2020 census As of the
2020 census, the county had a population of 16,525, a population density of , and 89.34% of residents reported being of one race. There were 6,855 housing units, of which 6,255 were occupied. The median age was 37.8 years, with 26.8% of residents under the age of 18 and 18.0% of residents 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 102.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 102.4 males age 18 and over. 49.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 50.7% lived in rural areas. There were 6,255 households in the county, of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.9% were married-couple households, 19.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
2000 census As of the
2000 census, there were 16,942 people, 6,441 households, and 4,489 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 6,958 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 93.10%
White, 0.76%
Black or
African American, 0.28%
Native American, 0.49%
Asian, 0.01%
Pacific Islander, 4.59% from
other races, and 0.77% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 8.75% of the population. There were 6,441 households, out of which 31.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.50% were
married couples living together, 7.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.30% were non-families. 26.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.03. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.50% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 25.70% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 17.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 100.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.80 males. The median income for a household in the county was $33,922, and the median income for a family was $40,231. Males had a median income of $28,696 versus $19,798 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $15,851. About 6.90% of families and 11.10% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 12.70% of those under age 18 and 5.60% of those age 65 or over. ==Communities==