Fremont Family Coalition

2016 Fremont/Dodge County

Community Well-Being Data Document

Table of Contents

Executive Summary1

Childhood Data Summary1

Nebraska Children and Families Foundation Child Well-Being Indicators3

Fremont/Dodge County Early Childhood Needs Assessment5

Demographics5

Income and Poverty9

Public Assistance13

Access to Health Care14

Access to Childcare15

Health and Early Childhood15

Infant and Child Mortality17

Housing19

Education20

Child Protection and Safety23

Domestic Violence24

Arrests26

Underage Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drug Use28

Conclusion30

Appendix A: Child Well-Being Indicator Graphs32

Appendix B: Poverty Thresholds and Eligibility for Free and Reduced Price Meals37

References39

List of Figures

Figure 1. Indicators of early childhood need in Dodge County, Nebraska1

Figure 2. Number and rate of infant deaths per 1,000 live births3

Figure 3. Number and percent of births to teen mothers3

Figure 4. Number and rate of juvenile arrests per 1,000 under 18 population3

Figure 5. Number and rate of substantiated cases of child abuse/neglect per 1,000 under 18 population 3

Figure 6. Number in foster care and rate per 1,000 under 18 population4

Figure 7. Four-year high school graduation rate4

Figure 8. Percent of population ages 5 and over speaking a language other than English at home 4

Figure 9. Percent of population below poverty4

Figure 10. Percent of children living in single parent or non-family households4

Figure 11. Percent of third grade children proficient in reading at grade level4

Figure 12. Population5

Figure 13. Percent change in the under 5 population5

Figure 14. Percent of children in single parent households6

Figure 15. Fremont number of children in single parent and non-family households6

Figure 16. Dodge County number of children in single parent and non-family households 6

Figure 17. Percent change in the number of children in single parent and non-family households 7

Figure 18. Population by race/ethnicity7

Figure 19. Population ages 5 and over speaking a language other than English at home8

Figure 20. Geographic mobility8

Figure 21. Percentage of the total population with a disability8

Figure 22. Median household income9

Figure 23. Unemployment9

Figure 24. Fremont poverty statistics overall and for children9

Figure 25. Dodge County poverty statistics overall and for children9

Figure 26. Poverty overall and by age of children10

Figure 27. Poverty overall and by family type11

Figure 28. Births in the past year to married and unmarried women and the percent at or below poverty level in Dodge County 11

Figure 29. Poverty by White and Hispanic/Latino12

Figure 30. Percentage of students receiving free and reduced lunch12

Figure 31. Percentage of children receiving public assistance13

Figure 32. Dodge County participation in social programs13

Figure 33. Percent of children participating in social programs14

Figure 34. Percent of the under 18 population with a disability14

Figure 35. Designated health professional shortage areas in Dodge County14

Figure 36. Percent of the population under 18 without health insurance15

Figure 37. Licensed childcare in Fremont15

Figure 38. Number and percent of births to unmarried mothers15

Figure 39. Births to teen mothers as a percent of total births16

Figure 40. Percent of pregnant women receiving first trimester prenatal care16

Figure 41. Birth complication statistics17

Figure 42. Rate of SIDS per 1,00017

Figure 43. Dodge County infant and child mortality18

Figure 44. Infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births18

Figure 45. Mortality rate of the 1 - 19 year old population per 100,00018

Figure 46. Fair market rent (FMR) housing costs19

Figure 47. Crowded households (more than one occupant per room)19

Figure 48. Educational attainment of the 25 and older population20

Figure 49. Four-year high school graduation rates21

Figure 50. Dropout rates21

Figure 51. School attendance rates22

Figure 52. Percent of third grade children proficient in reading at grade level22

Figure 53. Education statistics23

Figure 54. Number and rate of youth in foster care per 1,000 population under 18 population 23

Figure 55. Number and rate of substantiated cases of child abuse/neglect per 1,000 under 18 population 24

Figure 56. Number and rate of arrests for offenses against families and children per 1,000 under 18 population 24

Figure 57. Domestic violence assault arrests in Dodge County25

Figure 58. Number and annual rate of arrests for domestic violence assault per 1,000population in Dodge County 25

Figure 59. Total number of arrests in Dodge County26

Figure 60. Number and annual rate of arrests per 1,000 population26

Figure 61. Juvenile arrests in Dodge County27

Figure 62. Number and annual rate of juvenile arrests per 1,000 under 18 population27

Figure 63. Leading causes of juvenile arrests in Dodge County27

Figure 64. Past 30-day alcohol use among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders28

Figure 65. Past 30-day cigarette use among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders28

Figure 66. Past 30-day marijuana use among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders29

Figure 67. Past 30-day prescription drug use among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders29

Executive Summary

Childhood Data Summary

Figure 1 below contains 12areas indicating community need (and more specifically need among young children) in Fremont/Dodge County as determined by the author of this report (Schmeeckle Research Inc). Data directly impacting young children and their families are detailed throughout this report and compiled in the executive summary. More detailed information and data on the specific indicators can be found in the body of the report.

