JUL193BLEI 7 Alaam Pouato Change 6S Wit Emhai 0 0 on theLat HlfCenur *0-90 (192 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION-- ----- - ALABAMA POPULATION GROWTH (1820-1970) - RESIDENTIAL DISTRIBUTION RACIAL COMPOSITION (1890-1970) Trends by Race and Residence (1920-1970) - A HALF CENTURY OF SPECIFIC Age Structure - CHANGES --- 11 ----------- ----- -- 1 7 --- 8 - ----1 - - - - - - -2 0 - ----- - - -22 -----2 --- 6 - ----- - - -32 ----- - -32 --- --- ---- -3 Fertility---------------Education ---- The Labor Force-------Industry G roups------------------ ------Groups----------------------- Occupation SU M M A RY --------------------- ------ --- --- Resid ence -- - - --- - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - -- - - - - Ra c e -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - ---------------- 3 CONCLUSIONS -------------- ----------REFERENCES CITED------------APPENDIX ---- --- 35 --- 6 ----3 ------ - 3 7 - -- , A -- - ------- A PPEN DIX B -- ------------------------- ---- ------- - -3 9 FIRST PRINTING 4M, JULY 1975 Auburn University is an Equal Opportunity Employer ALABAMA POPULATION CHANGE: with Emphasis on the Last Half Century (1920-197O)* JANICE B. VANLANDINGHAM, JOHN E. DUNKELBERGER, and CALVIN L. VANLANDINGHAM** INTRODUCTION T PRINCIPAL RESOURCES of any geographic area be it a rural community, city, county, or nation, are its people. People are not inanimate materials like land, water, minerals; instead they are persons capable of varying types of behavior. Population changes result from the social behavior of many people. A reflection of human social behavior over time is provided by population statistics. Population change can occur only as a result of an increase or decrease in the number of people following a particular pattern of social behavior. Some types of change might include families having more children, the movement of. families from farms to cities, or the number of people living beyond retirement age. All of these changes, as well as others, have sociological relevance because they indicate the dynamic character of society in which the human behavior patterns of today differ from those that prevailed yesterday. Knowledge of such changes and trends is prerequisite to arriving at meaningful predictions of future population size and societal needs. Because of this, population statistics are basic data in the creation and fulfillment of all types of action and planning programs at local, state, and national levels. * This report represents a continuation of research originated under State Research Project 1-028 entitled "Alabama's Population: Characteristics and Change" and continued under State Research Project 1-045 entitled "Characteristics of and Changes in Alabama's Population." * Consulting Sociologist; Associate Professor; and Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology. HE 4 ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION Published reports which systematically review the historical changes and trends of Alabama's people have been few and far between.1 In this context, the purpose of the present report is: (1) to provide a broad overview of changes in the Alabama population since founding of the State in 1819, and (2) to describe in detail selected major population trends which have occurred in Alabama during the last half century.2 Wherever possible, these trends will be shown for both racial (white and nonwhite) and residential (rural and urban) components of the population. Consideration of changes in the number, distribution, and characteristics of Alabama's people from 1920 to 1970 should provide data on past trends most likely to affect future planning activities for the State and its political and economic subdivisions. ALABAMA POPULATION GROWTH Alabama was organized as the twenty-second state in the Union in 1819. The first census enumeration of the State as a separate statistical unit occurred in the decennial census 2 years later. At that time, 127,901 persons resided within the borders of the State, Table 1. The ensuing 150 years have been marked by continuous population growth both in the actual number of Alabamians and in the density of the population. In 1820, Alabama was very sparsely settled with only 2.5 persons per square mile. One hundred years later the density was 46 persons and by 1970 (50 years later) there were 67.5 persons per square mile living in the State. The number of persons added to the State's population per decade hit its peak between 1890-1900. During that period an increase of 315,296 additional residents was reported. On the other hand, the smallest increase for any decade occurred in 18601870, when, as a result of the Civil War and its aftermath, an increase of only 32,791 persons occurred. Despite the increasing size of the Alabama population, growth has lagged behind that occurring in the United States as a whole. Only twice in its 150-year history has the State's decennial growth rate exceeded that of the nation and these times were both during the State's earliest history, Table 2. In the past 50 years, only 1 See Lillian Worley, Alabama's People (University, Alabama: U of A Bureau of Public Administration, 1945) for an early overview. For a more recent discussion of selected changes, see Alabama's Population: Her Changing Face, 19301972, published by the Alabama Department of Public Health, Special Services Administration (Division of Vital Statistics, 1974). 2 For comparisons of the 1970 Alabama data with those for the U.S., see Ap- pendix A, Tables 1-4. ALABAMA POPULATION CHANGE, 1920-1970 TABLE 5 1820-1970 1. SIZE AND DENSITY OF THE ALABAMA POPULATION, Census year 1820---- -------------------------- 1830 ----------------------------------1840 ----------------------------------1850 ----------------------------------- Population size No. 127,901 Density per square mile No. 2.5 6.1 11.5 15.1 1860---------------------------964,201 18.9 1870---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- - --996,992 19.5 1880-------------1,262,505 24.7 1890 -----------------------------------1,513,401 29.6 1900------------------------------- -1,828,697 35.8 1910 ----------------------------------- 2,138,093 41.9 192 0.--- ---- -------------------------------------------------2 ,3 48,174 46 .0 1930 -------------------------------------------2,646,248 51.8 1940---------- ------------- - ----------2,832,961 55.5 1950------------------------------ -----3,061,743 59.9 1960 -------------- --------------------3,266,740 64.0 1970------------------------------------3,444,165 67.5 Source: U.S. Census of Population, U.S. Summary: 1970 PC(1)-1A, Table 8. 309,527 590,756 771,623 once (1930-1940) has the State growth rate approached that of the nation. This occurrence was largely caused by the retarded out-migration marking the depression years. Between 1960 and 1970, the U.S. experienced a population growth of 13.3 percent while Alabama increased by only 5.4 percent. TABLE 2. DECENNIAL RATES OF CHANGE IN THE POPULATION OF THE U.S.. THE SOUTH, AND ALABAMA. 1820-1970 1820-1830----------------1830-1840 - -------------1840-1850----------------1850-1860----------------1860-1870----------------1870-1880------------ 1880-1890----------------1890-1900----------------1900-1910----------------1910-1920----------------1920-1930----------------- ---- U.S. Pct. 33.5 32.7 35.9 35.6 22.6 30.2 Percent change South* Pct. 29.2 21.8 29.2 23.9 10.4 34.4 Alabama Pct. 142.0 90.9 30.6 25.0 3.4 26.6 25.5 21.0 21.3 22.4 19.9 20.8 21.0 15.0 16.2 19.8 12.7 14.3 16.9 9.8 12.7 1930-1940----------------7.3 10.1 7.1 1940-1950----------------14.5 1]3.3 8.1 1950-1960-----------------18.5 16.5 6.7 1960-1970-----------------13.3 14.2 5.4 The South as a region includes the states of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas, and the District of Columbia. Source: U.S. Census of Population, U.S. Summary: 1970 PC( 1)-1A, Table 9. '* 6 ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION During its early years of statehood, Alabama's rate of growth exceeded that occurring in the southern region.3 Since 1860, however, the growth rate in the State has not kept pace. During the last half century, the average population increase per decennial census in the South was 13.6 percent. This figure nearly equaled the national rate of 13.9 percent for the same period. But in Alabama, the comparable average was only 8.0 percent. Although Alabama's population is increasing, it is doing so at a much slower pace than is true of either the nation or the region. RESIDENTIAL DISTRIBUTION (1820-1970) Spatial arrangement of the State population has undergone significant change over the past 150 years. According to census data for 1820, the State was totally rural in residential composition, Table 3. There were no incorporated towns in existence that had as many as 2,500 inhabitants. Growth of urban places occurred only gradually until the decade of the 1880's when the number almost tripled from 7 to 19. At the turn of the century, TABLE 3. RESIDENTIAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE ALABAMA POPULATION, 1820-1970 Urban Census year Number of places No. Population Percent ateof Population changechange Rural Percent Rate of Pct. Pct. Pct. No. Pct. No. 100.0 127,901 1820 .... 139.5 99.0 306,333 ... 1.0 3,194 1 1830 88.7 97.9 578,084 2.1 296.7 12,672 1 1840_... 27.4 95.4 736,444 4.6 177.6 35,179 4 1850_... 24.3 94.9 915,300 39.0 5.1 48,901 5 1860_... 