2020 census As of the
2020 census, the county had a population of 24,988 and a population density of ; 97.01% of residents reported being of one race. The median age was 39.6 years. 23.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.2 males age 18 and over. 36.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 63.3% lived in rural areas. There were 9,646 households in the county, of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 58.0% were married-couple households, 15.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
2000 census As of the
census of 2000, there were 23,325 people, 8,860 households, and 6,326 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 9,337 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.22%
White, 0.48%
Black or
African American, 0.06%
Native American, 0.52%
Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander, 0.10% from
other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. 0.56% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. There were 8,860 households, out of which 32.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.50% were
married couples living together, 6.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.60% were non-families. 24.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.95. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.10% under the age of 18, 12.00% from 18 to 24, 23.90% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 16.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $40,826, and the median income for a family was $50,299. Males had a median income of $34,212 versus $22,250 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $19,199. About 2.90% of families and 5.10% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 4.20% of those under age 18 and 5.80% of those age 65 or over. ==Education==