The data in this section have been highlighted as potential areas of concern in the community. The data in Figure 1 are arrayed beginning with areas of higher needneed to areas of lesser need, as perceived by the author of this report.

Figure 1. Indicators of early childhood need in Fremont/Dodge County, Nebraska
Indicator / Description
Poverty /

Poverty is rising in both Fremont and Dodge County, with young children being impacted most severely. From 2000 to 2014, the percentage of the population under age 18 at or below poverty in Fremont grew from 10.6% to 18.6%, and the percentage of the population under age 5 in Fremont saw an increase in poverty from 14.8% to 28.6%. Poverty is higher in Fremont compared to the state (Figures 24 and 26)

Single parent families /

Single parent families with children experience poverty at considerably higher rates than married couple families with children. From 2009 to 2014 there was a 23.6% increase in the number of children living in single parent and non-family households in Fremont and an 11.5% increase in the county as a whole (Figure 15). In 2014, approximately 47% of all births in Dodge County were to unmarried women, 93.4% of whom were at or below poverty according to the U.S. Census Bureau (Figure 28).

Births to teen mothers /

The rate of births to teen mothers has been consistently higher in Dodge County compared to Nebraska. During 2010-2014, 8% of all births in Dodge County were to teen mothers (compared to 6.4% for the state), comprising a total of 193 births to teen mothers over the five-year period (Figure 3).

Educational attainment /

Educational attainment is lower in Fremont and Dodge County compared to the state, however Dodge County is slightly higher than the nation, with 86.3% of the 25 and older population in Fremont and 87.1% of the population in Dodge County attaining a high school degree or higher (compared to 90.5% for the state and 86.4% for the nation). Less than 20% of the 25 and older population in Fremont/Dodge County has a bachelor’s degree or higher, whereas 29% of the population in the state and nation have a bachelor’s degree or higher (Figure 48).

Figure 1 continued. Indicators of early childhood need in Fremont/Dodge County, Nebraska
Indicator / Description
Domestic violence /

During the five-year period of 2010 to 2014, there were 850 simple domestic violence assaults and 66 aggravated domestic violence assaults in Dodge County that were documented by law enforcement (Figure 57).

Racial/ethnic disparities /

The Hispanic/Latino population comprises 10.7% of the total population of Dodge County. Hispanic/Latinos experience poverty at notably higher rates than Whites in Dodge County, with 28% being at or below poverty compared to 10% for Whites (Figure 30)

Third grade reading /

The percentage of third grade children proficient in reading at grade level has been consistently lower than the state since 2009-2010. In 2014-2015, 66% of Fremont and 72% of Dodge County third grade students were proficient in reading at grade level, compared to 82% for the state (Figure 52).

Youth marijuana use /

In 2014, Three Rivers youth (Dodge, Saunders, and Washington Counties) reported higher rates of lifetime and past 30-day marijuana use compared to their peers in the state, with 17.6% of 12th graders in the catchment area of the Three Rivers Health Department reporting marijuana use in the past 30 days, compared to 12.7% for 12th grade youth statewide (Figure 66).

Youth prescription drug use /

Past 30-day prescription drug use has been consistently higher among Three Rivers youth (Dodge, Saunders, and Washington Counties) thantheir peers statewide, with 5.2% of 12th graders in within the catchment area of the Three Rivers Health Department reporting 30-day use, compared to the 3.3% of 12th graders statewide (Figure 67).

Inadequate Prenatal care /

The percentage of pregnant women who received inadequate prenatal care in Dodge County was higher than the state in 2014 (22.1% for Dodge County compared to 17.2% for the state) (Figure 40).

Infant mortality /

The rate of infant mortality in Dodge County has been declining, however the Dodge County rate has been higher than the state rate in 2009-2013 and 2010-2014. In 2014, the mortality rate was 3.7% per 1,000 births for dodge County and 3.5% per 1,000 births for the state (Figure 44).

Population change /

From 2000 to 2012 the population grew by just 5.2% in Fremont, but the under 5 population grew by 13.8% over this same time period (compared to a growth rate of 11.5% for the state's under 5 population) (Figure 13).