2.1 93.7 934,292 28.2 6.3 62,700 7 1870_... 27.8 94.6 9.3 1,193,987 5.4 68,518 7 1880_... 14.0 89.9 122.2 1,361,166 10.1 152,235 19 1890_... 18.4 88.1 1,611,983 42.4 11.9 216,714 27 1900_... 9.7 82.7 1,767,662 70.9 17.3 370,431 28 1910_... 4.0 78.3 1,838,857 37.5 21.7 509,317 39 1920_... 3.4 71.9 1,901,975 46.1 28.1 744,273 53 1930_... 3.9 69.8 1,977,020 15.0 30.2 855,941 59 1940_... -13.0 56.2 1,720,806 56.7 43.8 1,340,937 85 1950_... -14.3 45.2 1,475,019 33.6 54.8 1,791,721 109 1960_... - 2.9 41.6 1,432,224 12.3 58.4 2,011,941 123 1970_... * Prior to 1950, only incorporated places in excess of 2,500 inhabitants were considered urban. Beginning in 1950 unincorporated places in excess of 2,500 were also considered urban. See figure 2 for the effect of this change in definition. Source: U.S. Census of Population, U.S. Summary: 1970 PC (1) lA, Table 18. -.. 3 See footnote to Table 2 for the states included in this census region. ALABAMA POPULATION CHANGE, 1920-1970 7 the 27 urban places then existing accounted for almost 12 percent of the total population. The greatest numerical increase in the number of urban places took place between 1940 and 1950, when the State gained 26 new urban places. This increase was partially attributable to a change in definition of "urban" which included, for the first time, unincorporated places of 2,500 or more, Figure 1. Nevertheless the major reason for this increase was due simply to the growth of the population during the decade. By 1970, more than 58 percent of the Alabama population was living in 123 urban places. As the 20th Century commenced, a new era in the residential composition of the State's population made itself felt. Until then the rural population had increased at a rate rapid enough to overshadow the steady loss of rural people through out-migration. Most of the migrants had been drawn to industrializing cities in the North as the mechanization of agriculture reduced employment opportunities in rural areas. However, with the turn of the Millions 4.0 3.5 Total -... - Rural Urban Old definition ....... 3.0 2.5 - 1.5 1.0 - . r 0.5 0.0 ·** I 1920 I 1930 I 1940 I 1950 I 1960 I 1970 Census year FIG. 1. Rural and urban trends in the Alabama population for 1920-1970, showing the effect of the change in urban definition, 1940-1960. 8 TABLE 4. ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION DISTRIBUTION OF THE ALABAMA RURAL POPULATION BY NONFARM AND FARM, 1920-1970 Rural farm Rural nonfarm Total rural population Census year Population Percent Population Percent 1920_________________________. 1,838,857 504,344 27.4 1,334,513 72.6 1930_________________________ 1,901,975 565,566 29.7 1,336,409 70.3 1940__________________________. 1,977,020 638,356 32.3 1,338,664 67.7 1950 1,720,806 760,313 44.2 960,493 55.8 1960_________________________ 1,471,571 1,068,716 72.6 402,855 27.4 1970* 1,431,160 1,272,797 88.9 158,363 11.1 * The total rural populations in these two censuses were based on samples and consequently are less than reported in Table 3. Sources: U.S. Census of Population, Alabama: 1970 PC(1)-D2, Table 138; 1960 PC(1)-2D, Table 96; 1950 P-B2, Table 13; 1940 Second Series, Table 1. Census year century an increasing proportion of these rural migrants began moving to urban places in the South. As a result of this changed migration pattern, an accelerated decline in the growth rate for the rural population occurred while a high rate of population gain continued in urban areas. There were 1,611,983 rural residents in Alabama in 1900, who comprised 88 percent of the total population. During the ensuing 40 years, only about 365,000 more persons were added to the rural population until the peak number was reached in 1940. Meanwhile, the urban population increased by almost 640,000 persons, nearly twice as many. Since 1940, the number of rural residents in the State has declined by nearly 28 percent while urban residents have increased by 74 percent, Table 4. The decline in Alabama's rural population has occurred chiefly because of the reduction in the number of rural farm residents. In the last half century, this group, which once represented nearly three quarters of the State's rural population, has dwindled so that by 1970, it comprised only 11 percent of Alabama's rural residents. On the other hand, the number of rural non-farm residents has more than doubled in the 50-year period. RACIAL COMPOSITION (1890-1970) Distinct changes have occurred in the racial composition of the Alabama population during the past 80 years. No separate census reporting of the racial distribution was made prior to 1890. Since then, the data have shown that the patterns of population change differ considerably between the races and that these differences, although changing, have persisted into the present. The number of whites residing in Alabama has more than tripled after 1890. The increase has been from 833,718 to 2,535,823 ALABAMA POPULATION CHANGE, 1920-1970 TABLE 5. RACIAL COMPOSITION OF TIE ALABAMA POPULATION, 9 1890-1970 Census year State total White Nonwhite No. 679,683 827,545 909,261 901,142 945,404 983,864 982,152 983,131 908,342 Percent distribution Pct. 55.1 54.7 57.5 61.6 64.3 65.3 No. No. 1890____________________ 1,513,041 833,718 1900______________________ 1,828,697 1,001,152 1910______________________ 2,138,093 1,228,832 1920_____1______________ 2,348,174 1,447,032 1930_______________. 2,646,248 1,700,844 1940--------------2,832,961 1,849,097 1950______________________ 3,061,743 2,079,591 1960_____________________ 3,266,740 2,283,609 1970_______________________ 3,444,165 2,535,823 Sources: U.S. Census of Population, Alabama: 1970 PC (1) C2, Table 45. ------- Pct. 44.9 45.3 42.5 38.4 35.7 34.7 67.9 69.9 73.6 32.1 30.1 26.4 1960 PC (1) 2B, Table 15 and white persons compared to a rather small increase of about onethird in the population of nonwhites. The actual number of nonwhites in the State was 679,683 in 1890 compared to 908,342, in 1970, Table 5. Whereas, nonwhites comprised nearly half (45 percent) of the population 80 years ago, they now account for only one-fourth of all Alabama residents. number of whites reported in each census since 1890 has consistently increased; but this has not been true for nonwhites in the State. The largest number of nonwhites was reported in 1940. Between 1940-1970, the nonwhite population was reduced by over 75,000 people. Moreover, the number of nonwhites lost in the last decade alone amounted to-almost as many as in the previous three decades combined.4 'The Trends by Residence and Race (1920-1970) Two highly significant patterns emerge when analyzing population trends for Alabama: (1) the decline in the rural population, and (2) the decline in the nonwhite population. In keeping with the focus of this report on population changes of the last half century, it is important to review these two major trends simultaneously for insights they might provide into, the nature of the changes that have taken place and into the trends suggested for the future. During the last 50 years, the racial composition of the rural and urban areas has exhibited a consistent pattern of change, See Division of Vital Statistics' publication cited in footnote 1 for discussion of migration in Alabama.' 10 TABLE 6. ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF ALABAMA BY RESIDENCE AND RACE, 1920-1970 POPULATION Census year 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 Rural Urban Nonwhite Total White Nonwhite White Total ........ ........ ........ ........ ...... . . Perce n t 38.3 61.7 78.3 38.7 61.3 21.7 35.6 64.4 36.1 71.9 63.9 28.1 33.8 66.2 69.8 63.1 36.9 30.2 30.7 69.3 56.2 33.9 66.1 43.8 29.0 71.0 45.2 31.0 69.0 54.8 76.0 23.9 28.2 41.6 58.4 71.8 Sources: U.S. Census of Population, Alabama: 1970 PC (1 )-C2, Table 48; 1960 PC (1) 2B, Table 14; 1940 Second Series, Table 5. Table 6. The percentage of whites in rural Alabama has always been slightly higher than that in urban areas and correspondingly, the inverse has been true for nonwhites. In 1920, the white-nonwhite ratio in urban and rural areas was about equal at 61 to 39 percent respectively. By 1970, this racial makeup in both areas had been significantly altered. A decline in the proportion of nonwhites had occurred in both rural and urban areas, but the decline had been more rapid in rural than in urban locations. A closer look at rural areas analyzing the racial composition by farm and nonfarm residence reveals that this decline in the rural nonwhite population has been heaviest from farms, Table 7. The magnitude of the decline was nearly 20 percent for nonwhite farm residents from 1920 to 1970 compared to only 13 percent for other nonwhite rural residents. It is apparent from these trends that nonwhites in the State are leaving the rural areas. In contrast, the proportion of the farm population comprised of whites has risen from 61 percent in 1920 to 81 percent in 1970. Farming in Alabama is gradually becoming a white industry. TABLE 7. