In Durant and Bryan County, Oklahoma

AE-03067

A SUMMARY OF ECONOMIC CONDITIONS

IN DURANT AND BRYAN COUNTY, OKLAHOMA

ORIGINS

Data Product

Suzette Barta – Extension Assistant, OSU, Stillwater

(405) 744-6186

Susan Trzebiatowski – Student Assistant, OSU, Stillwater

(405) 744-6186

Clay Jones – County Extension Director, Bryan County, OSU, Durant

(580) 924-5312

Jack Frye – Community Development Specialist, OSU, Ada

(580) 332-4100

Mike D. Woods – Extension Economist, OSU, Stillwater

(405) 744-9837

RURAL DEVELOPMENT

OKLAHOMA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE

OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY

July 2003

ORIGINS

ORIGINS IS A COOPERATIVE EFFORT OF:

Oklahoma Department of Commerce

Division of Research and Planning

The University of Oklahoma

Center for Economic and Management Research

Oklahoma State University

Department of Agricultural Economics and the

Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service

ORIGINS is an economic development information system containing current data on Oklahoma. This computerized information service provides bulletins and databases of various economic and demographic data on the state, counties, and cities in Oklahoma.

A Summary of Economic Conditions

in Durant and Bryan County, Oklahoma

Suzette Barta
Extension Assistant
Room 527, Ag. Hall
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK 74078-6026
/ Susan Trzebiatowski
Student Assistant
Room 527, Ag. Hall
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK 74078-6026
/ Mike Woods
Extension Economist
Room 514, Ag. Hall
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK 74078-6026

Jack Frye
Comm. Dev. Specialist
P.O. Box 1378
Ada, OK 74821-1378
/ Clay Jones
Ext. Ed. AG/4-H and CED
Bryan County
Box 749, Comm. Bldg.
19901 S. 9th
Durant, OK 74702-0749

ABSTRACT

This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the economic conditions of Durant and Bryan County. Information provided includes trends in population, employment, income, and retail sales.

"Oklahoma State University, in compliance with Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246 as amended, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other federal laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices or procedures. This includes but is not limited to admissions, employment financial aid, and educational services."

"Readers may make verbatim copies of this document for non-commercial purposes by any means."

A Summary of Economic Conditions in

Durant and Bryan County, Oklahoma

The economy of Bryan County depends heavily on the service sector. Nearly one third of the jobs in Bryan County in 2000 were service sector jobs. Retail trade and government enterprises are also important sectors to Bryan County. This report is designed to provide an overview of the economic conditions of Durant and Bryan County. Specifically, trends in population, employment, income, and retail sales will be examined. No recommendations will be made regarding the findings of this report.

General Demographic and Population Data

According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the 2000 population for Durant is 13,549. This is a 3.3 percent increase from 1990 (Table 1). During the same time frame, Bryan County’s population increased 13.9 percent from 32,089 to 36,534. The estimated 2002 population for Bryan County is 37,037.

Table 2 shows total housing units and the average size of household in Bryan County and its cities and towns from the 2000 Census. Bryan County had 16,715 housing units and an average of 2.47 persons per household. Of the housing units in the county, 36.4 percent were in Durant.

Table 3 reports school enrollment and educational attainment data for Durant and for Bryan County. For instance, 4,249 persons over the age of 3 were enrolled in school Durant compared to 9,959 persons in the county in 2000. Only 462 of these students in Durant were in nursery and kindergarten. Durant reports 73.5 percent of the population aged 25 and over to be high school graduates. The county reports 74.9 percent of those 25 and over to be high school graduates. The average for the State of Oklahoma was 80.6 percent.

Figure 1 shows the population growth for residents aged 19 and under and for the 65 and over age group in the county. From 1980 to 2000, Bryan County’s youth population has increased by 9.8 percent. Most of that increase actually occurred in the decade since 1990. During the 1980-2000 time period, the number of residents age 65 and increased by 10.5 percent for Bryan County.

