Racial and ethnic composition 2020 census As of the
2020 census, the population was 163,687 and the median age was 40.3 years. 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.1 males age 18 and over. The population density was , and there were 70,068 housing units at an average density of . 80.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 20.0% lived in rural areas. There were 65,937 households in the county, of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.1% were married-couple households, 18.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
2000 census As of the
2000 census, there were 152,307 people, 58,617 households, and 40,387 families residing in the county. The
population density was . There were 62,187 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 91.01%
white, 4.63%
black or
African American, 0.28%
Native American, 0.78%
Asian, 0.04%
Pacific Islander, 1.77% from
other races, and 1.50% from two or more races. 3.91% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. 32.8% were of
German, 13.0%
Norwegian, 10.1%
Irish, 7.5%
English and 5.5%
American ancestry. There were 58,617 households, out of which 33.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.50% were
married couples living together, 10.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.10% were non-families. 25.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.03. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.50% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 29.80% from 25 to 44, 22.30% from 45 to 64, and 12.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.10 males. ==Communities==