St. Louis is the largest metropolitan area in Missouri. The history of St. Louis can be traced back to Westward expansion, and the city has since grown tremendously. The city has a distinct culture and a lot of attractions, but its diverse demographic is a significant feature. St. Louis is home to people from different socio-economic backgrounds, and their backgrounds shape the lives of these individuals.
According to the American FactFinder (2017), the estimated population for St. Louis was 319,294 in 2010, but the population slightly reduced and it was estimated to be 317,850 in 2015. The median age of St. Louis is 34.6. The population is further stratified according to gender, race, ethnicity, and income. 48.3% of the population is male while 51.7% is female. Blacks form the largest race in St. Louis with 49.2% of the total population as blacks, while 43.9% are whites. Asians, Latino, and Native Americans make up a small percentage of St. Louis population with 2.9%, 3.5%, and 0.3% respectively (DataUSA, 2017).
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An important socio-economic aspect is educational attainment. St. Louis has a high educational attainment with 84.1% of its population having graduated from high school or higher learning institutions. According to DataUSA (2017), the most common majors in St. Louis higher learning institutions are business administration, nursing, African-American studies, women studies, and environmental Studies. Educational attainment differs across gender, age groups, and race. For example, in the 25-34 age group, 55,152 have high school diplomas while 28,611 have a bachelors degree or higher in comparison to the 35-44 age group whereby 34,391 are high school graduates while only 13, 953 have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Regarding race, whites have a higher educational attainment in comparison to blacks and other races in St. Louis, many whites have high school diploma, bachelor’s degree, and higher educational attainment. According to American FactFinder (2017), the number of high school diploma holders and bachelor’s degree holders among whites were 100, 237 and 51, 422 respectively in comparison to 73,843 and 13, 221 among blacks. Despite being the largest population, many blacks in St. Louis have only attained high school level education.
Income is another factor that is closely related to education. Income is predominantly determined by the educational attainment, therefore, in the 25 and above age bracket those who did not graduate high school are in the lowest income bracket with an average income of $16,746 (American FactFinder, 2017). High school graduates earn a slightly high income of $22, 397, but those who have some level of college education or rather an associate degree earn $29, 325. Those with bachelor’s degree earn approximately $41,513 while those with graduate or professional degree earn $52, 568.
As described earlier, educational attainment is high among whites; hence they tend to earn higher than the other ethnic groups. The median income in St. Louis for the population over 25 in 2015 was at $31,542 (American FactFinder, 2017). St. Louis has an unemployment rate of 7.8%, which is quite higher than the national average. The largest percentage of households in St. Louis has an income of less than $10,000 (DataUSA, 2017). With less income, many families are denied of the essential services such as education, health, and proper housing.
According to CityData.com (2017), the average price for all housing units is $136, 773. The housing prices differ according to the location and the type of housing. A detached house is priced at $142,630, while townhouses cost $143,213. Townhouses in 2-unit structure cost $75,951 whereas townhouses in 5-or-more-unit structures cost $167,676. The median average rent in 2015 was at $767 (CityData.com, 2017). Averages of 42.9% housing units are occupied by their owners in St. Louis; this is also lower than the national average of 63%.
Lastly, access to health care services in St. Louis is affected by one’s income and the available health facilities in the city. DataUSA (2017) statistics show that an average clinician to patient ratios for primary care is 1 to 84, while the ratio for dentists is 1 to 43, and the ratio for mental health is 1 to 271. Common health care issues affecting St. Louis residents are obesity and diabetes, substance abuse, and sexually transmitted diseases (DataUSA, 2017).
| St. Louis, MO | |||
|
Total |
Variation (%) | Period | |
| Population | 317,850 |
Men- 48.3% Female-51.7% African Americans- 49.2% Whites-43.9% Asians (2.9%), Latino (3.5%), and Native Americans (0.3%) |
2015 |
| Education | 84. 1% of the population has high school education |
Educational attainment determined by gender, age groups, and race. 25-34 age group, 55,152 have high school diplomas while 28,611 have bachelor’s degree or higher in comparison to the 35-44 age group whereby 34,391 are high school graduates while only 13, 953 have a bachelor’s degree or higher |
2015 |
| Income | Median household income is $35,999 |
27.1% live below poverty level. Average male salary is $58,299 while average female salary is $41,858 Education determines income with the lowest income bracket at $16,746 (high school drop-out), and the highest income bracket at $52,568 |
2015 |
|
Housing |
The medium housing price is $136,773 |
42.9% of housing units occupied by owners A detached house is priced at $142,630, Townhouses cost $143,213. The median average rent in 2015 was at $767 (CityData.com, 2017). |
2015 |
|
Health |
average clinician to patient ratios for primary care is 1 to 84 |
There are over 50 hospitals in St. Louis 11% are uninsured (St. Louis County Health, 2011) Common diseases are obesity and diabetes, heart disease, and chronic conditions like high blood pressure. |
2011 |
The table above shows that St. Louis is a stratified society. The composition of the population shows that blacks make up a bigger percentage of the population, and yet they are performing poorly on other factors like education, income, housing, and health. Approximately 51,422 whites have a bachelor’s degree and higher educational attainment in comparison to 13,221 blacks. The income differences between blacks and whites are also alarming in St. Louis; an African-American is three times more likely to be poor in comparison to whites. According to McDermott (2015), the median household income for whites is double the medium income for whites; this can be explained by the poor educational attainment and high unemployment rates for blacks.
The inequality does not affect blacks only; women are also adversely affected by income inequality. Men are more likely to earn 1.4% more than women with the same qualifications (DataUSA, 2017). Minority groups like Latinos and Native Americans have low income, while Asians in St. Louis earn the highest income (DataUSA, 2017). St. Louis has the highest levels of inequality with women and blacks as the marginalized groups. St. Louis must address these differences to create a fair society whereby everyone has equal chances of succeeding in life.
References
American FactFinder. (2017). St. Louis city, Missouri. Retrieved from: https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml?src=bkm k
CityData.com (2017). St. Louis, Missouri. Retrieved from: http://www.city- data.com/city/St.-Louis-Missouri.html
DataUSA. (2017). St. Louis city, MO. Retrieved from: https://datausa.io/profile/geo/st.- louis-city-mo/#economy
McDermott, K. (2015, July 29). St. Louis region still among worst in nation for black- white economic disparity, says report. St. Louis Post Dispatch. Retrieved from: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/st-louis-region-still-among- worst-in-nation-for-black/article_815c05d5-38bc-5271-ad45-79ef9b0c96e5.html
St. Louis County Health. (2011). 2011 Community Health Needs Assessment. Retrieved from: http://www.stlouisco.com/Portals/8/docs/Health/Health%20Education/2011%20C ommunity%20Health%20Needs%20Assessment_2.pdf