Table 1

Population of Durant and Bryan County, Oklahoma
1980 / 1990 / 2000 / % Change
1990 to 2000
Achille / 480 / 477 / 506 / 6.1%
Armstrong / 133 / 122 / 141 / 15.6%
Bennington / 302 / 248 / 289 / 16.5%
Bokchito / 628 / 585 / 564 / -3.6%
Caddo / 923 / 916 / 944 / 3.1%
Calera / 1,390 / 1,536 / 1,739 / 13.2%
Colbert / 1,122 / 1,070 / 1,065 / -0.5%
Durant / 11,972 / 13,110 / 13,549 / 3.3%
Hendrix / 106 / 108 / 79 / -26.9%
Kemp / 178 / 135 / 144 / 6.7%
Kenefic / 140 / 147 / 192 / 30.6%
Mead / 143 / 109 / 123 / 12.8%
Sand Point / 179 / na / na / ---
Silo / 43 / 249 / 282 / 13.3%
Remainder of County / 12,796 / 13,277 / 16,917 / 27.4%
Bryan County / 30,535 / 32,089 / 36,534 / 13.9%

na: Not available.

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Census 2000

Table 2
Population, Housing Units, and Average Household Size
for Durant and Bryan County, OK 2000
Population / Total Housing
Units / Average
Household Size

Bryan County

/ 36,534 / 16,715 / 2.47
Achille / 506 / 213 / 2.74
Armstrong / 141 / 60 / 2.61
Bennington / 289 / 124 / 2.89
Bokchito / 564 / 293 / 2.27
Caddo / 944 / 443 / 2.34
Calera / 1,739 / 742 / 2.48
Colbert / 1,065 / 493 / 2.40
Durant / 13,549 / 6,082 / 2.32
Hendrix / 79 / 38 / 2.47
Kemp / 144 / 77 / 2.22
Kenefic / 192 / 77 / 2.78
Mead / 123 / 64 / 2.51
Sand Point / na / --- / ---
Silo / 282 / 114 / 2.74

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Census 2000

Table 3
Educational Characteristics for Durant and Bryan County, 2000
Durant / Bryan County
Enrollment:
Persons (3+ Years Old) Enrolled in School / 4,249 / 9,959
Nursery school, preschool / 281 / 633
Kindergarten / 181 / 547
Elementary school (grades 1-8) / 1,425 / 4,271
High school (grades 9-12) / 676 / 2,013
College or graduate school / 1,686 / 2,495
Educational Attainment:
Persons 25 years and over / 7,965 / 23,175
Less than 9th grade / 813 / 2,007
9th to 12th, no diploma / 1,294 / 3,819
High school graduate (includes equivalency) / 2,044 / 7,371
Some college, no degree / 1,690 / 4,991
Associate degree / 329 / 847
Bachelor's degree / 1,044 / 2,592
Graduate or professional degree / 751 / 1,548
Percent high school graduate or higher / 73.5 / 74.9
Percent bachelor's degree or higher / 22.5 / 17.9
Percent high school graduate or higher in OK / 80.6 / 80.6
Percent bachelor's degree or higher in OK / 20.3 / 20.3

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Census 2000

Employment Trends

Table 4 shows employment numbers provided by the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC), from 1980 to 2003 for Bryan County. (Also see Figure 2.) Employment in the county has increased by 45.2 percent since 1980 and by 39.3 percent since 1990. The county had its highest unemployment rate in 1983 at 10.4 percent. Its lowest rate was 2.1 percent in 1999. (Also see Figure 3.) For comparison, the 2002 unemployment rate for the state is 4.5 percent.

Table 5a provides information on employment by industry for the county from 1990 to 2000 based on SIC Code. The data through 2000 is based on industry descriptions consistent with the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Code. The data changed for 2001 to become consistent with the 2002 NAICS (North American Industrial Classification System) codes. Data for 2001 (Table 5b) should not be compared to previous years. For 2000, Bryan County’s largest employers are the service, government, and retail trade sectors, respectively. From 1990 to 2000, the greatest job growth occurred in the construction sector (69%), followed by the manufacturing sector (65%).

