# data[].attributes.body
Gabriele Gowan-Perkins

Angelo State University

Organizational Relationships (EDG-6343-DS1)

Dr. Kinsey Hansen

# data[].attributes.headline
Demographic Analysis: The McLennan County population consists of individuals of various races, ages, genders, financial statuses or economic levels, household types, employment statutes and educational levels. Additionally, the McLennan County community population is comprised of student demographics and professional staff profile of organizations.

# data[].attributes.subject
Demographic Analysis: The McLennan County population consists of individuals of various races, ages, genders, financial statuses or economic levels, household types, employment statutes and educational levels. Additionally, the McLennan County community population is comprised of student demographics and professional staff profile of organizations.

# data[].attributes.body
Population by Race:

The McLennan population totals 271, 356 people. The ethnic makeup of population consists of 47% White; 27% Hispanic origin and 15% Black, less than 2% Asian and less than 1% American Indian and less than 1% of individual of the Pacific Islander race. Individuals of two or more races comprise 12% of the population. (Heart of Texas, 2024; U.S. Census Bureau, n.d.; Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, n.d.)

Population by Age

Most of the population or about 74% of individuals are aged 18 or older; Whereas only about 25% of the population are aged 18 or younger and the individuals aged 18+ are a minority and only comprise less than 1% of the total population.  The median age is 36 (Heart of Texas, 2024; U.S. Census Bureau, n.d.).

Population by Gender

There are slightly more female than males in the McLennan County population. 50.9% of the McLennan County population is comprised of females, whereas 49.1% is comprised of males (Heart of Texas, 2024; U.S. Census Bureau, n.d.).

Household Incomes

The median household income in McLennan County is $66,516.00 and the average household income is $92,679.00. It is estimated that about 17% of the McLennan County Community are economically disadvantaged and live in poverty (Heart of Texas, 2024; U.S. Census Bureau, n.d.).

Singe Parent Household Percentages

The percentage of single parent households in McLennan County is 33%. (FRED, 2024).

Unemployment Rate

As of March of 2025, the unemployment rate in McLennan County is 3.9 %. (FRED, 2025).

Educational Attainment Levels for entire McLennan County Population

All in all, the McLennan County community has 20 Public School Systems and 11 Private Schools.

High School Graduate or Equivalent: 27.0%

Some College No Degree: 20.4%

Associate’s Degree: 11.9%

Bachelor’s Degree: 15.7%

Graduate or Professional Degree: 9.0%

(Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, n.d.)

Educational Attainment Levels for individuals aged 25 years or older

88% of McLennan County residents aged 25 years or older have a high school education, 11% have an associates degree; 18% have a bachelor’s degree and 11% have graduate degree. Less than 4% of McLennan residents aged 25 years or older have an educational attainment level of 9th grade or lower (Heart of Texas, 2024; U.S. Census Bureau, n.d.).

Student demographics of McLennan County Largest ISD, WISD

Waco ISD student population consists of 14,066 total students; 60% percent are Hispanic, 28% are African American, 8 percent are white and both Asian and American Indian students comprise less than 1 percent of the Waco ISD student population (Texas Tribune, n.d.)

Student demographics for McLennan County Community Colleges / Universities Graduates

McLennan County has three large educational institutions, including McLennan Community College, Baylor University and TSTC. Most students graduating from Universities in McLennan County, TX are White (58.1%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (20.8%), Black or African American comprise only 7.26%, and individuals of two or more races comprise 4.78% of students graduating from Universities in McLennan County.  53.7% of college enrollees were women and

# data[].attributes.headline
Professional Staff Profile of McLennan County Organization 

# data[].attributes.subject
Professional Staff Profile of McLennan County Organization 

# data[].attributes.body
McLennan County also has a diverse and skilled workforce who provide essential services to County residents and who collectively support the County’s mission to provide a high quality of life for residents. Furthermore, the McLennan County organization consists of individuals of various ages (but all are aged 18 years or older), both male and female genders as well as various races, socioeconomic statutes and educational levels. Based upon my observation, many of the job positions at McLennan Conty still only require a high school education and do not require more advanced degrees such as a bachelor’s or master’s degrees. Most of the McLennan County workforces reside in the County and therefore, the County’s staff profile reflects the overall demographics in the region.