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF ALABAMA POPULATION FOR RURAL AREAS BY RACE, 1920-1970 Census year White 'Farm Nonwhite White Nonfarm Nonwhite Percent_ ------------------------------ 38.6 61.4 1920 37.2 62.8 1930 35.7 64.3 1940 33.2 66.8 1950 31.0 69.0 1960 19.4 80.6 1970 Source: U.S. Census of Population, Alabama: 1970 PC 37.5 62.5 31.8 68.2 29.7 70.3 27.5 72.5 28.1 71.9 24.4 75.6 (1)-C2, Table 48; 1960 PC (1)-2B, Table 14; 1940 Second Series, Table 5. ALABAMA POPULATION CHANGE, 1920-1970 11 In summary, it can be stated that the population of Alabama, since the first census was taken in 1820, has experienced significant change in its numbers and distribution. Although the number of residents in the State has increased markedly, the fact remains that Alabama's growth has not kept pace with the nation as a whole nor with the South as a region. Two major trends that have occurred involved it's transition from a sparsely settled rural frontier to an increasingly urbanized state, and the decline in the size and proportion of its nonwhite population, particularly in rural areas compared to the growth in the number and proportion of the white population. Since the rural-urban and the whitenonwhite dimensions of the population have exhibited such distinctive patterns, the changes reported in the remainder of this report will, where data are available, give special consideration to these racial and residential patterns. A HALF CENTURY OF SPECIFIC CHANGES There are numerous population characteristics for which information is provided by the census. A discussion of these characteristics and the changes which have occurred with regards to each during a specific time period could go on indefinitely. In the present instance, the six characteristics selected for scrutiny in this report are considered by most demographers to be of primary importance. The trends exhibited by the characteristics of age, fertility, education, labor force, industrial composition, and occupation type are significant in providing insight into what the future might hold for Alabama and its people. Age Structure Alabama began the last 50 years as a relatively "young" state by national standards. Whereas the national median age was 25.3 years in 1920, the median age for the State was only 20.3 years, Table 8. The national median increased to a high of 30.2 years TABLE 8. MEDIAN AGE IN ALABAMA AND U.S., 1920-1970 Census year 1920 1930 -26.4 U.S. -- 25.3 29.0 30.2 - ---- Alabama M edian- ---------------20.3 21.5 1940 1950 1960 23.8 25.5 26.0 29.5 1970 Source: 28.3 27.0 U.S. Census of Population, Alabama: 1970 PC (1) B2, Table 21. 12 ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION in 1950 and then declined to the 1970 level of 28.3 years. The trend in the median age of Alabamians experienced no such fluctuation; instead the median age increased steadily over the last half century. By 1970, the median age had reached a level of 27.1 years which was only slightly younger than that of the nation. This "aging" of the population was the result of a number of phenomena including an increased life span, decreased infant mortality, better health care, and selective migration. Indication that the population has "aged" appreciably in recent decades is discernible from the median age, but this "aging" process is even more vivid when viewed in terms of changes for various age groups, Table 9. The last half century has seen the number of persons over 50 years of age double or more than double in each 5-year age grouping. Similarly, all groups over 40 now comprise a larger proportion of the total population than they did in 1920. The number of persons 65 years old and older has more than tripled from 83,498 to 325,961. This is an increase of 290 percent in 50 years. Persons in these later years currently represent 9.4 percent of Alabama's citizens while those under 5 have increased by less than 1 percent and in 1970 represented only 8.7 percent of the State's population. TABLE 9. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF THE ALABAMA POPULATION BY AGE GROUPs, 1920-1970* Age groups Less than 5... Census years 1950 1940 10.5 12.4 1960 1970 Increase 1970** 1920 12.8 1930 11.9 - -Percent........ 5-9 10-14 15-19 -------- ---------- 20-24 -25-29 -------- . 30-34......... 35-39 40-44-..----.. 45-49 50-54-.-..---.. 55-59....... 60-64 --.-.. 65-69....... 70-74......... 75 and older 13.6 12.8 10.4 9.0 7.7 6.2 6.4 4.7 5.0 3.4 2.3 2.2 1.5 1.0 1.0 12.5 11.5 11.1 9.8 7.9 6.2 6.2 4.9 5.2 4.0 2.8 2.1 1.5 1.1 1.2 12.0 10.7 11.1 10.6 9.2 8.6 7.4 6.6 5.3 4.9 4.2 3.3 2.6 2.2 1.3 1.3 10.7 9.6 8.7 7.9 7.7 7.0 7.1 6.3 5.3 4.4 3.6 2.9 2.8 1.8 1.9 8.7 .5 11.3 10.7 8.6 6.4 6.0 6.3 6.4 6.0 5.8 5.1 4.3 3.3 3.1 2.3 2.7 10.1 10.8 9.9 8.0 6.3 5.5 5.4 5.7 5.6 5.2 4.9 4.3 3.5 2.5 3.4 9.1 24.2 39.5 30.0 20.0 32.2 24.0 76.5 65.0 125.1 211.5 195.7 241.4 258.4 396.1 -. * See Appendix B for number in each group. ** This figure represents the percentage change in the absolute number of people in a particular age group in 1970 as compared to 1920. Source: U.S. Census of Population, Alabama: 1970 PC( 1 )-B2, Table 21. ALABAMA POPULATION CHANGE, 1920-1970 13 What this age change has involved can be seen best in the population pyramid which shows the large increase in the proportion of older people in the State and the corresponding reduction in the proportion of young, Figure 2. It may also be observed that in 1970 a larger number of women than men comprised these older age levels. These trends are important for state planners. Adequate provision of a wide range of services from projecting school enrollments in anticipation of capital outlay needs to the development of training programs for the medical profession which must prepare itself for the services required by an older population require knowledge of such trends. YEARS -.. 920.. ... . 1970 .1920 MALES FEMALES S2 Percent FIG. 2. 3 4 5 6 Population pyramids for Alabama, 1920 and 1970. 14 ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION 14 ALABAMA AGRICULTUA XEIMN TTO TABLE 10. MEDIAN AGE IN ALABAMA BY RESIDENCE, Census year Total Urban 1920-1970 Farm Nonfarm -- ---- -- --- -- --- ---- -Median - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- --192 0 ---------------------------------20 .3 :4* 1930--------------------------------------------1940------------------------ 1950 0 21.5 23.8 29.5 27.0 25.4 27.7 26.9 27.1 22.5 24.3 24.2 26.0 18.8 20.6 21.5 ----------------------------------25.5 27.8 24.7 -------- 1960 ----------------------1970----------------------------------- 26.1 33.2 Median age not available on this basis. Sources: U.S. Census of Population, Alabama: 1970 PC (1)-C2, Table 48; 1960 PC (1)-2C, Table 17; 1950 P-B2, Table 15. Age by Residence. Since 1930, the trend in Alabama has been for a higher percentage of the people to be older. This aging of the population has been consistent in rural and urban areas alikc, but the intensity of the process has not been the same in both. The median age of urban residents through 1960 had always been higher than that of either rural farm or nonfarm residents, Table 10. During the decade of the 1960's, this pattern was broken when the median age of rural farm residents climbed dramatiyears older than cally, reaching an all-time high of 33 it had been at the beginning of the decade. The median age of the rural farm population was now 6 years older than that of urban and 7 years older than that of rural nonfarm residents. It seems reasonable to anticipate that this aging trend for the rural farm population will continue in future decades barring any major change in domestic policies. A longer life and fewer children per family should continue to cause the median age to rise. In fact it is likely that this pattern will accelerate as many farm youth continue to migrate to urban areas in search of educational and employment opportunities. Moreover, as the median age of the farm population increases, there is less likelihood of parenthood, thereby accelerating this trend. Age by Race. Changes in the age structure of the State population have not occurred at the same rate for all Alabamians, Table 11. While the direction of the trend has been the same years-7 ferent. for whites and nonwhites, the intensity has been noticeably In 1920, the median age for both races was approximately dif- the same-20.1 for whites and 20.4 for nonwhites. However, by 1970, the median age for whites had increased to 28.8 years ALABAMA POPULATION CHANGE, 1920-1970 TABLE 11. MEDIAN AGE IN ALABAMA BY RAGE AND SEX, 1920-1970 15 Total Male ------ ----- ---------- -Median ----- ----- Female ----------------------21.5 21.4 1940 -------------------------------23.8 23.6 _--------- State 1920 -----------------------20.3 -- 20.2 20.3 1930 21.7 1950 --------------------------------1960 ----------------------------------1970 --------------------------------White 1920 --------------------------1930 -------------- ------ -- 25.5 26.0 27.0 20.1 21.6 25.0 24.7 25.4 20.2 21.5 24.3 26.4 27.3 27.4 24.0 25.9 27.1 28.5 20.0 21.6 24.6 27.0 29.1 30.1 1940-__________________________ _- 24.4 28.8 1950------------------------------26.7 1960 --------------------------------28.2 1970----- -----Nonwhite 1920 ----------------------------------1930 ---------------------------------1940-------------------- ------ -_----- 20.4 21.5 22.7 22.7 1950 -------------------------------- 1960 ---------------------------------20.3 1970.----------------- ------------21.5 19.6 23.4 Source: U.S. Census of Population, Alabama: 1970 PC (1)-B2, Table 21. 