Table 5b contains employment information for 2001 based on 2002 NAICS industry descriptions. More detail is available under this new way of reporting. For example, in 2001, there were 1,164 jobs in the accommodation and food services sector in Bryan County.

Table 6a further analyzes the conditions in the county by using a location quotient to determine a community's degree of self-sufficiency in a particular economic sector. (Also see Figure 4.) The location quotient is used to identify exporting activity and is calculated by dividing the percentage of those employed locally in a particular sector by the percentage of those employed in the same sector statewide.[1]

The location quotient can be used to interpret whether a county is self-sufficient, is an importer, or is an exporter in a particular sector. A location quotient that is approximately one (.75-1.25) suggests self-sufficiency; a quotient less than .75 shows that a county is probably an importer. If the location quotient is greater than 1.25, the county is considered an exporter in that sector. The greater the location quotient, the more significant that sector is to the local economy.

Unfortunately, location quotients for 1996-2000 may not be compared to the location quotients calculated for 2001. The 2001 location quotients (see Table 6b) are based on employment data consistent with 2002 NAICS industry definitions, while earlier employment data are based on SIC code definitions. For example, retail in 2000 is different from retail in 2001. The 2002 NAICS removed all food services from retail and them into another category called accommodations and food services

According to Table 6a, and Figure 4, the county is likely an exporter in the farm sector. Bryan County is probably an importer in the following sectors: transportation and public utilities, FIRE (finance, insurance and real estate), the federal government sector, and military. The county is likely self sufficient in the following sectors: construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, retail trade, services, and the state and local government sector. For clarification, zeros in Table 6a generally represent a situation where the number of employers is so small that employment numbers cannot be released without jeopardizing privacy constraints. It does not necessarily represent zero activity. Table 6b shows the location quotients for the new 2002 NAICS Industry definitions.

Table 4
Labor Force Data for Bryan County, 1980-2003
Unemployment
Labor Force / Employed / Unemployed / Rate
1980 / 13,307 / 12,368 / 939 / 7.0
1981 / 12,878 / 12,258 / 620 / 4.8
1982 / 12,905 / 12,157 / 748 / 5.8
1983 / 14,383 / 12,890 / 1,493 / 10.4
1984 / 14,618 / 13,340 / 1,278 / 8.7
1985 / 14,247 / 13,006 / 1,241 / 8.7
1986 / 14,325 / 13,286 / 1,039 / 7.3
1987 / 14,607 / 13,633 / 973 / 6.7
1988 / 14,760 / 13,906 / 854 / 5.8
1989 / 14,875 / 14,206 / 669 / 4.5
1990 / 13,703 / 12,896 / 807 / 5.9
1991 / 13,243 / 12,198 / 1,048 / 7.9
1992 / 13,386 / 12,593 / 793 / 5.9
1993 / 13,614 / 12,871 / 743 / 5.5
1994 / 13,756 / 13,043 / 714 / 5.2
1995 / 13,758 / 13,188 / 571 / 4.2
1996 / 14,488 / 13,958 / 531 / 3.7
1997 / 14,778 / 14,258 / 522 / 3.5
1998 / 16,674 / 16,167 / 506 / 3.0
1999 / 16,751 / 16,395 / 355 / 2.1
2000 / 16,980 / 16,571 / 409 / 2.4
2001 / 18,217 / 17,695 / 523 / 2.9
2002 / 18,567 / 18,036 / 528 / 2.9
2003* / 18,577 / 17,960 / 617 / 3.3

* Based on 3 months of data.

Source: Oklahoma Employment Security Commission

* 3 Months of data.

Source: Oklahoma Employment Security Commission.

* 3 Months of data.

