MORE UNMARRIED COUPLES IN CAPE COUNTY

We're not the Cleavers.

Cape Girardeau County families are looking less like the squeaky clean, traditional one of "Leave It to Beaver" television fame, census figures released today reveal.

Over the last 10 years, the county has seen the number of unmarried couples and single mothers soar, dwarfing even national figures.

The number of single mothers with children under 17 jumped from 1,266 to 1,645, a 30 percent increase, considerably higher than the 25 percent increase nationally.

The number of unmarried couples more than doubled from 495 in 1990 to 1,168 in the 2000 census. The 135 percent jump was nearly twice the 71 percent increase nationally.

Cape Girardeau had 679 unmarried couples compared to 365 a decade ago, an 86 percent increase, and Jackson was home to 166 unmarried couples last year compared to 34 a decade ago, a 388 percent increase.

Jackson Mayor Paul Sander said the figures don't jive with the county's conservative image. "I guess I would be surprised that this particular area would increase higher than the national figure."

Dr. Peter Hirschburg, who chairs the sociology and anthropology department at Southeast Missouri State University, isn't surprised by the latest census figures.

"I don't think Cape Girardeau is unusual in terms of national trends," he said. "By and large, I kind of think if you try to compare Cape with other places, we come out quite similar."

Single mother Frannie Essner certainly doesn't think of herself as unusual. She's busy raising her two daughters, Danae, 7, and Areyon, 3, in a tidy frame house at the corner of Jefferson and Louisiana on the city's south side.

The family also includes two cats, a dog and some goldfish.

She works as a lab assistant at St. Francis Medical Center, usually putting in nine and one-half hours a day five days a week. She also is on call one weekend a month.

The 22-year-old Essner, who moved to Cape Girardeau five years ago, didn't marry either of her daughters' fathers.

Essner admits it can be taxing to be both mother and father to her children. But she says being the sole parent has forged a close bond between her and her daughters.

"We work together as a team," she said as she sat on the sofa Wednesday evening surrounded by her daughters. "I wouldn't trade it for anything," she said.

As for unmarried couples, the soaring numbers reflect today's society, said the Rev. Roy Jones of the Cape Girardeau Baptist Association. "There is in our culture a tendency not to commit."

Jones said people who experience divorces in their families often are reluctant to get married. "It's a significant factor in them not wanting to commit," said Jones.

Older population

Overall, the county's population is slightly older than 10 years ago. The median age in 2000 was 35.2, or right around the national figure. Ten years ago, the median age in Cape Girardeau County was 32.2 years of age.

But the county has changed little in terms of diversity. It remains a largely white county with few minorities.

Cape Girardeau County has 68,693 residents. Whites make up 92 percent of the population, census figures show. That's down from 94 percent in 1990 even though the number of whites increased by 5,326 during the past decade.

The county has 3,624 black residents. They make up 5.3 percent of the population.

That's up from 1990 when there were 2,985 black residents making up 4.8 percent of the population.

Cape Girardeau is home to most of the county's black residents. Only 336 live elsewhere in the county, including 162 in Jackson.

More Hispanics

The number of Hispanics has nearly doubled in the county, from 313 in 1990 to 624 in 2000.

Cape Girardeau has 388 Hispanics, up from 192 a decade ago. Jackson had 35 Hispanics in 1990. Last year the number stood at 91.

Jones said the Cape Girardeau Baptist Association brought in a Spanish-speaking minister last year to reach out to Hispanics.

Cape Girardeau Mayor Al Spradling III said his city has a more diverse population than the rest of the county because it is home to Southeast Missouri State University, which attracts minority workers and students.

J.J. Williamson, a black businessman and former Cape Girardeau councilman, said the city still isn't diverse enough, although the number of minorities increased slightly. Lack of affordable housing and nightclubs for minorities are two reasons why many young blacks move away, he said.

"I don't think there are a lot of attractions that would keep people," he said.

CENSUS STATS

Cape County

1990 2000

Population 61,633 68,693

Male 29,598 33,132

Female 32,035 35,561

Pop 0-4 4,119 4,088

Pop 5-9 4,165 4,526

Pop 10-14 3,963 4,720

Pop 15-19 5,221 5,672

Pop 20-24 6,342 6,294

Pop 25-34 9,651 8,894

Pop 35-44 8,738 10,173

Pop 45-54 5,899 9,045

Pop 55-59 2,476 3,234

Pop 60-64 2,538 2,587

Pop 65-74 4,591 4,646

Pop 75-84 2,936 3,448

Pop 85-up 994 1,366

Median age 32.2 35.2

Race* (percentage of total pop.)