# data[].attributes.body
McLennan County’s budget is mostly funded by the taxpayers within their jurisdiction; Other primary sources of funding include local sales tax and fees and fines collected by county employees as part of their official duties (What You Should Know, n.d.). Therefore, the McLennan County community and organization heavily rely upon the tax dollars from County residents, local businesses and tourists to support both the economy and business operations. The County’s local business consists of both small and large businesses that impact stakeholders, the community and the McLennan County organization.

Major businesses in the Waco-McLennan County area are manufacturing and food and beverage production and include companies such as Alco Fastening Systems, Allergan, Cargill Foods, H.E.B. Stores, L-3 Integrated Systems, Mars Chocolate North America, Pilgrim’s Pride and Sanderson Farms. McLennan County’s top three S&P 500 companies, Wal-Mart (611.2 B), Amazon (513.9 B) and Exxon Mobile (43.6 B) are high-grossing companies that greatly contribute to the tax revenues that the McLennan County organization collects to fund their organizational operations. Other top grossing S&P 500 Fortune companies within the County include CVS Health, Chevron, Phillips 66, JP Morgan Chase and Verizon among many others. Other businesses that help fund the McLennan County organization consist of Coca-Cola, Dollar General, Northwestern Mutual, D.R. Horton, Starbucks, Uber Technologies, Dollar Tree, Dr. Pepper and Chipotle Mexican Grill. These businesses greatly support the McLennan County organization and community by providing ample jobs to community members and generating tax revenues to support the mission of the County. The health care industry is also integral to the success of the McLennan County organization and community and major healthcare businesses consist of Ascension Providence and Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest Hospital (Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, n.d.; Waco Economic, 2025). Additionally, McLennan County is home to a host of businesses that draw tourists from around the world and provide essential funding that supports the mission of the County including, Magnolia Market, Dr. Pepper Museum, Cameron Park Zoo, Waco Mammoth National Monument and Texas Ranger Hall of Fame (City of Waco, n.d.; Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, n.d.). McLennan County businesses are diverse and range across many sectors; While the food and beverage and manufacturing industries are major source of funding for the County, all businesses in the County play an integral part in comprising the McLennan County economy and contributing to the essential tax revenues that allow the County to fulfill its operations and obligations to residents.

# data[].attributes.body
The McLennan County stakeholders consist of internal stakeholders such as Elected Officials, the County Judge and Road and Bridge Commissioners, and all other County officials and employees. Additionally, external stakeholders consist of County residents, community members as well as the organizations, educational institutions, business and non-profits within McLennan County. All these individuals and entities directly or indirectly depend upon the success of McLennan County organization and community to maintain their livelihoods and operate their businesses or institutions.

# data[].attributes.body
Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce

The Greater Waco Chamber’s of Commerce recruits companies interested in relocation to the McLennan County area, provides information and assistance to companies preparing to these companies. The Chamber works with many partners to help existing businesses in the Waco-McLennan County area to overcome challenges that prevent them from excelling in the region. The Chamber’s major economic development activities consist of providing new jobs and new capital investments to the Waco-McLennan area to strengthen the economy. On their website, the Chamber provides market data and information available to companies looking at relocation to the Waco-McClennan County area and career and scholarship opportunities for McLennan County residents and (Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, n.d.) Although, the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce primarily serves incoming businesses, their work benefits the greater Waco-McLennan County Community by bringing businesses to the Couty that provide jobs to community members, growing the economy and boosting tax revenues to support the McLennan County organization.

The Waco Family Medicine Foundation (WFM)

WFM was established to address the shortage of doctors, lack of primary care access for low-income community members, and economic development issues in Waco. The center was developed from a coalition of business, political, and medical leaders collaborating to solve these community problems in the McLennan County area. WFM trains many family physicians within the McLennan County area (Waco Family Medicine, 2025).