21.1 22.2 21.7 18.9 20.3 20.5 21.8 23.1 23.5 22.1 which was considerably older than that for nonwhites which had increased only to 21.5 years. Analysis by race and sex reveals the distinctiveness of age ferences and that they are sex-race linked. Women in the Alabama population have a higher median age than the men and dif- whites have a higher median age than the nonwhites. During the 50-year period, the median age has increased for all race-sex groupings except nonwhite males. For white females, it has climbed 10 years to 30 years of age. A smaller rise of 3 years occurred for nonwhite females. Similar differences were found for males. The median age of white males had increased by 7 years to between 27 and 28 years of age. In contrast, the median age of nonwhite males declined by almost 1 year to less than 20 years of age. Part of this change is the result of more Alabamians living to be older. It is also the result of selective migration out of the State. Young men of both races are more likely than young women to leave the State, and nonwhites of both sexes are more likely -to migrate elsewhere than are whites. Clearly the Alabama population has aged, but the change has not had the same impact on all segments of the population. In -however, 16 ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION general, males are younger than females, nonwhites are younger than whites, and rural residents are older than urban residents. Dependency. One demographic technique for assessing trends in the age structure of an area is to analyze the dependency ratio. This measure is a rough approximation of the economic self-sufficiency of a population based on the number of people who are less than 15 and over 65 years of age in relation to the number 15 to 65 years of age. It assumes, in general, that these dependent classes do not make significant inputs into the economy. They are typically "dependent" upon others in the population for the majority of their economic support. The dependency ratio in Alabama has fluctuated considerably during the past 50 years, Table 12. It was at its lowest point of 591 dependent persons for each 1,000 persons of working age in 1940 at the end of the depression era. At present, dependency is at the same level of approximately 650 which has marked three of the six most recent census periods. Urban areas currently have a lower dependency ratio (610) than rural areas (688). This situation has prevailed throughout the last half century. Although the present dependency ratio for whites is considerably lower by 250 persons per 1,000 than that for nonwhites in the State, this has not always been the case. In both 1920 and 1930, the white dependency ratio exceeded that of the nonwhites. The composition of the dependency ratio has been altered also between 1920 and 1970. Fifty years ago, this rate was influenced most strongly by the younger age groups as 39.2 percent of the population was under 15 and only 3.5 percent was 65 and TABLE 12. DEPENDENCY AND BY RATIOS RACE, FOR ALABAMA BY RESIDENCE 1920-1970 Census year State Residence Rural Urban white Race Nonwhite atio0 .............................................. --------------..----------.....-.-----712 762 831 485 743 1920 632 670 718 516 656 1930 640 566 678 420 591 1940 750 598 752 523 644 1950_ 920 649 783 675 722 1960 834 582 688 610 642 1970 Sources: U.S. Census of Population, Alabama: 1970 PC (1)-B2, Table 20; 1960 PC (1)-2B, Table 16; 1940 Volume 4, Tables 7a, 7b. No. Less than 15 years +- No. 65 years and older SDependency Ratio 15 to 65 years XNo. 1000 No. 15 to 65 years ALABAMA POPULATION CHANGE, 1920-1970 17 over. The "aging" process discussed earlier is distinctly reflected in the fact that in 1970, 29.6 percent of the population was under 15 and the number 65 and over had reached 9.4 percent. Changes in the age structure of an area have implications for the future in a number of ways. One important consideration is its meaning for the economic structure. If the median age of a State's population is increasing, and the number of people in the younger age groups is decreasing, then the question arises as to who will provide the labor necessary to maintain high levels of productivity. Even more important is the question of where will the future labor force come from. At the same time, programs to provide for Alabama's elderly in their retirement years fall primarily on the working age population. Fertility A major factor affecting the potential of a state for growth is the fertility of its female population in the child bearing ages. The fertility ratio, which describes statistically the relationship between two segments of the population - those in the first 5 years of life compared to the number of women in the population of child bearing age (15 through 44 years) is currently the lowest it has been in Alabama during the past five decades, Table 13. TABLE 13. ALABAMA FERTILITY RATIOS FOR RURAL AND URBAN AREAS BY RACE, 1920-1970 Census year Race ---------Total White Nonwhite Total White Nonwhite Total White Nonwhite Total White Nonwhite Total------------White Nonwhite State -R 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 549 604 468 492 522 448 425 418 437 536 503 607 584 515 758 Rural Urban atio --. - -- -- - - - - - -.. 622 842 674 399 543 265 575 325 602 354 530 281 510 270 491 275 548 263 616 454 568 482 733 495 622 557 537 499 856 696 Total ----- --------- 415 385 461 417 354 380 White 615 468 519 Nonwhite Sources: U.S. Census of Population, Alabama: 1970 PC (1)-B2, Table 20; 1960 PC (1)-2B, Table 16; 1950 P-B2, Table 15; 1930 Composition of the Population, Table 3. Persons 0-4 years of age * Fertility = X 1000 Women 15-44 years of age 18 ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION Traditionally, this ratio has been higher in rural than in urban areas, and for the past 30 years has been higher among nonwhites than whites in the State. The most significant fact about the fertility ratio has been its dramatic decline in the last decade. It has decreased from 584 to 415 between 1960 and 1970. This decline occurred in both urban and rural areas and among whites and nonwhites alike. The nonwhite ratio declined most drastically from 758 to 519, a change of 239 children for each 1,000 nonwhite women of child bearing age compared to a change of 135 children for whites. However, the rates for whites are still considerably lower than are those for nonwhites. A review of trends in the fertility ratio among whites and nonwhites by residence demonstrates higher rates among rural dwellers of both races. Until 1950, urban whites had higher fertility ratios than their nonwhite neighbors while in rural areas, since 1940 nonwhites have produced more offspring than have whites. However, here again these rates declined sharply for both groups of rural residents during the decade of the 60's. Education The 20th century has been marked by a strong emphasis on formal education within Alabama as ever increasing numbers of residents obtained varying levels of formal schooling. Whereas only 49.1 percent of the population, age 5 to 24, were enrolled in school in 1920, 50 years later this figure had reached 70.1 percent, Figure 3. The median years of schooling completed by Alabamians, 25 years and over, in 1940 was less than the elementary level of 8 years; but over the next 30 years the median increased from 7.1 to 10.8 years, Table 14. In this same 30 years, the increase in the TABLE 14. MEDIAN YEARS OF SCHOOLING COMPLETED BY PERSONS RACE, 25 YEARS OF AGE AND OVER FOR ALABAMA BY RESIDENCE AND BY 1920-1970 Census year State Residence Urban Rural -- ------ White * Race Nonwhite * 1 0-1920 * * Median.................. * 1930 * * * * * 1940 7.1 8.3 * 8.2 4.5 1950 -7.9 9.0 7.0 8.8 5.4 1960 9.1 10.3 8.1 10.2 6.5 1970_ ------10.8 11.9 9.5 11.6 8.1 * Data not available. Sources: U.S. Census of Population, Alabama: 1970 PC (1)-C2, Tables 43, 46, 62; 1960 PC (1)-2C, Table 47; 1940 Volume II, Table 13. ALABAMA POPULATION CHANGE, 1920-1970 ALABAMA POPULATION CHANGE, 1920-1970 19 19 FIG. 3. Percent of the Alabama school, 1920-1970. population 5 to 24 years of age enrolled in median school years completed by whites and nonwhites has been very similar at 3.4 years and 3.6 years respectively. The fact remains, nevertheless, that nonwhites in the State remain behind whites in formal educational attainment. While the 1970 median for whites was 11.6 years, the nonwhite median was only 8.1 years. In both rural and urban areas, increasing emphasis on education is reflected in higher median levels. Residents of rural areas both historically and currently attain lower levels of formal edu- 20 ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION cation than do those of urban areas. The difference here was about 21/ years of formal education in 1970. Some of this difference is probably attributable to differences in the age structure of the areas. In general, however, regardless of race or residence, Alabamians have demonstrated their awareness of the fact that in a world of increasingly complex technology and social order the young people must have more formal education if they are to be able to cope with the demands of society both today and tomorrow. The Labor Force Some distinctive patterns have been exhibited by the Alabama labor force during the last half century, Table 15. Probably because of an emphasis on compulsory education, the proportion of the population 14 years of age and older 5 in the labor force since 1920 has declined by 6 percent. Declining labor force participation among males has been particularly noticeable, falling from 88.5 percent in 1920 to a current level of 69.1 percent. Among females, the reverse has been true. There is a larger proportion of females in the labor force today than was the case during any previous decade. Thirty-six percent of the women 14 to 65 years of age were active participants in the labor force in 1970. With increasing emphasis on personal fulfillment through careers, control of family size through modern medical technology, and the desire for maintaining high standards of living supported by two wage earners, the proportion of women in the Alabama labor force probably will continue to rise in coming TABLE 15. PERCENTAGE OF THE ALABAMA POPULATION 14 YEARS AND OVER IN THE LABOR FORCE BY SEX, 1920-1970 Census year State - Male Female Perc ---- ---.