White 94 92

Black 4.8 5.3

Am. Ind. .2 .4

Asian .8 .7

Hispanic .5 .9

Cape Girardeau city

Population 34,438 35,349

Male 16,138 16,695

Female 18,300 18,654

Pop 0-4 2,129 1,902

Pop 5-9 2,114 1,999

Pop 10-14 1,906 2,079

Pop 15-19 3,239 3,264

Pop 20-24 4,684 4,520

Pop 25-34 5,255 4,486

Pop 35-44 4,430 4,574

Pop 45-54 2,940 4,316

Pop 55-59 1,307 1,527

Pop 60-64 1,404 1,199

Pop 65-74 2,606 2,436

Pop 75-84 1,758 2,102

Pop 85-up 666 945

Median age 30.8 33.6

Race (percentage of total pop.)

White 90.2 87.3

Black 8 9.3

Am. Ind. .2 .4

Asian 1.3 1.2

Hispanic .6 1.1

Jackson

Population 9,256 11,947

Male 4,402 5,651

Female 4,854 6,296

Pop 0-4 671 789

Pop 5-9 683 888

Pop 10-14 710 978

Pop 15-19 638 846

Pop 20-24 591 652

Pop 25-34 1,457 1,704

Pop 35-44 1,454 1,872

Pop 45-54 824 1,595

Pop 55-59 349 480

Pop 60-64 393 465

Pop 65-74 768 829

Pop 75-84 525 621

Pop 85-up 193 228

Median age 34.2 35.7

Race (percentage of total pop.)

White 98.4 96.6

Black 1.2 1.4

Am. Ind. .1 .3

Asian .1 .6

Hispanic .4 .8

Scott County

Population 39,376 40,422

Male 18,617 19,320

Female 20,759 21,102

Pop 0-4 3,022 2,828

Pop 5-9 3,076 3,153

Pop 10-14 3,250 3,235

Pop 15-19 3,019 2,929

Pop 20-24 2,434 2,378

Pop 25-34 6,027 5,119

Pop 35-44 5,587 6,000

Pop 45-54 4,102 5,435

Pop 55-59 1,600 2,093

Pop 60-64 1,635 1,710

Pop 65-74 3,152 2,819

Pop 75-84 1,994 2,033

Pop 85-up 478 690

Median age 33.1 36

Race (percentage of total pop.)

White 90.6 87.7

Black 8.9 10.5

Am. Ind. .2 .3

Asian .2 .2

Hispanic .5 1.1

Scott City

Population 4,292 4,591

Male 2,038 2,209

Female 2,254 2,382

Pop 0-4 292 290

Pop 5-9 314 357

Pop 10-14 308 373

Pop 15-19 337 326

Pop 20-24 275 291

Pop 25-34 690 659

Pop 35-44 616 677

Pop 45-54 512 602

Pop 55-59 195 258

Pop 60-64 161 190

Pop 65-74 305 301

Pop 75-84 242 196

Pop 85-up 45 71

Median age 33.9 35

Race (percentage of total pop.)

White 99.7 98.3

Black .1 .4

Am. Ind. .1 .4

Asian .1 0

Hispanic .1 .6

Perry County

Population 16,648 18,132

Male 8,246 9,030

Female 8,402 9,102

Pop 0-4 1,195 1,224

Pop 5-9 1,300 1,255

Pop 10-14 1,422 1,398

Pop 15-19 1,157 1,293

Pop 20-24 987 1,102

Pop 25-34 2,401 2,267

Pop 35-44 2,221 2,786

Pop 45-54 1,531 2,347

Pop 55-59 728 878

Pop 60-64 761 737

Pop 65-74 1,487 1,357

Pop 75-84 1,108 1,066

Pop 85-up 350 422

Median age 34.4 36.8

Race (percentage of total pop.)

White 99.3 98.2

Black .1 .2

Am. Ind. .2 .2

Asian .4 .6

Hispanic .4 .5

Perryville

Population 6,933 7,667

Male 3,231 3,625

Female 3,702 4,042

Pop 0-4 453 536

Pop 5-9 504 502

Pop 10-14 521 528

Pop 15-19 407 512

Pop 20-24 422 515

Pop 25-34 975 1,034

Pop 35-44 788 1,125

Pop 45-54 603 794

Pop 55-59 283 329

Pop 60-64 347 298

Pop 65-74 702 629

Pop 75-84 661 571

Pop 85-up 267 294

Median age 37.3 36.7

Race (percentage of total pop.)

White 99.1 97.5

Black 0 .2

Am. Ind. .2 .2

Asian .6 1.3

Hispanic .3 .7

Bollinger County

Population 10,619 12,029

Male 5,264 5,950

Female 5,355 6,079

Median age 35.9 37.9

Race (percentage of total pop.)

White 99.3 97.8

Black .1 .2

Am. Ind. .3 .7

Asian .3 .2

Hispanic .7 .6