Methodist Children's Home

The Methodist Children’s Home serves children, youth and families through residential programs on the Waco campus and MCH Boys Ranch. Furthermore, the Methodist Children’s Home offers transition services, foster care and a variety of community based programs throughout Texas and New Mexico to their targeted population. Additionally, the Methodist Children’s home is a Christian Based non-profit whose mission is to help children and families thrive by offering hope through Christ-centered relationships, services and support (Methodist’s Children Home, 2023).

Communities in Schools of the Heart of Texas

Communities in Schools serves students and families in the Waco community. The organization is the nation’s largest dropout prevention organization, serves 1.5 million at-risk youth annually and the Communities in Schools of the Heart of Texas serves more than 4,000 at risk youth across many of school districts in the region (Communities in Schools, n.d.).

Animal Birth Control Clinic

The Animal Birth Control (ABC) Clinic serves the McLennan County residents and provides access to affordable spay/neuter and preventative veterinary care. The ABC clinic works to ensure that the health and safety of the McLennan County community is improved while enriching the lives of cats, dogs and their families (ABC Mission, n.d.).

Waco Habitat for Humanity

Waco Habitat for Humanity serves families in need of affordable housing through their Homeownership Program, provides financial literacy information to members of the community, aids elderly and disabled individuals by working with them to design and build a ramp that fits their homes through the Ramp Program, recycles and building materials through their Restore program (Waco Habitat, 2024).

Friends for Life

Friends for Life is a charity that was founded to improve the quality of life for seniors and people with disabilities, particularly those without family to care for them. Friends for Life offers programs such as Adult Day Care, Money Management, Guardianship, Life Skills, Independent Living, Quality of Life, Children and Youth with Special HealthCare Needs (CYSHCN) and the Tool Shed. The programs provided by Friend for life support systems and services that empower seniors and people with disabilities to live their best lives as independently as possible (Friends for Life, 2025).

Family Abuse Center

The Family Abuse Center serves victims of domestic abuse and violence in the McLennan County area and exist to eliminate domestic violence in Central Texas by sheltering victims and preventing abuse from occurring through intervention and education (Family Abuse Center, n.d.).

Keep Waco Beautiful

Keep Waco Beautiful exist to ensure that public spaces in Waco are clean, vibrant, and serve as attractions to keep the McLennan County-Waco area economy strong. Notable areas in McLennan County that Keep Waco Beautiful has helped transform into economic and cultural assets include Miss Nellie’s Pretty Place, the Suspension Bridge, Heritage Square and Indian Spring Park. Furthermore, the organizations’ beautification efforts exist to drive pride, tourism, and revitalization across our city. Therefore, Keep Waco Beautiful serves both McLennan County residents, tourists and visitors to the region (Keep Waco Beautiful, n.d.)

Greater Waco Sports Commission

The Greater Waco Sports Commission is an independent non-profit organization that serves the Waco-McLennan County area by identifying and attracts new sports events, retaining and enhancing existing events, and helping the Waco-McLennan County area to generate positive economic impact that enhance the quality of life in McLennan County. The organization hopes to maximize the region’s incredible potential including the community spirit, location, climate, rivers and lake, beautiful parks, and premiere facilities and demonstrate to the region and beyond that the Waco-McLennan County area is the perfect venue for sports in Texas (Greater Worker Sports, 2025).

McLennan County has a wealth of non-profit organizations within their community to meet the diverse needs of the McLennan County population. These services encompass the many needs of the County and provide resources to meet the mental, emotional, physical and financial needs of residents and assist the McLennan County organization in meeting their obligation to county residents. Moreover, each of these organizations plays an integral role in maintaining and improving the well-being and health of McLennan County community members and collectively enrich McLennan community.

# data[].attributes.body
There are several sources of media that impact the McLennan County organization and stakeholders. These media outlets represent one of the Organization’s departments, report on McLennan County news and provide valuable information regarding the McLennan County organizations to its stakeholders. Additionally, these media outlets allow county officials to have interface with community members.

