2020 census As of the
2020 census, the county had a population of 59,664. Of the residents, 20.2% were under the age of 18 and 22.1% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 44.0 years. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.1 males. The racial makeup of the county was 88.1% White, 6.2%
Black or African American, 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
Asian, 0.4% from some other race, and 4.4% from
two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.2% of the population. The population density was . There were 30,115 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 91.6% white, 6.1% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.8% of the population. Of the 26,603 households, 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.9% were non-families, and 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.83. The median age was 42.5 years.
2000 census As of the
census of 2000, there were 62,980 people, 26,509 households, and 17,946 families living in the county. The
population density was . There were 30,143 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 92.56%
White, 5.82%
Black or
African American, 0.19%
Native American, 0.46%
Asian, 0.01%
Pacific Islander, 0.10% from
other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. 0.45% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. There were 26,509 households, out of which 26.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.00% were
married couples living together, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.30% were non-families. 28.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.85. In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.10% under the age of 18, 9.80% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 25.50% from 45 to 64, and 17.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $26,628, and the median income for a family was $33,524. Males had a median income of $29,243 versus $19,013 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $15,564. About 14.70% of families and 19.70% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 28.90% of those under age 18 and 12.70% of those age 65 or over. The county is part of the
Bluefield, WV-
VA micropolitan area. ==Politics==