----- ------. ---.-- en t_ 27.5 88.5 57.8 1920* 27.2 86.8 56.6 193023.9 80.1 51.4 1940 26.4 777 51.2 1950 32.2 73.6 51.9 1960 36.2 69.1 51.7 1970 * Data are for those 10 years of age and over gainfully employed. Sources: U.S. Census of Population, Alabama: 1970 PC( 1 )-C2, Tables 45, 46, 1950 P-B2, Table 26. SData for 1920 and 1930 include those persons 10 years and over who were gainfully employed while the 1940 to 1970 data include those 14 years and over who were in the labor force. ALABAMA POPULATION CHANGE, 1920-1970 21 TABLE 16. PERCENTAGE OF THE ALABAMA POPULATION 14 YEARS AND OVER IN THE LABOR FORCES BY RESIDENCE AND SEX, 1940-1970 Census year 1940 Total - - - Urban Male - Rural Female - Total 49.1 Male 79.8 Female 18.0 Percent..... 34.7 56.0 80.5 1950 1960 1970 Sources: 77.0 19.0 55.0 78.5 34.5 48.0 76.4 37.7 47.3 70.1 25.0 55.7 66.5 31.8 53.7 70.9 38.9 48.7 U.S. Census of Population, Alabama: 1970 PC (1)-C2, Table 53; 1960 PC(1) 2C, Table 52; 1950 P-B2, Table 25; 1940, Second Series, Table 16. decades, if additional employment opportunities are made available. Labor force participation in rural and urban areas exhibits the same patterns as observed for the State as a whole, Table 16. The proportion of males has declined while the proportion of females has increased in both residential settings. Females in rural areas, in particular, were much more likely to be employed in 1970 than in 1940. The proportion of employed rural women increased from 18.0 percent to 31.8 percent in this 30-year period. Apparently the traditional role of the homemaker in the rural areas is rapidly fading as rural women join the labor force at an increasing rate. This trend may not only be the result of changing family role definitions but may reflect also the increased job opportunities for women found in rural areas as the result of the decentralization of manufacturing industries away from urban areas and from north to south. It may also stem from the development of modern means of transportation which allow the rural resident to commute to jobs. Participation of whites in the labor force was less than that of nonwhites during the period 1920 to 1950, Table 17. Since then, TABLE 17. PERCENTAGE OF THE ALABAMA POPULATION 14 YEARS AND OLDER IN THE LABOR FORCE BY RACE AND SEX, 1920-1970 Census year State White Nonwhite Total Male Female Total 66.9 65.7 57.0 53.2 51.1 46.6 Male 90.7 89.6 80.9 75.6 67.2 58.2 Female 44.9 43.9 35.5 33.6 37.5 37.0 - Percent 87.2 16.0 57.8 52.0 1920 - -------17.3 51.4 85.4 56.6 1930* 79.7 17.6 51.4 48.5 1940 78.6 23.1 51.2 50.3 1950 30.1 51.9 52.3 75.8 1960 72.4 35.9 51.7 53.4 1970 * Data are for those 10 years of age and older. Sources: U.S. Census of Population, Alabama: 1970 1950 P-B2, Table 26. PC (1)-C2, Table 45, 46; 22 ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION however, the proportion of whites in the labor force has been larger than that of nonwhites. The trend for men in the two racial groups has followed that of the State. The proportion of white males in the labor force has declined from 87.2 percent in 1920 to 72.4 percent by 1970, and that of nonwhite males has declined from 90.7 percent to 58.2 percent. Female labor force participation has been inconsistent with this state pattern. Nonwhite females, although representing a smaller proportion of the female labor force now than in 1920, have in the past and are currently participating at a higher rate than their white counterparts, even though the proportion of white females in the labor force has more than doubled since 1920. A major factor in this change for nonwhite women has been the shift away from domestic employment which was counterbalanced to some extent by the opening of new jobs in industry and sales. Industry Groups Perhaps the most dramatic change occurring in Alabama during the last half century has been the alteration of the State's industrial composition. In 1920, more than half the work force was employed in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, while only 16.6 percent were employed in manufacturing, Table 18. Outside TABLE 18. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF THE INDUSTRY GROUPS THE EMPLOYED IN ALABAMA, 1920-1970 OF Industry group Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries.. MiningConstructionManufacturing Transportation, communication, public utilities----Wholesale and retail trade.... Finance, insurance, real estate Business and repair services--. Personal services Entertainment and recreation services 1920 -- 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Pe rcent 48.6 3.4 * 55.5 3.9 16.6 4.6 5.0 0.4 * 7.7 * 2.8 18.1 5.6 7.2 1.2 9.7 0.3 3.6 40.1 3.4 3.3 17.4 4.3 10.1 1.4 1.0 10.6 0.4 4.8 24.6 2.7 5.3 21.8 5.7 14.9 2.1 1.6 8.7 0.6 6.8 9.8 1.1 6.7 26.5 5.9 17.0 3.0 1.8 9.9 0.5 10.2 3.6 1.7 6.4 27.1 6.3 18.0 3.5 2.2 6.1 0.5 14.5 - Professional and related services Clerical occupations * - Public administration-------Data not available. 0.7 2.4 1.0 * 2.0 * 3.7 * 5.4 * 5.6 * Sources: U.S. Census of Population, Alabama: 1970 PC (1)-C2, Table 47; 1960 PC( 1 )-2C, Table 61; 1950 P-B2, Tables 30, 31a; 1930, Composition and Charac- teristics, Table 10; 1920 Compendium, Table 25. ALABAMA POPULATION CHANGE, 1920-1970 23 of these fields, the level of employment was minor. Gradually, agricultural employment has declined so that by 1970 only 3.6 percent of the employed were in this industry. But only a relatively small part of this decline in agricultural workers was reflected in expanded employment in manufacturing. By 1970, the proportion employed in this industry had increased 10.5 percent. The majority of the workers no longer needed in agriculture had been absorbed indirectly through the expansion of jobs in other industrial groups. Urbanization and industrialization generate demand for goods and services. This demand is reflected in an increasing proportion of individuals employed in the wholesale and retail fields and in the professions. These two groups together currently employ a larger share of the work force than the manufacturing complex in the State. Similarly, as the Alabama population has grown, so has the need for public services. The proportion employed in public administration has increased from less than 1 percent in 1920 to 5.6 percent in 1970. The diversification of major industrial groups has not only been of benefit to urban dwellers, but has offered new types of employment to rural residents as well, Table 19. In 1930, the two industry groups providing the major share of employment for urbanites were manufacturing and personal service, while among rural dwellers, employment was chiefly in agriculture and manufacturing. The proportion of urban residents employed in manufacturing before 1950 was higher than among rural residents. Since that time, however, the proportion of urbanites employed in manufacturing has declined while manufacturing employment has increased among rural dwellers. Residents of urban areas in Alabama have sought employment in new fields of endeavor, primarily in wholesale and retail trade, the professions, and public administration. These three industrial groups provided employment for 46 percent of the employed urban workers in 1970. Rural residents in the State have not neglected these fields either as their employment rates in these industry groups have increased by 24 percent over the past 40 years. Employment trends in the State by race during the past 50 years also reveal several interesting patterns, Table 20. The proportion of whites employed in the manufacturing sector of the economy has always and continues to exceed that of nonwhites. The most recent census indicates, however, that the proportion TABLE 19. PERCENTAGE DIsTRIBUTIoN OF THE INDUSTRY GROUPS OF THE EMPLOYED IN ALABAMA BY RESIDENCE, 1930-1970 Urban Rural Industry group Agriculture, forestry, fisheries Mining-__---------Construction Manufacturing -Transportation, communication, public Wholesale and retail Finance, insurance, real ---- _-------------- -----2.2 1.8 _----- 1930 1940 1.2 2.0 4.9 25.8 8.4 19.1 3.3 1950 1.1 1.9 6.1 25.9 6.9 21.4 3.5 1960 1.1 0.7 6.0 25.5 7.0 20.0 4.1 1970 1.0 0.5 5.6 24.4 3.4 21.2 4.7 1930 69.5 4.1 * 1940 60.8 4.1 2.3 12.8 3.2 5.1 0.4 1950 46.9 3.4 4.5 17.9 3.2 8.6 1960 22.7 1.7 7.8 28.1 4.3 12.6 1.3 1970 8.4 1.1 8.9 35.2 6.0 15.4 2.1 aP'. a -- *__--- 33.2 10.6 15.7 3.1 11.2 2.1 3.3 0.3 4 a a C utilities ------------------- trade----_-----estate-------_ 0.7' 1.3 4.7 0.3 4.4 2.3 Business and repair service----------Personal services------------------Entertainment and related Professional and related Public 4 services ----6.6 administration --------------- 2.2 services --0.8 21.6 1.6 19.9 0.8 7.7 3.9 2.0 13.0 1.0 9.2 5.1 2.0 11.6 2.6 7.4 0.6 18.2 6.6 4.4 0.1 2.3 0.5 0.7 5.6 0.1 3.3 1.6 1.6 7.4 0.2 6.6 3.9 1.9 5.4 0.3 10.6 4.5 12.4 0.7 6.7 Data not available: No information for 1920. U.S. Census Population, Alabama: 1970 PC( 1 )-C2, Table 66; 1960 PC( 1 )-2C, Table 61; 1950 P-B2, Table 29; 1940 Second Series, Table 19; 1930 Comsposition and Characteristics, Table 10. Sources: of m x z -I 0 z TABLE 20. