2020 census As of the
2020 census, the county had a population of 314,176. The median age was 45.4 years. 19.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.6 males age 18 and over. The racial makeup of the county was 90.9% White, 0.7%
Black or African American, 0.1%
American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.0%
Asian, 0.0%
Native Hawaiian and
Pacific Islander, 1.2% from some other race, and 4.9% from
two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.3% of the population. 71.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 29.0% lived in rural areas. There were 125,787 households in the county, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 21.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The population density was . There were 126,709 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.5% white, 1.7% Asian, 0.7% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.1% of the population. Of the 115,033 households, 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.6% were non-families, and 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.03. The median age was 42.2 years.
2000 census As of the
census of 2000, there were 277,359 people, 104,529 households, and 74,320 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 113,023 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.80%
White, 0.58%
Black or
African American, 0.18%
Native American, 1.11%
Asian, 0.04%
Pacific Islander, 0.38% from
other races, and 0.92% from two or more races. 1.19% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. 18.1% were of
Irish, 14.6%
English, 11.8%
Italian, 10.5%
French, 8.0%
French Canadian, 6.0%
German and 5.6%
American ancestry. 94.3% spoke
English, 1.8%
French and 1.3%
Spanish as their first language. There were 104,529 households, out of which 35.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.50% were
married couples living together, 8.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.90% were non-families. 22.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.11. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.40% under the age of 18, 6.20% from 18 to 24, 32.80% from 25 to 44, 24.40% from 45 to 64, and 10.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $58,150, and the median income for a family was $66,345. (These figures had risen to $72,600 and $85,361 respectively, as of a 2007 estimate.) Males had a median income of $45,598 versus $30,741 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $26,656. About 3.10% of families and 4.50% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 5.00% of those under age 18 and 6.40% of those age 65 or over. ==Politics and government==