2020 census As of the
2020 census, the county had a population of 152,199. Of the residents, 18.2% were under the age of 18 and 19.7% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 42.0 years. For every 100 females there were 98.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.3 males. 42.9% of residents lived in urban areas and 57.1% lived in rural areas. The racial makeup of the county was 91.5% White, 1.0%
Black or African American, 0.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
Asian, 0.0%
Native Hawaiian and
Pacific Islander, 0.6% from some other race, and 4.7% from
two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.8% of the population. The population density was . There were 73,860 housing units at an average density of . The county's racial makeup was 95.4% white, 1.2% American Indian, 0.9% Asian, 0.8% black or African American, 0.2% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.1% of the population. Of the 62,966 households, 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.2% were non-families, and 28.0% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age was 39.9 years.
2000 census At the
2000 census there were 144,919 people, 58,096 households, and 37,820 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 66,847 housing units at an average density of . The county's racial makeup was 96.60% White, 0.49% Black or African American, 1.00% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. 0.61% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 17.8% were of
English, 17.3%
United States or American, 14.0%
French, 13.0%
Irish and 6.7%
French Canadian ancestry. 95.8% spoke
English and 2.3%
French as their first language. There were 58,096 households, of which 30.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.50% were married couples living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.90% were non-families. 26.70% of households were one person and 10.00% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.88. The age distribution was 22.80% under the age of 18, 11.30% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 13.10% 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.30 males. The median household income was $34,274 and the median family income was $42,206. Males had a median income of $32,824 versus $23,346 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,801. About 9.70% of families and 13.70% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 15.00% of those under age 18 and 11.10% of those age 65 or over. ==Politics==