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF THE INDUSTRY GROUPS OF THE EMPLOYED IN ALABAMA, BY RACE, 1920-1970 0 White Industry group Nonwhite 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 > z Agriculture, forestry, 54.1 46.3 fisheries 2.9 3.0 Mining * Construction .__________________________ * 18.1 21.3 Manilfacturing ._______________________ Transportation, communica4.5 6.4 tion, and public utilities 7.8 10.4 Wholesale and retail trade----Finance, insurance, real 0.7 1.9 estate__________________ Business, repair services----* Personal 1.1 0.7 4.9 3.1 2.5 -----------------------------------4.0 20.6 5.9 23.6 7.3 29.2 3.4 57.2 36.5 22.3 8.3 ------------------------------- 51.7 4.0 45.4 3.9 29.6 3.0 14.4 1.1 4.5 07 6.6 6.6 27.7 19.8 4.1 2.5 3.0 * 14.6 2.0 4.1 5.1 5.4 13.5 4.5 2.7 0.2 * 10.9 12.0 3.1 4.9 0.6 0.5 22.7 17.9 4.5 8.4 0.9 0.8 21.5 19.4 4.2 10.4 1.2 1.1 27.6. 24.8 5.0 11.7 G) 0 v 0 5.1 13.2 1.9 1.3 3.2 6.4 17.8 2.6 2.0 2.8 6.6 19.3 3.6 2.1 3.5 4.7 1.7 * 14.8 services----------- 1.9 A 1.2 1.2 17.7 2.9 Entertainment and recreation scrvices_____________Professional and related services________________ 4.1 0.4 4.8 0.4 5.8 0.7 7.1 0.5 9.9 0.5 13.8 * 1.1 0.2 2.0 0.3 3.3 0.4 6.2 0.6 10.8 0.5 17.2 Public administration_______ Clerical occupations-------- 1.1 4.1 1.4 0 3.6 * 4.9 * 6.8 .4 6.4 4 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.3 * 1.1 *** 2.2 2.6 4 Data not available. __ Less than 1 percent. Sources: U.S. Census of Population, Alabama: 1970 PC( 1)-C2, Table 47; 1960 PC( 1)-2C, Table 61; 1950 P-B2, Table 31; 1940 Second Series, Tables 19a, 19b, 1930 Composition and Characteristics, Table 10; 1920 Compendium, Table 25. iN 26 ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION of whites has declined since 1960 while the proportion of nonwhite employment in manufacturing has continued to rise. The wholesale and retail trade industry has been attracting a larger number of workers with the proportion of whites increasing from 7.8 percent in 1920 to 19.8 percent in 1970 and the proportion of nonwhites from 1.7 percent to 11.7 percent over the same period. Among nonwhites, the field of domestic or personal services is still a major employer, although it declined almost 10 percent between 1960 and 1970. Since 1920, the field of professional services has grown among the ranks of both whites and nonwhites as an employment base, with current census figures revealing a larger proportion of nonwhites, 17.2 percent, than whites, 13.8 percent, employed in this field. In the field of public administration, although members of both races are participating at a higher rate than in 1920, whites are more than twice as likely to be employed in such jobs than are nonwhites. Occupation Groups Any discussion of changing employment patterns is not com-plete unless one considers, in addition to labor force participation rates and changes in the industrial composition of the population, the changes in the type of occupations followed by the people. Although information on occupational types is not available for 1920 and 1930, the trends evident since 1940 are important. Those trends illustrate very distinct patterns even over this short span of time. Nowhere is the dynamic nature of the changes occurring in Alabama more dramatically revealed. TABLE 21. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF THE EMPLOYED OCCUPATION GROUPS IN ALABAMA, 1940-1970 IN MAJOR Occupation groups 1940 1950 1960 1970 11.8 7.5 6.2 13.3 14.3 20.1 5.7 ------ ----- ----- ---- - - P e rce n t- - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - 8.8 6.3 4.9 Professional, technical, and kindred 7.9 6.8 5.0 -.. Managers and administrators 6.3 5.6 Sales workers............ ...... 4.2 10.4 7.3 4.4 Clerical and kindred 13.5 10.8 7.1 Craftsmen, foremen, and kindred-19.4 18.9 14.3 -- -____ _ Operatives 7.4 7.6 7.9 - .... Laborers ------------5.7 15.6 23.8 Farmers and farm managers ----. 3.5 8.5 Farm laborers and foremen -... 15.9 8.1 5.8 4.2 Service workers__ 6.3 5.8 . Private household workers -.....-- 7.6 2.7 1.5 0.7 Occupation not reported Source: U.S. Census of Population, Alabama: 1970 PC (1)-C2, 1950 P-B2, Tables 28, 29. ---. 1.6 1.4 9.2 3.2 5.5 Table 46; ALABAMA POPULATION CHANGE, 1920-1970 27 In 1940, when agriculture was still a prime employer of Alabamians, nearly 40 percent of the workers pursued occupations directly related to it. A sizeable proportion of the workers-nearly 24 percent were farmers and farm managers, Table 21. People in white collar occupations, which include professionals, technicians, sales and clerical workers, accounted for 18.5 percent of the labor force and craftsmen, operatives and laborers, the blue collar labor force, comprised 30 percent of all workers in the State, Figure 4. The occupational structure reflected in the current census is quite different from that existing 30 years ago. It is no longer dominated by occupations directly related to agriculture. While the proportion employed in service occupations6 has not changed appreciably, those proportions in white and blue collar occupations have grown markedly. Since 1940, the proportion of blue collar workers has increased by 11 percent and, even more strikingly, the proportion of white collar workers has increased by 20.3 percent. A modern industrial nation requires the services of specialists and skilled laborers. In Alabama, the increase in the proportion of males in the professional, technical, and craftsmen-foremen groups certainly supports the contention that Alabama has joined the technological revolution, Table 22. It comes as no surprise that the proportion of male laborers in the State has declined since 1960 because this occupation typically requires the least skill. As Alabama has become more industrialized, fewer unskilled jobs are available as such tasks are gradually being taken over by machines. Although the proportion of male operative jobs has increased over the past 30 years, this group will probably stabilize or even decline in the future. New industrial operations locating in Alabama will utilize modern technology and the jobs they will provide will employ both men and women on a more equal basis. This trend is already apparent, Table 22. The proportion of female operatives has been on the rise since 1940 and now almost equals that of men. Similar increases have occurred in the proportion of women working in professional and technical occupations and particularly in the clerical field since 1940. Not only does a modern technology reI Includes both service and private household workers. 28 ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION 28 ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION FIG. 4. Percent of Alabama's employed in the four major occupational divisions, 1940-1970. (For on explanation of these occupational divisions see U.S. Census of Population, Alabama: 1970 PC(1)C2, Appendix, P. 15.) 0 C TABLE 22. PERCENT DIsTRIBuTION OF THE EMPLOYED IN MAJOR OCCUPATION GROUPS IN ALABAMA BY SEX, 1940-1970 - Male Female 1940 1950 1960 1970 1940 1950 1960 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Percent - --- - - - - -r t Professional, technical, and kindred----3.2 4.5 7.3 10.4 10.4 11.3 11.8 Managers and administrators---------------5.9 7.9 9.9 9.8 2.2 3.8 4.0 Occupation groups z 1970 14.1 3.6 26.0 1.9 17.5 1.1 A z m Sales workers --------------------- Clerical and kindred---------------Craftsmen, foremen, and kindred----Operatives------------------------ 4.0 3.0 9.2 4.0 14.4 20.0 10.1 4.9 5.1 19.5 5.9 5.8 21.6 21.6 8.4 6.2 4.7 9.1 0.4 16.6 0.8 15.9 0.8 7.5 21.2 1.0 15.9 0.5 7.2 5.2 Laborers----------------------_-_ Farmers and farm Farm laborers and Service workers -------------------Private household workers----------Occupation not managers ----foremen--------_- 15.7 _-------29.6 14.9 10.2 21.1 10.7 12.6 0.7 40 20.5 8.5 Source: reported------------ 3.3 0.6 0.7 0.2 1.1 8.0 4.4 2.4 3.8 1970 5.4 0.2 2.4 1.91 6.2 0.2 5.4 5.2 16.0 2.0 8.3 1.0 1.5 0.3 0.6 7.0 30.4 1.4 11.2 19.3 2.6 13.5 18.8 3.3 14.4 8.5 5.8 U.S. Census of Population, Alabama: PC( 1 )-C2, Table 46; 1960 PC( 1 )-2C, Table 59. 