health Outcomes” (73) than Cooke (93) and Grayson (121).

Further analysis of this data set show that Fannin and Cooke County both have higher rates of obesity than either Grayson or the Texas average, and limited access to exercise opportunities. All three counties show more premature deaths than the Texas average; a disturbing point is that while the state and national trends have declined from 1997 to 2014, the trends for all three counties have remained relatively stable over that time period. Fannin County also has a dramatic shortage of primary care physicians, at 4,210 people for every 1 primary care physician. Fannin also shows more preventable hospital stays, perhaps tied to this limited physician access.

However, some measures show positive trends in the Texoma region. For example, violent crime rates in all three counties are considerably lower than both the state and national figures, and trends for all three counties show violent crime decreasing.

High School Graduation rates show promise too, with all three counties having graduation rates higher than both the state and national averages.


Figure 6: Health Rankings, by County (Rank out of 254)
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Source: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation County Health Rankings and Roadmaps 2016


Food Insecurity and Hunger

The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as a household and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food. Within Texas, 17 percent of the entire population is living in food insecurity. The level of food insecurity in the Texoma region is currently higher than the state average. Specifically, both Fannin and Grayson counties have food insecurity at about 19 percent of their respective populations (6,540 in Fannin and 23,160 in Grayson), while Cooke has 16.8 percent of their total population (or 6,470 individuals) without adequate access to food (Figure 7). Out of the thousands of individuals that are experiencing hunger in the Texoma region, many children are included with the food insecure population. One-fourth of all food insecure individuals in Cooke County are children, while Fannin and Grayson counties have about one-third of their respective hungry populations being children. Multiple food pantries are present in the Texoma area, with organizations within Grayson and Fannin counties teaming up with the North Texas Food Bank and Cooke County working with the Tarrant Area Food Bank. However, the distribution of food banks across the three counties is disproportionate; Grayson has 22 food pantries and other food-related organizations, while Cooke and Fannin have 3 and 7 respectively.

Figure 7: Food Insecurity, by County

Source: United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service 2016


Individual, Family, and Community Support

Poverty – The two generally accepted measures of poverty are the Federal Poverty Guidelines published by the US Census Bureau, and the Average Median Income published by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. As shown in Figure 8, the number of individuals in poverty in Cooke and Fannin counties has remained relative stable from 2005 to 2014, while the Grayson County number has fluctuated more, with a relative rise in the number of individuals in poverty over that time period. As shown in Figure 9, Fannin County has a higher percentage of population in poverty, while the percentage in poverty for the region has remained around 16% from 2011 to 2014.

Figure 8: Number of Individuals in Poverty, All Three Counties
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Source: Texas KIDS COUNT at the Center for Public Policy Priorities


Figure 9: Percentage of Population in Poverty, All Three Counties

Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2011-2015 ACS Survey 5-year Estimates


Employment and Training

Table C shows the regional labor force increased by 7.2% over the past 10 years, while it has increased only 1.7% over the past 5 years. Percent employed has increased, while the unemployment rate has decreased over the same years. The Texoma region is probably at “functionally full” employment, and the number in the labor force must increase for economic development to take place over the next 5 years; as discussed previously, one related factor is the lack of available, affordable housing.

Labor Force Annual Averages in 2015NumberRank in U.S.% of U.S.U.S.
Total Labor Force60,5034920.0%157,130,00
5-Year % Change1.7%7870.0%
10-Year % Change7.2%6535.2%
Employed58,0814880.0%148,834,000
5-Year % Change6.3%7717.0%
10-Year % Change8.8%5775.0%
Unemployed2,4225920.0%8,296,000
5-Year % Change-50.3%2,496-44.0%
10-Year % Change-20.2%2,5369.3%
Unemployment Rate4.02,43775.5%5.3
5-Year % Change-51.2%2,614-44.8%
10-Year % Change-25.9%2,8723.9%

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics


U.S Bureau of Labor statistics indicated that of the 46,165 employed in Grayson county, 23,365 (50.6%) live outside of Grayson county; 22,800 (49.4%) live and are employed in Grayson county. Of the 50,777 living in Grayson county 27,977 (55.1%) work outside of the county, while the remaining 22,800 (44.9%) live and are employed in Grayson county.

Of the 16,881 workers employed in Cooke county, 9,976 (59.1%) live outside of Cooke county and 6,905 (40.9%) live and work in Cooke. Of the 17,241 people living in Cooke, 10,336 (60%) of them are employed outside the county, whereas 6,905 (40%) live and reside in Cooke.

Of the 13,994 people living in Fannin County, only (24.2%) are also employed within Fannin County and (75.8%) are employed outside the county. And of the 6,378 employed in the county 47% don’t reside there while 53.0% live and are employed in Fannin County.


Education

Educational levels are for the region (Figure 10) and for the three counties in the region (Figure 11) are shown below. While the percentage having less than a high school degree or equivalent is disturbing, the relatively large percentage (58%) having some college or a degree is an indicator of as relatively well-educated workforce. Efforts are underway to increase the number of high school graduates who enter into vocational college programs to fill the gaps in the skilled labor force of the region.

Figure 10: Regional Educational Attainment
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Source: U.S. Census Bureau ASEC, 2016


Figure 11: Educational Attainment by County, 2010 and 2015

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ASEC, 2016