2020 census As of the
2020 census, the county had a population of 24,604. Of the residents, 19.6% were under the age of 18 and 23.3% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 46.9 years. For every 100 females there were 97.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.1 males. The racial makeup of the county was 95.9% White, 0.2%
Black or African American, 0.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
Asian, 0.2% from some other race, and 3.2% from
two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 0.7% of the population. The population density was . There were 13,064 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.4% white, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.6% of the population. Of the 10,938 households, 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.6% were non-families, and 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.85. The median age was 43.3 years.
2000 census As of the
census of 2000, there were 26,562 people, 10,722 households, and 7,762 families living in the county. The
population density was . There were 12,406 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.84%
White, 0.05%
Black or
African American, 0.24%
Native American, 0.19%
Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander, 0.10% from
other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. 0.48% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. There were 10,722 households, out of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.70% were
married couples living together, 10.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.60% were non-families. 24.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.91. In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.30% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 26.00% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $26,974, and the median income for a family was $32,074. Males had a median income of $30,508 versus $17,964 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $15,207. About 15.00% of families and 19.20% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 25.40% of those under age 18 and 13.80% of those age 65 or over. ==Politics==