Table 5a
Employment by Major Industry for Bryan County, 1990-2000
Based on Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Codes
1990 / 1991 / 1992 / 1993 / 1994 / 1995 / 1996
Farm employment / 1,586 / 1,591 / 1,625 / 1,801 / 1,805 / 1,833 / 1,859
Ag. services, etc. / 173 / 187 / 181 / 208 / 196 / 210 / 228
Mining / 66 / 74 / 66 / 67 / 82 / 48 / 48
Construction / 506 / 556 / 634 / 659 / 672 / 791 / 1,001
Manufacturing / 980 / 999 / 1,001 / 1,144 / 1,230 / 1,371 / 1,361
Transportation and public utilities / 405 / 367 / 373 / 421 / 454 / 486 / 482
Wholesale trade / 693 / 642 / 635 / 610 / 601 / 615 / 724
Retail trade / 2,156 / 2,158 / 2,242 / 2,314 / 2,493 / 2,561 / 2,758
Finance, insurance, and real estate / 535 / 579 / 579 / 574 / 591 / 642 / 695
Services / 4,328 / 4,205 / 4,127 / 4,280 / 4,490 / 4,626 / 5,006
Government and government enterprises / 2,682 / 2,736 / 2,894 / 2,872 / 2,784 / 2,770 / 2,775
Total full & part-time employment / 14,110 / 14,094 / 14,357 / 14,950 / 15,398 / 15,953 / 16,937
% Chg
1997 / 1998 / 1999 / 2000 / 2001 / 1990-2000
Farm employment / 1,898 / 1,902 / 1,898 / 1,955 / Not / 23%
Ag. services, etc. / 238 / (D) / (D) / (D) / available / (D)
Mining / 78 / (D) / (D) / (D) / for 2001 / (D)
Construction / 931 / 858 / 871 / 856 / based on / 69%
Manufacturing / 1,372 / 1,620 / 1,618 / 1,614 / SIC Codes. / 65%
Transportation and public utilities / 464 / 461 / 464 / 469 / See Table / 16%
Wholesale trade / 790 / 795 / 708 / 707 / 5b for most / 2%
Retail trade / 2,764 / 2,670 / 2,558 / 2,772 / recent / 29%
Finance, insurance, and real estate / 807 / 779 / 788 / 876 / data based / 64%
Services / 5,493 / 6,019 / 6,038 / 6,278 / on NAICS / 45%
Government and government enterprises / 2,804 / 2,834 / 2,853 / 2,894 / designations / 8%
Total full & part-time employment / 17,639 / 18,276 / 18,120 / 18,700 / 19,797 / 33%

(D) Not shown to avoid disclosure of confidential information, but the estimates for this item are included in the totals.

Source: Regional Economic Information System, Bureau of Economic Analysis

Table 5b

Employment by Major Industry for Bryan County, 2001

Based on 2002 NAICS Code – Not Available for Previous Years

Item / 2001 Bryan County
Farm employment / 2,019
Forestry, fishing, related activities, and other / (D)
Mining / (D)
Utilities / 71
Construction / 983
Manufacturing / 1,460
Wholesale trade / 750
Retail trade / 1,892
Transportation and warehousing / 276
Information / 164
Finance and insurance / 521
Real estate and rental and leasing / 346
Professional and technical services / 490
Management of companies and enterprises / 94
Administrative and waste services / 1,378
Educational services / 59
Health care and social assistance / 1,729
Arts, entertainment, and recreation / 367
Accommodation and food services / 1,164
Other services, except public administration / 1,837
Government and government enterprises / 4,047
Federal, civilian / 126
Military / 187
State and local / 3,734
State government / 1,106
Local government / 2,628
Total employment / 19,797

(D) Original employment data not shown to avoid disclosure of confidential information.

