2020 census As of the
2020 census, the county had a population of 35,237. Of the residents, 16.4% were under the age of 18 and 29.5% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 52.2 years. For every 100 females there were 96.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.8 males. 8.7% of residents lived in urban areas and 91.3% lived in rural areas. The racial makeup of the county was 94.3% White, 0.5%
Black or African American, 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
Asian, 0.0%
Native Hawaiian and
Pacific Islander, 0.4% from some other race, and 3.9% from
two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.1% of the population. The population density was . There were 23,493 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.6% white, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.1% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.8% of the population. Of the 15,149 households, 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.6% were non-families, and 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.72. The median age was 48.1 years.
2000 census As of the
2000 census, there were 14,158 households, and 9,542 families living in the county. The
population density was . There were 20,849 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.46%
White, 0.17%
Black or
African American, 0.26%
Native American, 0.37%
Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander, 0.10% from
other races, and 0.61% from two or more races. 0.46% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. 25.3% were of
English, 15.4%
United States or American, 11.2%
Irish, 9.0%
German and 7.3%
French ancestry. Most of those claiming to be of "American" ancestry are actually of English descent, but have family that has been in the country for so long, in many cases since the early seventeenth century that they choose to identify simply as "American". 97.7% spoke
English and 1.0%
French as their first language. There were 14,158 households, out of which 28.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.10% were
married couples living together, 7.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.60% were non-families. 26.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.82. In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.70% under the age of 18, 5.50% from 18 to 24, 25.60% from 25 to 44, 28.10% from 45 to 64, and 18.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 95.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.00 males. The median income for a household in the county was $38,686, and the median income for a family was $45,427. Males had a median income of $31,209 versus $23,161 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $20,760. About 6.60% of families and 10.10% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 12.80% of those under age 18 and 9.50% of those age 65 or over. ==Politics==