Dutchess County Profile

    Dutchess County is an 800 square mile county in the Mid Hudson Valley. Geographically the county varies from urban cities to rural communities. It is located approximately 65 miles north of New York City bordered by Connecticut to the east and the Hudson River to the west. Dutchess can be accessed by train or automobile.

    For the past ten years, Dutchess has been one of the fastest growing counties in the Mid Hudson region. The population growth of 8% in Dutchess County from 1990 to 2000 has outpaced all but Orange County, which was 9.9%.

    The age distribution in Dutchess County has remained fairly constant. According to the 2000 census, 6% of the population was <5 years old; 22% were between the ages of 5 and 19; 59% were between 20 and 64, and 13% were 65 and older.

    Dutchess County’s population has also become more ethnically diverse during the last ten years with Hispanics and Latinos showing the most growth among all ethnic groups.

                            Dutchess County 2000                         Dutchess County 1990

White                             84.0%                                                     88.0%

African American           9.3%                                                        8.4%

Hispanic                         6.4%                                                       3.8%

Asian/Pacific Islander     2.9%                                                        2.3%

American Indian/Eskimo .2%                                                         .14%

    The unemployment rate in the County for all ages in the labor force decreased from 5.0% in 1995 to 3.2% in 2000, but increased to 3.6% in 2001. Between 1994 and 1996 alone, Dutchess County was home to 33 new firms that created an additional 3,000 jobs.

    Between the years of 1993 and 1994, housing prices significantly decreased. However, over the past five years, housing prices have steadily increased in the County. For example, in 1994 the average selling price for a home in Dutchess County was $132,679 compared to $176,690 in 1999 and $192,898 in 2000.

    The County’s median family income (the income level at which 50% of all incomes in the County are above and 50% are below) in 2000 was estimated to be $63,400. In 2000, 7.9% of the population in the County were living below the poverty level, compared to 13.5% in New York State. In 1998, the number of children under the age of 18 living below the poverty level in Dutchess County was 8,353 individuals or 12.6%, compared to 1,057,000 individuals or 23.3% in New York State. Estimates by housing advocacy groups indicate there are at least 2,000 homeless people in Dutchess County, and data indicate 2,020 individuals were served at homeless shelters in 2000. The Homeless Consortium has indicated an unmet need of 91 emergency shelter beds, 358 transitional housing units, and 540 permanent supportive housing units for the homeless.

    Dutchess County is home to five institutions of higher learning. Thirty-nine percent of adult residents have a college degree. Students in the County consistently perform above state rates on standardized tests. Dutchess County’s number awarded Regent’s diplomas and high school graduate numbers are higher than statewide averages. Overall, Dutchess County residents are well educated; however, it is estimated that there are still 50,000 functionally illiterate adults.

    Overall, crime rates in Dutchess County have decreased following the national and New York State trends. However, safety and security are still concerns in the County. Indicated child abuse reports have increased from 690 in 1999 to 722 in 2000. Domestic violence reports made to the police have shown an increase from 3,388 in 1999 to 3,986 in 2000.

    Cumulative AIDS, cases excluding prison inmates, have increased in Dutchess County from 497 cases in 1996, compared to 593 cases in 2000. There has been an increase in Lyme Disease cases from 1,069 cases in 1997 to 1,141 in 2001. Due to the complications in diagnosing Lyme Disease, the number of cases may be under-reported in the County.

    Fewer Dutchess County youth reported using cigarettes (26.2%) in 2000 compared to the state average (31.8%) in 1999. Forty-four percent of Dutchess County middle and high school students reported trying cigarettes, even one or two puffs, which is significantly lower than the national rate of 70.4%. Seven percent of the County’s students reported they have tried using chewing tobacco, snuff, or dip compared to 12.7% nationally. Fourteen percent of Dutchess County students have tried smoking bidis (hand-rolled flavored cigarettes) compared to only 16% nationally. Peer pressure appears to be a powerful motivator for youth in Dutchess County since 23% of the County’s students think they would smoke a cigarette if offered by their best friend, compared to only 15.5% of students nationally.

    Nationally, 15% of 8th graders and 26% of 10th graders reported consuming five or more alcoholic beverages in a row in the two weeks prior to being surveyed. Thirty-one percent of 12th graders reported drinking five or more alcoholic beverages in a row in the two weeks prior to a national survey. In New York State in 1999, 30% of seniors in high school reported binge drinking at least once in a two-week period (Binge drinking is defined as having >5 alcoholic beverages in one sitting). Also, in New York State in 1999, 28.8% of high school students reported drinking 5 drinks of alcohol on >1 occasion in the past 30 days preceding a survey. Data concerning high school students’ alcohol use in Dutchess County is currently unavailable.

    When asked in 2001 (Children’s Services Council Survey) to rate first and second most important priority issues, residents responded as follows:

                                    First Priority                                     Second Priority

                                    36% family life                                     26% education

                                    23% education                                     23% health

                                    21% health                                          19% safety and security

    When asked to identify the area to improve that would most impact quality of life in Dutchess County, residents gave the following responses:

19% education or improved schools

16% health care or better health insurance

10% more money either by increased wages or decreased taxes

9% religion and better family morals and values

8% support, transportation, and housing for elderly and disabled

7% recreation and support services for children and youth

    The Dutchess County Youth Council 2001, Youth Survey Report identified the top youth needs as:

26% places to go have fun/a teen center

14% better schools and education

12% sports

11% more parks

9% drug and alcohol education

    The top five youth issues (Dutchess County Community Health Assessment, 1998) were:

40% drug and alcohol use

19.5% teen pregnancy

13.8% sexuality issues

13.5% racism

13.3% AIDS education