The county had its peak of population in 1950.
2020 census As of the
2020 census, the county had a population of 22,650. The median age was 44.5 years. 21.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.9 males age 18 and over. The racial makeup of the county was 53.8%
White, 39.3%
Black or African American, 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
Asian, <0.1%
Native Hawaiian and
Pacific Islander, 1.0% from some other race, and 5.0% from
two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.3% of the population. There were 9,944 households in the county, of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 39.4% were married-couple households, 21.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. there were 28,790 people, 11,613 households, and 8,071 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 13,450 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 59.74%
White, 38.64%
Black or
African American, 0.25%
Native American, 0.24%
Asian, 0.03%
Pacific Islander, 0.26% from
other races, and 0.83% from two or more races. 0.73% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. There were 11,613 households, out of which 30.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.00% were married couples living together, 15.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.50% were non-families. 28.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.99. In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.90% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 25.60% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 16.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.00 males. The median income for a household in the county was $29,341, and the median income for a family was $35,736. Males had a median income of $30,976 versus $18,800 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $15,118. About 16.10% of families and 19.50% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 26.20% of those under age 18 and 18.60% of those age 65 or over. ==Government==