Nebraska Children and Families Foundation Child Well-Being Indicators

The Nebraska Children and Families Foundation (NCFF) has been tracking state and county-level data on numerous indicators of child well-being since 2009. These measures are used to identify counties of high need, of which Dodge County is one. Following is a complete listing of the NCFF child well-being measures for Dodge County and Nebraska that have been collected to date. Dodge County numbers that are colored red indicate areas where the county statistic is worse than the state average. There are 10 indicators altogether. Dodge County fares "worse" than the state on 8 of the 10 indicators for the most recent year of available data, though most of the differences between Dodge County and the State are very minimal (Figures 2 through 11). Note that some of these indicators may be slightly different than those published by NCFF due to differences in the years of data presented and population data used to determine rates. See Appendix A (page 32) for a graphic depiction of these indicators.

Figure 2. Number and rate of infant deaths per 1,000 live births
2005-2009 / 2006-2010 / 2007-2011 / 2008-2012 / 2009-2013 / 2010-2014
Dodge County / 15, 6.0 / 13, 5.2 / 11, 4.6 / 11, 4.5 / 12, 5.0 / 13, 5.4
Nebraska / 769, 5.8 / 758, 5.7 / 753, 5.7 / 690, 5.2 / 683, 5.2 / 674, 5.2

(Source: Nebraska DHHS Vital Statistics)

Figure 3. Number and percent of births to teen mothers
2005-2009 / 2006-2010 / 2007-2011 / 2008-2012 / 2009-2013 / 2010-2014
Dodge County / 246, 9.8% / 244, 9.8% / 254, 10.5% / 231, 9.5% / 207, 8.6% / 193, 8.0%
Nebraska / 11,168, 8.4% / 10,968, 8.2% / 10,570, 8.0% / 9,955, 7.6% / 9,208, 7.1% / 8,383, 6.4%

(Source: Nebraska DHHS Vital Statistics)

Figure 4. Number and rate of juvenile arrests per 1,000 population
2009 / 2010 / 2011 / 2012 / 2013 / 2014
Dodge County / 280, 33.0 / 273, 31.3 / 256, 29.3 / 231, 26.6 / 220, 25.5 / 217, 25.0
Nebraska* / 15,186, 33.6 / 14,032, 31.1 / 13,155, 28.6 / 12,206, 26.2 / 10,541,
22.7 / 10,514,
22.5

*Note that state-level data are under-reported due to some police departments opting not to submit arrest data to the Nebraska Crime Commission.

(Source: Nebraska Crime Commission)

Figure 5. Number and rate of substantiated cases of child abuse/neglect per 1,000 population
2009 / 2010 / 2011 / 2012 / 2013 / 2014 / 2015
Dodge County / 27, 3.2 / 36, 4.1 / 36, 4.1 / 44, 5.1 / 48, 5.6 / 55, 6.3 / 44, 5.1
Nebraska / 3,520,
7.8 / 5,169, 10.6 / 3,410,
7.4 / 2,723,
5.5 / 2,892, 6.2 / 2,575, 5.5 / 2,223, 4.8

(Source: Nebraska DHHS Child Abuse and Neglect Reports)

Figure 6. Number and rate in Foster Care per 1,000 population
2009 / 2010 / 2011 / 2012 / 2014 / 2015
Dodge County / 87, 10.3 / 92, 10.5 / 73, 8.4 / 71, 8.1 / 101, 11.7 / 81, 9.3
Nebraska / 4,447, 9.2 / 4,300, 8.9 / 4,265, 8.8 / 3,892, 8.5 / 3,026, 6.5 / 3,145, 6.7

Note: data unavailable for 2013.

(Source: Nebraska Foster Care Review Board)

Figure 7. High school graduation rate* (four-year cohort)
2011 / 2012 / 2013 / 2014 / 2015
Dodge County / 88.8% / 84.0% / 87.6% / 88.1% / 88.7%
Nebraska / 86.1% / 87.6% / 88.5% / 89.7% / 88.9%

*The source data are reported by school districts. County-level rates are calculated by taking the weighted average of all school districts within a county.