Source: Regional Economic Information System, Bureau of Economic Analysis

Table 6a

Location Quotient for Bryan County, 1996-2000
Based on SIC Industry Definition
1996 / 1997 / 1998 / 1999 / 2000

Farm

/ 2.1747 / 2.1544 / 2.1337 / 2.1656 / 2.1433

Ag Serv., Forestry, Fishing, & Other

/ 1.1541 / 1.1588 / 0.0000 / 0.0000 / 0.0000
Mining / 0.0935 / 0.1402 / 0.0000 / 0.0000 / 0.0000
Construction / 1.1952 / 1.0790 / 0.9563 / 0.9708 / 0.9355
Manufacturing / 0.8174 / 0.7862 / 0.8969 / 0.9308 / 0.9258
Transportation & Public Utilities / 0.5802 / 0.5440 / 0.5024 / 0.5012 / 0.4715
Wholesale Trade / 1.1251 / 1.1804 / 1.1417 / 1.0324 / 1.0249
Retail Trade / 0.9463 / 0.9231 / 0.8872 / 0.8587 / 0.8983
Finance, Insurance, & Real Estate / 0.7103 / 0.7493 / 0.6716 / 0.7240 / 0.7547
Services / 1.0688 / 1.1164 / 1.1499 / 1.1434 / 1.1486
Federal, Civilian-Govt / 0.3417 / 0.3077 / 0.2905 / 0.3155 / 0.3353
Military-Govt / 0.4217 / 0.4332 / 0.4408 / 0.4641 / 0.4766
State & Local-Govt / 1.2240 / 1.2112 / 1.2031 / 1.2083 / 1.1878

*2001 Location quotients should not be compared to previous years location quotients because the 2001 location quotients are based on the 2002 NAICS Code while previous years location quotients are based on SIC Code.

Table 6b

Location Quotient for Bryan County 2001

Based on 2002 NAICS Industry Definitions

(Do not compare to 1996-2000)

Item / 2001 Bryan County
Farm employment / 2.0438
Forestry, fishing, related activities, and other / (D)
Mining / (D)
Utilities / 0.6399
Construction / 0.9000
Manufacturing / 0.8480
Wholesale trade / 1.2204
Retail trade / 0.8494
Transportation and warehousing / 0.4884
Information / 0.4039
Finance and insurance / 0.6573
Real estate and rental and leasing / 0.5837
Professional and technical services / 0.5593
Management of companies and enterprises / 0.7001
Administrative and waste services / 1.1221
Educational services / 0.2818
Health care and social assistance / 0.9987
Arts, entertainment, and recreation / 1.3908
Accommodation and food services / 0.9532
Other services, except public administration / 1.5668
Government and government enterprises / 1.2481
Federal, civilian / 0.2888
Military / 0.4634
State and local / 1.5541
State government / 1.4087
Local government / 1.6247

(D) Original employment data not shown to avoid disclosure of confidential information.

*2001 data based on 2002 NAICS. Do not compare to previous years.

Total Personal Income and Per Capita Income

Table 7 provides data showing total personal income by major source for Bryan County from 1990 to 2001. From 1990 to 2001, for Bryan County, total personal income increased by 89.0 percent. For the same time period, the state's total personal income grew by 70 percent. One source of income growth in the county from 1990-2001, was from growth of other labor income (127%). Per capita income in Bryan County was $20,255 in 2001. The county’s PCI grew by 66 percent from 1990 to 2001. (See also Figure 5.)

Note also that Bryan County’s “adjustment for residence” is positive, and has increased since 1990. This indicates that people commute to jobs outside of Bryan County. This income adjustment must be added to Bryan County income because it represents workers who bring their income home with them from other counties.

Transfer payments are often referred to only as “welfare payments,” but actually contain a much more diverse group of recipients. Table 8 gives the breakdown of the various types of transfer payments received in the county from 1990 to 2001. From 1990 to 2001, income maintenance benefits (welfare payments) increased by 70 percent in Bryan County. The fastest growing transfer in Bryan County from 1990 to 2001 was medical payments (185%).

