2020 census As of the
2020 census, the county had a population of 17,991. The median age was 43.8 years. 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.4 males age 18 and over. The racial makeup of the county was 93.0% White, 0.6%
Black or African American, 0.4%
American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
Asian, 0.0%
Native Hawaiian and
Pacific Islander, 2.0% from some other race, and 3.3% from
two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.3% of the population. There were 7,461 households in the county, of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 26.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 10,088 housing units, of which 26.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.8% were owner-occupied and 28.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.5%.
2000 census As of the
census of 2000, there were 16,315 people, 6,941 households, and 4,796 families residing in the county. The
population density was . There were 9,064 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.34%
White, 0.58%
Black or
African American, 0.12%
Native American, 0.14%
Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander, 0.21% from
other races, and 0.59% from two or more races. 0.86% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. There were 6,941 households, out of which 29.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.30% were
married couples living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% were non-families. 28.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.82. In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.50% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 25.90% from 45 to 64, and 16.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.00 males. The median income for a household in the county was $22,042, and the median income for a family was $27,803. Males had a median income of $24,193 versus $18,289 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $13,183. About 20.40% of families and 24.30% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 30.80% of those under age 18 and 27.30% of those age 65 or over. ==Politics==