Newspaper and online news website:

Waco Tribune Hearld:

https://wacotrib.com/

Television:

25 KWTX Central Texas News:

https://www.kxxv.com/

Radio Stations:

Waco100:

https://waco100.iheart.com/

97.5 FM:

https://975online.iheart.com/

School Websites

McLennan Community College:

https://www.mclennan.edu/

Waco Independent School District:

https://www.wacoisd.org/

Social Media Accounts:

Waco-McLennan County Public Health District Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/wacohealthdistrict/

McLennan County Sheriff’s Office Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/McLennanCountySheriff/

# data[].attributes.body
References:

Animal Birth Control: Mission & Core Values . (n.d.). The Animal Birth Control Clinic: The Heart of the Issue. https://www.animalbirthcontrol.org/mission

City of Waco Attractions. (n.d.). https://www.waco-texas.com/About-Waco/City-of-Waco-Attractions

Communities in schools of the heart of Texas. (n.d.). Communities in Schools of the Heart of Texas. https://www.cishot.org/

Family Abuse Center. (n.d.). Family Abuse Center. Family Abuse Center - Waco, Texas.

https://www.familyabusecenter.org/

FRED Economic Data (2025). Unemployment rate in McLennan County, TX.  Retrieved form https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/TXMCLE9URN

FRED Economic Data (2024). Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children (5-year estimate) in McLennan County, TX. Retrieved from: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/S1101SPHOUSE048309

Friends for Life. (2025). Friends for Life. https://friendsforlife.org/

Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce (2024). Chamber Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce. https://wacochamber.com/chamber/

Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce (n.d.) At a Glance: Waco Economic Development Corporation.. https://wacoeconomicdevelopment.com/data/at-a-glance

Greater Waco Sports Commission (2025). Greater Waco Sports Commission. https://wacosports.org/

Keep Waco beautiful. (n.d.). Keep Waco Beautiful. https://www.keepwacobeautiful.org/

McLennan County has the Pulse of Economic Growth in the Heart of Texas (2024). Heart of Texas Council of Governments: McLennan County. Retrieved from https://www.hotcog.org/hotedd/heart-of-texas-economic-development-district-information/regional-profile/p/v/data/item/960/mclennan-county

McLennan County, TX | Data USA. (n.d.). Data USA. Retried from https://datausa.io/profile/geo/mclennan-county

Methodist Children's Home. (2023). Who We Are. Methodist Children’s Home. https://www.mch.org/about/

The Texas Tribute (n.d.). Waco ISD. Retrieved from https://schools.texastribune.org/districts/waco-isd

Obesity Action Coalition. (2024). Why the OAC Exists - Obesity Action Coalition. https://www.obesityaction.org/about/purpose/who-we-are/

United States Census Bureau QuickFacts. (n.d.). U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: McLennan County, Texas. Census Bureau QuickFacts.

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/mclennancountytexas/PST045224#PST045224

What You Should Know (n.d.) https://www.mclennan.gov/1058/What-You-Should-Know

SWOT Analysis for Heart of Texas. (n.d.). https://www.hotcog.org/hotedd/ceds/swot-analysis

Waco Economic Development (2025). Texas EDC. https://businessintexas.com/texas-regions/central-texas/waco/

Waco Family Medicine. (2025). About us: Federally qualified health center • residency programs • https://wacofamilymedicine.org/about-us/

Waco Habitat for Humanity. (2024, September 17). ReStore - Waco Habitat for Humanity. https://wacohabitat.org/restore/

# data[].attributes.body
Definition of Community Needs Assessment; Significance of Community Needs Assessment and Resources

A community needs assessment is a tool that change agents can use to identify community needs or gaps between the status quo and what should be. Community needs assess needs related to a particular group or community that do not usually encompass universal or individual needs and can these needs can be either concrete or abstract; For instance, a community needs assessment inquire about the concerns of a particular community group; These concerns may include pollution, littering, vandalism or racial conflict or community cohesiveness. Change agents can use community needs assessments to analyze community problems that arise from community needs and identify solutions and a plan for improvement. Community problems pose a threat to community well-being, therefore, addressing community needs and resolving systematic issues is integral to community health. Furthermore, community needs assessments provide valuable information and enable change agents to address community problems and improve their communities in a logical and efficient manner  (Community Toolbox, n.d.). Community needs assessments are a valuable tool, have the potential to highlight a range of issues within communities and mitigate or eliminate threats to community wellbeing.

