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 Dickenson County
Land Area: 333 square miles
Population (2000): 16,396
Dickenson County lies in the coal-bearing hills of the Appalachian
Plateau where the once-flat landscape has been carved by a myriad of
small streams into a network of forested hills and deep hollows. The
hills and hollows hold tight to thousands of rural people who live in
small, close-knit communities across the area. People here appreciate
the wild beauty of the landscape and the peacefulness of living in relative
seclusion.
 Coal has traditionally dominated the Dickenson
economy, although production has waned in recent years. Since 1990,
the county's share of Virginia coal production has diminished from 14%
to 11% and the local economy has suffered as a result. Other major elements
of the economy are service industries, trade, and transfer payments
(retirement pensions, disability income, and welfare payments). In 1995,
the largest employers in Dickenson were the school board, Clinchfield
Coal Company, Dickenson County Medical Center, and the Christiansburg
Garment Company.
There are four small towns in Dickenson County - Clinchco (pop. 434),
Clintwood (pop. 1,549), which serves as the seat of government, Haysi
(pop. 186), and Irvington (pop. 673). Breaks Interstate Park is on the
Dickenson/Buchanan County border, offering opportunities for hiking,
biking, horseback riding, swimming, boating, and fishing. The Rhododendron
Room at the Park offers excellent food in a spectacular setting above
the grand canyon of the south.
Death rates from several common causes are higher in Dickenson County than in Virginia - e.g., heart disease (+23%), chronic lower respiratory diseases (+49%), unintentional injury (+98%), cancer (+5%), pneumonia and influenza (+69%), diabetes mellitus (+25%), chronic liver disease (+104%), suicide (+79%), septicemia (+20%), and nephritis and nephrosis (+15%). Death rates from stroke (-18%) and Alzheimer's disease (-62%) are lower in Dickenson than in Virginia overall.
The total pregnancy rate among women aged 15-44 in Dickenson County is 39% lower than in Virginia . The teenage pregnancy rate is 22% lower than in Virginia . Women in Dickenson County are 3% more likely to get prenatal care during the first trimester than women in Virginia . Babies born to residents of Dickenson County are 1% more likely to be of low birth weight but 17% more likely to die in the first year of life than babies born to residents of Virginia as a whole.
 The population of Dickenson County is less
prosperous than the population of Virginia. The poverty rate in Dickenson
is 120% higher than the poverty rate in Virginia. The per capita income
of Dickenson Countians is only 53% of the per capita income of Virginians.
The proportion of Dickenson Countians over the age of 25 without a high
school diploma is 122% higher than in Virginia. Given the relative poverty
and poor health status of the population, it seems clear that the people
of Dickenson County stand to benefit from increased and sustained access
to primary care.
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Population Health
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Dickenson |
Virginia |
| Disabled Population, Ages 5-20 (2000) |
9.7% |
8.1% |
| Disabled Population, Ages 21-64 (2000) |
36.5% |
17.5% |
| Disabled Population, Ages 65+ (2000) |
66.0% |
42.1% |
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| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Diseases of the Heart |
267.4 |
218.0 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Malignant Neoplasms |
199.7 |
190.0 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Cerebrovascular Diseases |
47.5 |
58.3 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - COPD |
58.4 |
39.2 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Unintentional Injury |
64.8 |
32.8 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Pneumonia and Influenza |
38.4 |
22.7 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Diabetes Mellitus |
27.2 |
21.7 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Suicide |
19.9 |
11.1 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Septicemia |
18.5 |
15.4 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Nephritis and Nephrosis |
18.0 |
15.6 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Chronic Liver Disease/Cirrhosis |
15.7 |
7.7 |
| Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Alzheimers Disease |
6.1 |
15.9 |
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| Total Pregnancy Terminations (Residents) Per 1,000 Females Aged 15-44 (1998 - 2002 avg.) |
50.1 |
82.6 |
| Teenage Pregnancies Per 1,000 Females Aged 10-19 (1998 - 2002 avg.) |
24.5 |
31.3 |
| Percent of Resident Live Births Beginning Prenatal Care in 1st Trimester (1998 - 2002 avg.) |
87.4% |
84.8% |
| Low Weight Live Births as a Percent of Total Births (1998 - 2002 avg.) |
8.0% |
7.9% |
| Resident Infant Deaths Per 1,000 Lives Births (1998 - 2002 avg.) |
8.4 |
7.2 |
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| Economic Indicators |
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| Population with Medicaid (2004) |
27.2% |
10.8% |
| Poverty Rate (2000) |
21.3% |
9.6% |
| Per Capita Income (2000) |
$12,822 |
$23,975 |
| Population Aged 16+ in Labor Force (2000) |
41.7% |
66.8% |
| Population Aged 25+ w/o High School Diploma (2000) |
41.1% |
18.5% |
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| Employment By Industry |
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| Agriculture, Forestry, Mining, Fishing, Hunting |
17.4% |
1.3% |
| Construction |
8.2% |
7.3% |
| Manufacturing |
5.3% |
11.3% |
| Retail and Wholesale Trade |
15.5% |
14.1% |
| Transportation and Warehousing and Utilities |
7.3% |
4.6% |
| Information |
2.3% |
3.8% |
| Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, Rental and Leasing |
2.8% |
6.6% |
| Professional, Scientific, Management, Adminstrative, and Waste
Management Services |
5.1% |
11.6% |
| Education, Health, and Social Services |
19.2% |
18.3% |
| Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, Accommodation and Food Services |
4.1% |
7.2% |
| Public Administration |
8.7% |
8.3% |
| Other Services |
3.9% |
5.4% |
Links
Dickenson County - http://www.dickensonctyva.com/
Dickenson County - http://www.dickensoncounty.net/
Dickenson County - http://www.vaswpromise.com/
Dickenson County - http://www.cppdc.org/index.htm
Cumberland Plateau Health District - http://www.vdh.state.va.us/LHD/cumbplat/cumbplat.htm
Dickenson Community Hospital - http://www.dchosp.com/
Clintwood (town) - http://www.clintwood.virginia.com/
Clinchco (place) - http://www.dickensoncounty.net/clinchcothumbs.html
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