(Source: Nebraska Department of Education)

Figure 8. Percent of the population ages 5 and over speaking a language other than English at home
2005-2009 / 2006-2010 / 2007-2011 / 2008-2012 / 2009-2013 / 2010-2014
Dodge County / 7.7% / 9.4% / 9.4% / 9.9% / 10.3% / 9.8%
Nebraska / 9.2% / 9.7% / 9.9% / 10.4% / 10.5% / 10.7%

(Source: U.S. Census Bureau)

Figure 9. Percent of population below poverty
2005-2009 / 2006-2010 / 2007-2011 / 2008-2012 / 2009-2013 / 2010-2014
Dodge County / 12.1% / 13.1% / 12.5% / 11.7% / 10.7% / 12.0%
Nebraska / 12.2% / 11.8% / 12.0% / 12.4% / 12.8% / 12.9%

(Source: U.S. Census Bureau)

Figure 10. Percent of children living in single parent households
2005-2009 / 2006-2010 / 2007-2011 / 2008-2012 / 2009-2013 / 2010-2014
Dodge County / 27.2% / 28.8% / 29.0% / 28.8% / 27.8% / 29.9%
Nebraska / 24.2% / 26.3% / 27.3% / 27.7% / 28.3% / 28.9%

(Source: U.S. Census Bureau)

Figure 11. Percent* of third grade children proficient in reading at grade level
2009-2010 / 2010-2011 / 2011-2012 / 2012-2013 / 2013-2014 / 2014-2015
Dodge County / 56% / 64% / 73% / 72% / 70.6% / 71.5%
Nebraska / 68% / 71% / 77% / 77% / 79% / 82%

*The source data are reported by school districts. County-level rates are calculated by taking the weighted average of all school districts within a county.

(Source: Nebraska Department of Education)

2016 Fremont-Dodge County Early Childhood Needs Assessment

Demographics

Fremont comprises nearly three-fourths of the entire population of Dodge County. While the population of Fremont increased slightly from 2000 to 2014, the under 5 population grew by 13.8%. Any increase in the population of Dodge County is almost entirely due to an increase in the population of Fremont. In fact, if Fremont population numbers were excluded, there would have been a decline in populationtotals for Dodge County from 2000 to 2014 (Figure 12).

Figure 12 / Population (2000 to 2014)
2000 / 2014 / Percent Change
Fremont total population / 25,174 / 26,483 / 5.2%
Fremont under 5 population / 1,593 / 1,813 / 13.8%
Dodge County total population / 36,160 / 36,742 / 1.6%
Dodge County under 5 population / 2,225 / 2,346 / 5.4%

(U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Decennial Census and 2014 American Community Survey, 5-year Estimates)

From 2009 to 2014 there was a 23.6% increase in the number of children living in single parent and non-family households in Fremont and an 11.5% increase in the county as a whole. Children living in single mother households ("female householder, no husband present, families") comprise the substantial majority of children living in single parent or non-family households. In 2014, there were 2,632 children living in single parent or non-family households in Fremont. Note: children living in non-family households include any child who lives in a home with non-relatives, thus including foster care and a variety of other living situations (Figures 15 and 16).

Figure15 / Fremont number of children in single parent and non-family households
(2009 and 2014)
2009 / 2014 / Percent Change
Children in male householder, no wife present, families / 467 / 586 / 25.5%
Children in female householder, no husband present, families / 1,185 / 1,532 / 29.3%
Children in non-family households / 87 / 32 / -63.2%
Total number of children single parent and non-family households / 1,739 / 2,150 / 23.6%

(U.S. Census Bureau, 2009 and 2014 American Community Survey, 5-year Estimates)

Figure16 / Dodge County number of children in single parent and non-family households
(2009 and 2014)
2009 / 2014 / Percent Change
Children in male householder, no wife present, families / 661 / 765 / 15.7%
Children in female householder, no husband present, families / 1,599 / 1,812 / 13.3%
Children in non-family households / 100 / 55 / -45.0%
Total number of children single parent and non-family households / 2,360 / 2,632 / 11.5%

(U.S. Census Bureau, 2009 and 2014 American Community Survey, 5-year Estimates)

Compared to the state and the nation, Fremont has experienced a notably higher rate of increase in the number of children living in single parent and non-family households. The number of such children increased by 23.6% from 2009 to 2014 (Figure 17).

(U.S. Census Bureau, 2009 and 2014 American Community Survey, 5-year Estimates)

Compared to the rest of Nebraska, Fremont and Dodge County have slightly less racial/ethnic diversity. The largest minority group in the area is Hispanic/Latino comprising 13.7% of the population (Figure 18).

Figure 18 / Population by race/ethnicity (2014)
White / Hispanic/Latino / Black/
African-American / Asian / American Indian/ Alaskan Native / Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander / Two or More Races / Other
Fremont / 83.4% / 13.7% / 0.4% / 0.8% / 0.1% / 0.2% / 1.4% / 0.0%
Dodge County / 86.6% / 10.7% / 0.4% / 0.6% / 0.1% / 0.2% / 1.5% / 0.0%
Nebraska / 81.2% / 9.7% / 4.5% / 1.9% / 0.7% / 0.1% / 1.8% / 0.1%

Note: those identifying as Hispanic/Latino are not counted in any racial category.