2020 census As of the
2020 census, the county had a population of 28,473. The median age was 42.0 years. 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.5 males age 18 and over. The racial makeup of the county was 94.2% White, 1.3%
Black or African American, 0.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
Asian, 0.0%
Native Hawaiian and
Pacific Islander, 0.4% from some other race, and 3.0% from
two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 0.8% of the population. There were 11,481 households in the county, of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 30.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2000, there were 29,390 people, 11,460 households, and 8,491 families residing in the county. The
population density was . There were 12,741 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.34%
White, 1.64%
Black or
African American, 0.05%
Native American, 0.49%
Asian, 0.01%
Pacific Islander, 0.04% from
other races, and 0.43% from two or more races. 0.52% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. There were 11,460 households, out of which 34.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.70% were
married couples living together, 13.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.90% were non-families. 23.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.30% 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 2.98. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.40% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 30.70% from 25 to 44, 24.60% from 45 to 64, and 11.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $22,089, and the median income for a family was $26,718. Males had a median income of $31,702 versus $20,502 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $12,224. About 26.10% of families and 29.10% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 36.00% of those under age 18 and 20.60% of those age 65 or over.
Life expectancy Of 3,142 counties in the United States in 2013, Perry County ranked 3,140 (3rd-from-last) in the life expectancy of both male and female residents. Males in Perry County lived an average of 66.5 years and females lived an average of 73.1 years compared to the national average for longevity of 76.5 for males and 81.2 for females. Moreover, the average longevity in Perry County declined by 0.1 years for males and 2.4 years for females between 1985 and 2013 compared to a national average for the same period of an increased life span of 5.5 years for men and 3.1 years for women. The coal-mining industry, high rates of smoking and obesity and a low level of physical activity appear to be contributing factors to the lowered longevity for both sexes. ==Politics==