2020 census As of the
2020 census, the county had a population of 47,110. The median age was 49.3 years, 19.5% of residents were under the age of 18, and 26.3% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.7 males age 18 and over. The racial makeup of the county was 91.1% White, 0.3%
Black or African American, 0.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
Asian, 0.1%
Native Hawaiian and
Pacific Islander, 1.1% from some other race, and 6.1% from
two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.2% of the population. 27.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 72.8% lived in rural areas. There were 19,619 households in the county, of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 20.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The population density was . There were 24,669 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.0% white, 0.8% American Indian, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.1% black or African American, 0.4% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.2% of the population. Of the 17,100 households, 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.2% were non-families, and 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age was 45.8 years.
2000 census As of the
census of 2000, there were 36,835 people, 14,693 households, and 10,270 families living in the county. The
population density was . There were 19,646 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.58%
White, 0.11%
Black or
African American, 0.87%
Native American, 0.27%
Asian, 0.05%
Pacific Islander, 0.42% from
other races, and 1.70% from two or more races. 1.64% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. 20.9% were of
German, 11.7%
English, 11.7%
American, 9.6%
Irish and 5.3%
Norwegian ancestry. There were 14,693 households, out of which 30.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.60% were
married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.10% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.94. In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.50% under the age of 18, 6.70% from 18 to 24, 25.40% from 25 to 44, 29.30% from 45 to 64, and 13.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 100.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $32,803, and the median income for a family was $37,930. Males had a median income of $32,504 versus $21,086 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $17,263. About 11.90% of families and 15.50% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 21.20% of those under age 18 and 10.20% of those age 65 or over. ==Politics==