St. Charles County Transportation Plan 2030 - East-West Gateway ...

doubled, going from 46,354 to 101,794. This growth, compared to population, results in a decline
of average household size. The estimate for 2005 is 117,400 households, an increase of 15,606 or
15.3 percent. The estimate assumes a continued household size decline. The average person’s age
in St. Charles County in 2000 was 34.3 compared to 30.7 in 1990. For the St. Louis region it was
36.0 in 2000 and 33.3 in 1990 showing the region as a whole, as well as St. Charles County, is
growing older. St. Charles County has the youngest population of all counties in the region except
the City of St. Louis. Its population has now grown to be the third largest in the St. Louis region.
B. Employment
Employment in the St. Louis area has a great impact on all modes of travel in the region. The
primary mode of travel for employment is the automobile, with bus, truck, and other vehicles
playing a lesser role in adding to the amount of traffic on the region’s highways. The amount of
employment also effects railroad, aviation, pipeline, and barge movements but not to the extent that
it effects travel on the highways. As a result, present and future highway travel can be directly
linked to employment and has been used in this and previous reports for St. Charles County to
forecast traffic volumes. Employment data for the years 1980, 1990, 2000, and estimates for 2005
were obtained from the Census and the Council. These data are shown in Table 2 and 3 and
discussed below.
Table 2
Employment Data
St. Louis Region
Years Rates of Change
1980 1990 2000 2005* 1980 -
1990
St. Louis Region
4
1990 -
2000
2000 -
2005
Employment 1,142,100 1,221,400 1,303,800 1,350,700 6.9% 6.7% 3.6%
Households 824,600 905,800 969,200 1,002,600 9.8% 7.0% 3.4%
Jobs/household 1.39 1.35 1.35 1.35 -2.9% 0.0% 0.0%
St. Charles County
Employment 39,300 76,700 105,700 124,700 95.2% 37.8% 18.0%
Households 46,354 74,402 101,794 117,400 61.0% 36.6% 15.3%
Jobs/household 0.85 1.03 1.04 1.06 21.2% 1.0% 1.9%
Employment/
Percent region
* Estimates by the Council
3.4% 6.3% 8.1% 9.2% 85.3% 28.6% 13.6%
Table 2 shows that employment in the St. Louis region experienced a steady growth of about 6.8
percent from 1980 to 2000. The number of jobs per household has also remained about the same
at 1.35. Employment in St. Charles County, however, like its population, has grown dramatically