Table 7
Personal Income by Major Source for Bryan County, 1990-2001
(In Thousands)
1990 / 1991 / 1992 / 1993 / 1994 / 1995 / 1996
Earnings by place of work / 186,707 / 197,781 / 210,160 / 222,910 / 245,882 / 258,085 / 281,583
Wage and salary disbursements / 133,016 / 142,644 / 150,225 / 161,786 / 173,935 / 189,717 / 207,096
Other labor income / 20,041 / 22,150 / 24,632 / 27,317 / 29,087 / 28,883 / 31,213
Proprietors' income / 33,650 / 32,987 / 35,303 / 33,807 / 42,860 / 39,485 / 43,274
plus: Adjustment for residence / 57,908 / 60,173 / 61,592 / 63,785 / 66,524 / 69,928 / 73,260
plus: Dividends, interest, and rent / 68,717 / 69,715 / 69,824 / 69,130 / 71,744 / 77,055 / 80,648
plus: Transfer payments / 90,325 / 98,220 / 109,544 / 115,797 / 120,806 / 130,633 / 136,935
less: Personal cont. for social insurance / 11,098 / 12,016 / 12,693 / 13,824 / 15,392 / 17,173 / 18,227
Total Personal Income ($1,000) / 392,559 / 413,873 / 438,427 / 457,798 / 489,564 / 518,528 / 554,199
Per capita personal income (dollars) / 12,213 / 12,800 / 13,383 / 13,656 / 14,489 / 15,087 / 15,983
% Chg / % Chg
1997 / 1998 / 1999 / 2000 / 2001 / 1990-2001 / 2000-2001
Earnings by place of work / 301,809 / 315,974 / 340,977 / 353,457 / 384,356 / 106% / 9%
Wage and salary disbursements / 226,053 / 244,669 / 253,550 / 267,657 / 286,903 / 116% / 7%
Other labor income / 31,714 / 32,880 / 33,349 / 35,938 / 45,397 / 127% / 26%
Proprietors' income / 44,042 / 38,425 / 54,078 / 49,862 / 52,056 / 55% / 4%
plus: Adjustment for residence / 74,802 / 79,103 / 83,873 / 91,997 / 88,277 / 52% / -4%
plus: Dividends, interest, and rent / 89,015 / 96,863 / 97,617 / 109,881 / 111,595 / 62% / 2%
plus: Transfer payments / 142,249 / 146,916 / 152,919 / 161,775 / 180,173 / 99% / 11%
less: Personal cont. for social insurance / 19,650 / 20,522 / 21,259 / 22,082 / 21,659 / 95% / -2%
Total Personal Income ($1,000) / 588,225 / 618,334 / 654,127 / 695,028 / 742,742 / 89% / 7%
Per capita personal income (dollars) / 16,664 / 17,230 / 18,079 / 18,977 / 20,255 / 66% / 7%

