Racial and ethnic composition 2020 census As of the
2020 census, the county had a population of 18,862, and the median age was 44.6 years. 21.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.6 males age 18 and over. The census also counted 5,132 families in the county. 1.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 98.6% lived in rural areas. There were 7,549 households in the county, of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 27.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 9,267 housing units, of which 18.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 75.2% were owner-occupied and 24.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.7%. The population density was . The 9,289 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 61.1% White, 26.3% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 0.2% Asian, 10.3% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 14.4% of the population. Of the 7,527 households, 32.5% had children under 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.4% were not families, and 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.05. The median age was 39.6 years.
2000 census At the
2000 census, 19,181 people, 7,127 households, and 5,295 families lived in the county. The
population density was . The 8,543 housing units had an average density of . The
racial makeup of the county was 65.80% White, 29.99% Black or African American, 0.23%
Native American, 0.04% Asian, 3.30% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. About 7.30% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 7,127 households, 31.8% had children under 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were not families. About 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.07. In the county, the age distribution was 24.9% under 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 14.50% who were 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.60 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 95.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $35,774, and for a family was $41,603. Males had a median income of $29,221 versus $21,395 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $16,328. About 12.00% of families and 15.60% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 21.4% of those under 18 and 16.3% of those 65 or over. ==Law and government==