Okeechobee Community Dashboard
What gets measured gets improved
Objective benchmarks are vital to gauging progress and identifying areas that need improvement in our community. Together, the Economic Council and Economic Development Corporation partnered to create this online dashboard in 2021. This site tracks different metrics to provide an overview of our area’s growth, educational attainment, quality of life and economic success. Metrics provided compare Okeechobee County with counties on the Treasure Coast and Heartland Region. Click each card for comparisons.
41.1k
Population
Changes in population, either increasing or declining, are typically representative of a community’s economic health and quality of life.
49.1%
Labor Force Participation
Percentage of the civilian non-institutional population 16 years and older that are working or actively looking for work.
$41.8k
Median Income
Median income is the very middle of the income scale — half of earners make more than that, half make less than that. It is one measure of the average person’s purchasing power and economic well-being. Therefore, median household income gives an accurate representation an area's actual economic status.
21.0%
Poverty Level
The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who is in poverty. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold, then that family and every individual in it is considered in poverty.
37.3%
Percent of Children in Poverty
Growing up poor has wide-ranging and long-lasting repercussions. Poverty elevates a child’s risk of experiencing behavioral, social and emotional and health challenges. Child poverty also reduces skill-building opportunities and academic outcomes, undercutting a young student’s capacity to learn, graduate high school and more.
33.0%
Kindergarten Readiness
Percentage of students in kindergarten who scored 500 or above on the Star Early Literacy assessment and were deemed ready for kindergarten level curriculum. These scores are often a strong indicator of high school graduation rates in communities.
85.1%
High School Graduation Rate
This tracks the percentage of students who finished high school in four years.
26.3%
College Graduates
Communities with higher percentages of college-educated residents have higher wages overall. Pew Research Center study shows people with a college degree earned about $17,500 more a year than those with just a high school diploma.
2,717
Single-Parent Households
Number of households in an area that are comprised of a parent/caregiver and one or more dependent children without the presence and support of a spouse or adult partner who is sharing the responsibility of parenting.
71.6%
Voter Turnout
Percent of registered voters who voted in an election that year. Specifically, of the General and Primary elections of the respective years researched.
10.3%
Preterm Births
The percent of births out of the total number of births in a year that was less than 37 weeks of gestation time, which is considered preterm.
60.58%
VPK Participation
Percentage of children who are eligible for VPK that are enrolled and actively participated in a Florida program per year.
5.09M
Sales Tax Collection
The amount of local option sales tax collected per year.
This Project Is Funded & Managed In Partnership Between
The Okeechobee County Economic Development Corporation works collaboratively with public and private partners to promote and nurture existing businesses, create an environment for new business development and recruitment, and increase job opportunities in Okeechobee County.
The Economic Council of Okeechobee County serves as a united voice for the local business community to policy makers at both the local and state level. The Council works to advance initiatives which promote quality economic growth and improve the quality of life in Okeechobee County, Florida.
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