Source: Regional Economic Information System, Bureau of Economic Analysis

Table 8
Transfer Payments by Type for Bryan County, 1990-2001
(In Thousands)
1990 / 1991 / 1992 / 1993 / 1994 / 1995 / 1996
Ret. & disab. insurance benefit pymts / 39,480 / 42,485 / 45,233 / 47,859 / 50,667 / 53,559 / 55,252
Medical payments / 26,206 / 29,504 / 34,381 / 36,672 / 39,478 / 45,308 / 49,142
Income maintenance benefit payments / 9,481 / 10,497 / 12,672 / 13,399 / 13,160 / 13,835 / 14,131
Unemployment insurance benefit pymts / 641 / 898 / 1,409 / 1,036 / 655 / 589 / 599
Veterans benefit payments / 6,280 / 6,453 / 6,707 / 7,019 / 7,166 / 7,332 / 7,924
Fed educ. & trng. asst. pay. (excl. vets) / 3,859 / 3,957 / 4,363 / 4,891 / 4,448 / 4,268 / 4,120
Other payments to individuals / 235 / 258 / 237 / 198 / 234 / 270 / 383
Payments to nonprofit institutions / 1,998 / 2,102 / 2,363 / 2,678 / 2,862 / 3,105 / 3,005
Business payments to individuals / 2,145 / 2,066 / 2,179 / 2,045 / 2,136 / 2,367 / 2,379
Total transfer payments ($1,000) / 90,325 / 98,220 / 109,544 / 115,797 / 120,806 / 130,633 / 136,935
% Chg / % Chg
1997 / 1998 / 1999 / 2000 / 2001 / 1990-2001 / 2000-2001
Ret. & disab. insurance benefit pymts / 56,384 / 58,209 / 59,536 / 61,959 / 65,109 / 65% / 5%
Medical payments / 51,488 / 54,217 / 57,319 / 62,447 / 74,807 / 185% / 20%
Income maintenance benefit payments / 14,776 / 14,781 / 15,707 / 15,698 / 16,089 / 70% / 2%
Unemployment insurance benefit pymts / 485 / 452 / 585 / 589 / 947 / 48% / 61%
Veterans benefit payments / 8,178 / 8,210 / 8,423 / 8,916 / 9,054 / 44% / 2%
Fed educ. & trng. asst. pay. (excl. vets) / 5,002 / 4,817 / 4,678 / 5,005 / 6,621 / 72% / 32%
Other payments to individuals / 197 / 215 / 235 / 225 / 345 / 47% / 53%
Payments to nonprofit institutions / 3,232 / 3,422 / 3,789 / 4,058 / 4,171 / 109% / 3%
Business payments to individuals / 2,507 / 2,593 / 2,647 / 2,878 / 3,030 / 41% / 5%
Total transfer payments ($1,000) / 142,249 / 146,916 / 152,919 / 161,775 / 180,173 / 99% / 11%

(L) Less than $50,000, but the estimates for this item are included in the totals.

Source: Regional Economic Information System, Bureau of Economic Analysis

Trends in Retail Sales

Table 9 shows sales tax collections for the town of Durant from 1980-2002. In 2002, Durant collected over $5.3 million at a tax rate of 3.0%. From sales tax collection figures, estimates of retail sales can be calculated. Figure 6 shows estimated retail sales for the town of Durant from 1980-2002. Retail sales growth can be an important indicator for communities to track over time. Not only are retail sales an indicator of the strength of an economy, but, since most communities depend on municipal sales tax revenues to fund their budgets, they also determine a local government's ability to provide for local services. Furthermore, careful analysis of retail strengths and weaknesses may indicate possible areas of improvement for communities intent on economic development through the retention of local retail dollars. Contact your county extension office for more information about retail market analyses conducted by the Cooperative Extension Service.

Farms and Agriculture

The importance of agriculture may be understated in discussions about total employment and personal income. Many jobs and salaries are generated in businesses that support agriculture, but the method of reporting data is such that it is difficult to isolate the agricultural businesses. For example, a farm supply store would be classified as a retail establishment. To indicate the magnitude of agriculture in Bryan County, specific agricultural data were collected.

Table 10 contains farm income and expenditure data as reported by the Bureau of Economic Analysis for the years 1990 to 2001. The volume of sales and expenditures reflects, to some extent, the relationship of agriculture to agri-related businesses. For Bryan County, cash receipts and other income decreased by two percent from 1990-2001, and production expenses increased by nine percent; thus, total farm labor and proprietors’ income decreased by 47 percent from 1990-2001. Figure 7 illustrates the total farm labor and proprietors’ income for the county from 1980-2001. Note the major peak in 1999.

Table 11 summarizes Census of Agriculture data for 1982, 1987, 1992, and 1997 for the county. In 1997, there were 1,516 farms in Bryan County, and 419,887 total acres in farms. Approximately 72.2% of the land area in the county was farmland. Most of the farms, 1,401 out of 1,516, were family or individually owned, and 911 of the farmers reported that something other than farming was their principal occupation. The average age of farm operators in Bryan County that year was 55.5 years of age. The market value of agricultural products sold in the county in 1997 was $32,547,000, and the average per farm was $21,469.