30 ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION quire a skilled worker, it also requires a substantial force of record-keeping specialists to keep track of the voluminous paperwork. Among employed females there has been a marked decline in the proportion of private household workers, an occupational group which once was the major one for females. With the rise in educational attainment and the opportunity for more secure economic futures, females are no longer willing to settle for lessprestigious occupations. Changes in the occupations of the Alabama population when viewed from the standpoint of residence, illustrate several distinct patterns, Table 23. Urbanites have increasingly become white collar workers. The proportion of urban workers in this occupation group has risen from 33.9 percent to 49 percent since 1940, while the proportion of blue collar workers among urban residents has shrunk slightly during this period from 41.8 to 35.8 percent. Although residents of rural areas have also increased in the proportion employed in white collar jobs, 17.7 percent more in 1970 than in 1940, the most significant increase among rural workers has been in blue collar occupations. The proportion of rural residents performing blue collar work has more than doubled in the 30-year period, from 22.8 to 53.6 percent. Rural residents, who typically have lower educational attainment levels than their urban counterparts, have sought and obtained blue collar jobs thus becoming the backbone of the production labor force in the State. This growth of the blue collar labor force among rural residents has occurred in part because of manufacturing industries locating in rural areas, as well as because of the rural worker's willingness to commute considerable distance to jobs while maintaining his rural residence. The pattern of occupational change by race in the State over the past 30 years is very similar to that found for residence. Whites have increasingly become white collar workers, while nonwhites have been filling the blue collar occupations, Table 24. Although whites are still occupying a substantial share of blue collar jobs-nearly 40 percent in 1970 the proportion of whites employed in this broad occupational group has declined in the last 10 years. Among nonwhites, the proportion so employed has been increasing and in 1970 exceeded the proportion of whites employed as blue collar workers. The latest census revealed that blue collar occupations in the State were held by 39.3 percent of 0 TABLE 23. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF THE EMPLOYED IN MAJOR OCCUPATION GROUPS IN ALABAMA BY RESIDENCE, 1940-1970 1970 7.4 5.9 4.5 9.9 17.8 28.4 7.4 - Occupation groups 1940 1950 8.7 9.4 8.0 11.6 13.6 21.4 8.4 Urban 1960 11.7 9.7 7.9 14.2 14.2 18.5 6.7 1970 15.5 9.1 7.8 16.6 13.6 17.0 5.2 1940 3.1 3.3 3.6* * 1950 4.0 4.3 3.4 3.3 8.2 16.8 7.0 Rural 1960 5.7 5.2 4.6 6.2 13.4 24.8 8.2 z A 7.7 Professional, technical, and kindred.----8.6 Managers and administrators ---------------. 17.6* Sales workers -----------------------------------* Clerical and kindred--.------------Craftsmen, foremen, and kindred.---- 11.5 ----------- 20.5 Operatives-------------- Z z m Laborers 4.7 11.4 6.7 ---------0.4 0.5 Farm laborers and foremen---------9.8 -------------------------- Farmers and farm managers Service workers 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.2 36.6 30.5 14.0 4.1. 0.4 9.8 0.3 10.8 24.0 2.2 16.4 2.8 8.0 5.0 3.3 8.2 0 3.1 5.3 3.2 4.4 3.8 7.3 7.6 13.8 Private household workers.---------* Clerical and sales combined in 1940. Information on unreported occupations not available. Population, Alabama: 1970 PC( 1 )-C2, Table 65; 1960 PC (1 )-2C, Table 70; 1950 P-B2, Table 29; Sources: U. S. Census 1940 Second Series, Table 18. 9.0 ---------------------- 9.0 of Iw w TABLE 24. PERCENTAGE DIsTRIBUTION OF THE EMPLOYED IN MAJOR OCCUPATION GROUPS IN ALABAMA BY RACE, 1940-1970 Occupation groupsWhite Professional, technical, and kindred .---Managers and administrators --------Sales Clerical and 1940 6.2 7.9 9.9 16.8 25.2 10.8 1950 7.6 9.4 7.8 10.2 1960 10.5 10.1 8.3 13.8 1970 13.1 9.1 7.5 15.6 1940 2.2 0.5 0.8* 4 1950 3.5 1.1 0.9 1.0 Nonwhite 1960 5.0 1.0 0.9 1.9 1970 7.0 1.6 1.3 4.9 c) Craftsmen, foremen, and kindred.---- workers--13.2 kindred ---------------laborers 18.8 19.5 4.0 16.0 21.0 3.9 16.1 19.4 3.8 2.5 10.5 13.1 4.1 17.6 15.6 :eU- 5.3 18.2 15.9 7.9 23.0 12.5 - Operatives------------------------ Laborers Farmers and farm Farm and managers -------- --------------------------4.5 _ Service workers---------------------. 3.8 Private household workers---------0.8 Occupation not reported-------------0.9 *Clerical and sales combined in 1940. U.S. Census 1940 Second Series, Tables 19a, 19b. foremen ----- _ _----- 15.7 6.0 5.5 2.0 1.7 1.0 21.3 23.5 15.3 13.8 6.41. 7.2 2.9 rLC -I. 4.1 0.4 1.5 5.4 0.8 2.7 7.0 0.6 5.0 5.8 19.2 0.6 9.6 16.1 1.5 13.8 21.4 2.8 17.2 13.1 7.6 rI Sources: of Population, Alabama: 1970 PC( 1 )-C2, Table 46; 1960 PC( 1 )-2C, Table 58; 1950 P-B2, Table 28; 0 z ALABAMA POPULATION CHANGE, 1920-1970 33 whites and 43.4 percent of nonwhites. Both whites and nonwhites have become more heavily employed in service occupations in recent decades, but a nonwhite employment level of 30.3 percent in 1970 was significantly higher than that for whites of 7.6 percent. SUMMARY The past 50 years in Alabama represent an era of rapid change. Of the many changes that have taken place, the alteration of its residential and racial composition have been two of the most notable. A summation of the population change that has occurred is presented here from the perspective of these population segments. Residence The urbanization of the population has been a major and dramatic process. Since 1920, the proportion of the population living in urban areas has more than doubled. Not only are more people living in urban areas, but the 1970 urbanite is quite different from his 1920 counterpart. Major changes also have occurred in the rural areas of the State. Not only do rural residents represent a smaller proportion of the State population, but those that have maintained their rural residence are significantly different from previous rural residents. Urban. Residents in urban areas of the State are slightly older and better educated than were those in the past. The dependency ratio in urban locales was higher in 1970 than in 1920 as was the fertility ratio, even though the latter has been falling since 1950. The proportion of urban residents 14 years of age and older has declined in the male labor force while the proportion of females has been on the rise. Industrially, urban employment is no longer concentrated in manufacturing and personal services. Major proportions of the employed in urban areas are associated with wholesale and retail trades and professional services. Although urbanites are still employed at a significant level in blue collar jobs, the trend has been for urban residents to move into white collar positions. Rural. In 1970, rural residents in Alabama were significantly older than those in 1930; and declining dependency and fertility ratios have been evident recently. Their level of educational attainment has increased since 1950 and labor force participation has declined slightly since 1940. The most noticeable trend 34 ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION among rural residents has been the dramatic increase in the proportion of females in the labor force. Accompanying the marked decline of agriculture as a major employer in the State has been the growth of employment opportunities in manufacturing, wholesale and retail trades and professional services for rural residents. Occupationally, the majority of the rural people in the state have changed from agriculture to blue collar work. Race The racial composition of the Alabama population has been significantly altered during the last half century. The proportion of whites has increased markedly while that of nonwhites has decreased. Moreover, race continues to be a distinctive factor associated with differences in population behavior. White. The white population in the State has increased in both numbers and proportion during the last 50 years. At the same time the white population has become older. Its dependency and fertility ratios are significantly lower in 1970 than they were in 1920. Whites in the State are better educated and are participating in the labor force at a higher rate than in the past. The female labor force has more than doubled since 1920. Industrially, white employment is no longer chiefly in agriculture and related fields but has reached significant levels in manufacturing, wholesale and retail trades, and professional services. White collar employment is now the major occupational group among whites in the State. Since 1950, there has been a slight decline in the proportion of white employees in blue collar occupations. Nonwhite. A smaller proportion of the Alabama population at the present time is comprised of nonwhites than at any time since race data have been recorded. The age structure for nonwhites has changed little but the dependency ratio was higher in 1970 than in 1920. Although fertility among nonwhites declined dramatically in the last decade, it too was higher than it was in 1920. Participation in the labor force by nonwhites has declined. While over half of the nonwhites in the State had jobs in the agricultural field in 1920, by 1970 their employment in manufacturing, personal and professiohal services and in wholesale and retail trades had grown to substantial proportions. A major proportion, almost half, of the nonwhite Alabamians are employed now in blue collar occupations. ALABAMA POPULATION CHANGE, 1920-1970 35 ALABAMA POPULATION CHANGE, 1920-1970 3 CONCLUSIONS Demographic statistics for the Alabama population presented in this report document the fact that the last halfcentury (1920.1970) has indeed been an era of dramatic change. Alabamians no longer represent a predominantly young, rural population. Their needs and interests are far different from those of their grandfathers just 50 years ago. Although the growth rate for the State has been slower than that of the nation in recent decades, this is not necessarily a negative trait. In recent years there has been a rising concern about rapid population growth. The blind adherence to the premise that to be bigger was to be automatically better has come under direct challenge. How many people can live in Alabama without straining the ability of the State to provide this population with a quality standard of living? The slow rate of population growth experienced in the recent past has provided an opportunity for the State to improve the quality of life of its citizens. Educational opportunities have grown as has the employment base through the broadening of industrial groups. There is still much improvement that can be made even though the population data presented in this report clearly illustrate how far the State has come. There is no better time than the present for the citizens of Alabama to consider the kind of life they wish to have for themselves, their children, and their grandchildren. Sound social and economic planning against a backdrop of demographic trends is needed if the State is to continue to improve the quality of life of its citizens. 