Why Community Needs Assessment are Advantageous

Community Needs assessments have a clear advantage over human observation and experiences. Needs assessment allow change agents to gather detailed information from a larger and more representative group one could gauge from observation alone; Get more honest and objective responses than what individuals may feel comfortable giving publicly; Expose unforeseen community needs; Document community needs for other purposes; and Help change agents prioritize and remain focused community input regarding their needs.  Additionally, communities are more likely to support change efforts that prioritize and incorporate community participation and needs survey motivate community members to engage in the subsequent action itself (Community Toolbox, n.d.).  It is apparent that community needs assessments are far more advantageous than human observation and experiences and have the potential to expose latent community issues, garner community support and spur further change efforts. Furthermore, the many benefits of community need assessments as well as their ability to make change efforts more effective indicate that community needs assessments are an essential tool that all change agents should understand and use to improve their communities.

Community Resources and Assets

In addition to assessing community deficits or needs, change agents should focus on the strengths of a community and identify community resources or assets. Community resources or assets consist of individuals, organizations, institutions, buildings, landscapes, equipment or anything that can be utilized to enhance the quality of life for community members.  Change agents can utilize community resources and assets to improve the quality of life for residents and boost community well-being;(Community Toolbox, n.d.; Community Planning for Health, 2024). Therefore, community resources play an integral role in addressing the needs identified by community needs assessments and are essential to mitigate and solve community problems.

Community Tool Box. (n.d.). Community Tool Box. https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents

Community Planning for health Assessment: CHA & CHIP. (2024). Public Health Professionals Gateway. https://www.cdc.gov/public-health-gateway/php/public-health-strategy/public-health-strategies-for-community-health-assessment-health-improvement-planning.html

# data[].attributes.headline
Gaps, Critical Issues, Partnerships and Report 

# data[].attributes.subject
Gaps, Critical Issues, Partnerships and Report 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Gaps Critical Issues and Partnerships Report Gowan-Perkins

# data[].attributes.headline
Module 5:  Gaps, Critical Issues, Partnerships: Articles and References

# data[].attributes.subject
Module 5:  Gaps, Critical Issues, Partnerships: Articles and References

# data[].attributes.body
References:

Bridge2Health Program. (2022). Act Locally Waco. https://actlocallywaco.org/2022/01/20/bridge2health-program/

CDC: Childhood Obesity is a Complex Health Issue. (2022). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/basics/consequences.html

Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). (2023). https://www.waco-texas.com/Departments/Health-District/CHNA

Hankin, A. (2023). The downside of low unemployment. Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/insights/downside-low-unemployment/#:~:text=The%20level%20at%20which%20unemployment,to%20or%20at%20full%20capacity.

McLennan County - Texas Community health News. (n.d.). https://www.texascommunityhealthnews.org/counties/mclennan/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20CDC%2FATSDR,the%20county%20is%20socioeconomic%20factors.

Posson, A. (2024). The Texas Workforce is Resilient and Undervalued. Every Texan. https://everytexan.org/2024/08/12/the-texas-workforce-is-resilient-and-undervalued/

Poverty and Health - The Family Medicine Perspective: Position Paper. (n.d.). AAFP. https://www.aafp.org

Poverty Area Measures - Background and Uses. (n.d.). Economic Research Service: U.S. Department of Agriculture. https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/poverty-area-measures/background-and-uses#:~:text=%22High%20poverty%22%20is%20defined%20as,Official%20Poverty%20Measure%20(OPM).

SWOT Analysis for Heart of Texas. (n.d.). https://www.hotcog.org/hotedd/ceds/swot-analysi

What You Should Know (n.d.). McLennan County. Retried from https://www.mclennan.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8464/Slideshow-Text_What-You-Should-Know

United States Census Bureau. (2023). U.S. Census Bureau: McLennan County, Texas. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/mclennancountytexas/PST045224#PST045224