36 ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION REFERENCES CITED ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Special Services Administra- tion, Division of Vital Statistics. Alabama's Population: Her Changing Face 1930-1972. Montgomery, Alabama, No date. UNITED STATES BUREAU OF THE CENSUS, Census of Population: 1920. Com- pendium, Alabama. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1922. , Census of Population: 1980. Com---------------------------------------position and Characteristics, Alabama. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1931. ,---------------------------------------- 1940. CharCensus of Population: acteristics of the Population, Alabama. Second Series, Alabama. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1942. Census of Population: 1950. Gen---------------------------------------eral Characteristics, Alabama. P-B2. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1952. , ---------------------------------------Census of Population: 1960. Detailed Characteristics, Alabama. Final Report PC (1) -2D. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1962. , -------------------------------------Census of Population: 1960. General Population Characteristics, Alabama. Final Report PC (1) -2B. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1961. -, Census of Population: 1960. Gen- eral Social and Economic Characteristics,Alabama. Final Report PC (1)2C. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1961. -, Census of Population: 1970. Gen- eral Population Characteristics,Alabama. PC (1) -B2. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1971. , Census of Population: 1970. General Social and Economic Characteristics, Alabama. PC (1) -C2. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1972. , Census of Population: 1970. Number of Inhabitants, U.S. Summary. Final Report PC (1) -lA. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1971. WORLEY, LILLIAN. 1945. Alabama's People. University, Alabama; Bureau of Public Administration. ALABAMA POPULATION CHANGE, 1920-1970 37 APPENDIX A TABLE A-1. DISTRIBUTION OF U.S. POPULATION AND RESIDENCE, 1920-1970 BY RACE Residence Race Urban 19201930-------------1940--------------------------------1950--1960 ----------1970-51.2 56.1 56.5 64.0 69.9 73.5 Rural 48.8 43.9 43.5 36.0 30.1 36.0 White 89.5 89.6 89.6 89.3 88.6 87.5 Nonwhite 10.5 10.4 10.4 10.7 11.4 12.5 Source: U.S. Census of Population, U.S. Summary: 3 and Volume B, Table 48. 1970, Volume A, Table TABLE A-2. DEMOGRAPHIC DATA FOR THE U.S. BY RESIDENCE AND RACE, 1970 U.S. Median age -28.3 Male .-------------------26.8 Female ------------------- 29.3 Dependency ratio ------------ 622 Fertility ratio 404 W hite -------Nonwhite --------------------------- Residence Urban Rural 28.1 26.7 29.5 602 391 378 465 White 28.9 27.6 30.2 609 392 - Race Nonwhite 22.7 21.5 23.8 717 482 10.0 68.7 65.3 71.7 28.83 40.94 3.08 27.15 27.9 27.2 28.7 681 443 431 569 -- Median educational attainment-Pct. 14 yr., and over in labor force ---------------Male --------------------Female ------Pct. in broad occupational groups White collar ------------Blue collar Agricultural ------------------Service -- 12.1 57.1 72.8 42.7 48.20 35.91 3.11 12.77 12.2 56.7 73.9 41.4 52.62 33.61 0.58 13.20 * 58.2 69.8 46.8 34.59 43.04 10.95 11.43 12.1 55.6 73.7 38.9 50.56 35.30 3.11 11.03 ---------------------- * Data not available. Source: U.S. Census of Population, U.S. Summary: 1970, Volume B, Tables 50, 52, 63 and Volume C, Tables 75, 90, 91. TABLE A-3. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF THE INDUSTRY GROUPS OF THE EMPLOYED IN THE U.S., BY RESIDENCE AND RACE, 1970 w Industry group Agriculture, forestry, fisheries Mining Construction ------- Total 3.71 -------------0.82 5.97 -------------------------------------25.91 -------------------- Urban 1.02 0.56 5.37 25.27 Residence Rural 12.04 1.64 7.84 27.90 5.76 16.82 White 3.70 Race ral Nonwhite 3.79 0.88 6.05 26.18 6.79 20.74 5.24 3.19 0.33 5.31 23.69 6.65 14.61 3.17 2.63 0 1U- Manufacturing Transportation, communication and 7.10 6.77 public utilities----. -------------------------------21.14 20.08 2----------Wholesale and retail trade 5.73 5.01 -------------Finance, insurance, real estate 3.44 3.13 ---------Business, repair services 4.76 4.62 Personal services-_--_____________________. 0.92 0.82 Entertainment and recreation service 18.77 17.65 Professional and related services-----5.91 5.49 Public administration-------------- ----- -------------- 2.78 2.16 4.17 0.53 14.18 4.18 4D 3.65 0.83 17.40 5.34 12.65 0.74 19.69 6.73 4A 3 2r Source: U.S. Census of Population, U.S. Summary: TABLE A-4 1970, Volume C, Table 92. 33 PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF THE EMPLOYED IN MAJOR OCCUPATION GROUPS IN THE U.S. BY SEX, RESIDENCE, AND RACE, 1970 C 8x I C Occupation groups Professional, technical and kindred ---------------Managers and TotalSeRsinc --14.82 8.32 7.11 Sex Male 14.28 11.16 6.93 7.64 21.18 19.54 6.60 2.84 1.68 Female 15.73 3.65 7.40 34.93 1.80 14.33 0.98 0.25 0.53 16.56 3.85 Urban 16.20 8.70 7.80 19.92 13.18 16.25 4.18 0.18 0.40 11.73 1.47 esidnceRace Rural 10.58 7.16 4.99 11.86 15.96 21.69 5.39 7.08 3.87 9.83 1.60 White 15.47 9.00 7.67 18.42 14.42 16.94 3.94 2.01 1.10 10.26 0.77 Nonwhite 9.49 2.72 2.51 14.11 9.19 22.81 8.94 0.64 2.44 19.57 7.58 m m m administrators-_ Sales workers __________-___-__ Clerical and Craftsmen, foremen, and kindredOperatives-------------------L aborers --------------- - - - Farmers and farm managers---Farm laborers and kindred.__________. 17.95 13.86 17.57 4.48 1.86 1.25 11.27 1.50 z -I --I 0 foremen------ Service workers---------------- Private household workers ------ 8.05 0.08 Source: U.S. Census of Population, U.S. Summary. 1970, Volume C, z Table 91. APPENDIX B TABLE B. DISTRIBUTION OF THE ALABAMA POPULATION, By AGE GROUP, 1920-1970 Age group 1920 ----------- 1930 -- 1940 Number--- 1950 380,124 326,803 293,440 265,240 243,006 234,242 1960 1970 Increase 1920-1970 Percent .5 Z A Less than 5--------------------------------299,522 313,882 297,319 5-9 .____________________-_______ 318,231 331,713 304,498 314,341 ----------------299,412 303,440 10-14 15-19--------------_---244,993 294,168 300,291 20-24--------------------------------------__ 261,776 211,275 259,361 390,403 301,031 --------------------- 180,841 25-29 -------------------_--- 367,858 350,291 279,481 207,634 194,879 347,305 371,822 341,751 274,544 216,947 9.1 24.2 39.5 30.0 20.0 m 208,954 242,848 35-39 40-44 45-49 3-4-144,491 150,334 ------------------------ 164,833 164,036 210,896 187,486 2.13,437 217,660 204,749 208,167 191,048 186,422 32.2° 24.0 % 111,313 117,195 79,779 54,088 50,495 130,871 138,358 151,443 139,114 191,974 161,656 50-54. _______________________ 65-69.______ Source: 55-59-----------------------60-64 ----------------------_______________ 70-74----_------------------75 and 106,459 73,716 55,948 118,630 93,317 74,793 135,506 110,774 89,223 190,52 167,409 195,391 140,361 108,618 196,519 193,353 76.5 65.0 179,620 168,516 149,326 125.1 211.5 195.7 35,778 - 39,246 29,184 30,810 62,041 36,903 37,265 86,977 54,599 57,072 100,021 73,769 87,357 122,154 85,750 118,057 241.4 258.4 396.1 older ------------------ 23,924 23,796 U.S. Census of Population, Alabama: 1970 PC( 1)-B2, Table 21. Alabama's Agricultural Experiment Station System AUBURN UNIVERSITY With an agricultural research unit in every 2 major soil area, Auburn University serves the 0 ; needs of field crop, livestock, forestry, and horticultural producers in each region in Ala- bama. Every citizen of the State has a stake in2I this research program, since any advantage from new and more , 1 economical ways of producing and handling 7 farm products directly benefits the consuming public. Research Unit Identification ea .' Lr ii +, m Aw.tai'ur; qp M 1. Tennessee Valley Substation, Belle Mina. 2. Sand Mountain Substation, Crossville. 3. North Alabama Horticulture Substation, Cullman. 4. Upper Coastal Plain Substation, Winfield. 5. Forestry Unit, Fayette County. 6. Thorsby Foundation Seed Stocks Farm, Thorsby. 7. Chilton Area Horticulture Substation, Clanton. 8. Forestry Unit, Coosa County. 9. Piedmont Substation, Camp Hill. 10. Plant Breeding Unit, Tallassee. 11. Forestry Unit, Autauga County. 12. Prattville Experiment Field, Prattville. 13. Black Belt Substation, Marion Junction. 14. Tuskegee Experiment Field, Tuskegee. 15. Lower Coastal Plain Substation, Camden. 16. Forestry Unit, Barbour County. 17. Monroeville Experiment Field, Monroeville. 18. Wiregrass Substation, Headland. 19. Brewton Experiment Field, Brewton. 20. Ornamental Horticulture Field Station, Spring Hill. 21. Gulf Coast Substation, Fairhope. f