Baxter County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2000, the population is 38,386. The county seat is Mountain Home.
Baxter County was formed on 24 March 1873 and was named for Elisha Baxter, 10th governor of Arkanss.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,520 km² (587 mi²). 1,436 km² (554 mi²) of it is land and 84 km² (32 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 5.52% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 38,386 people, 17,052 households, and 11,799 families residing in the county. The population density is 27/km² (69/mi²). There are 19,891 housing units at an average density of 14/km² (36/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 97.81% White, 0.11% Black or African American, 0.52% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. 1.00% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 17,052 households out of which 22.00% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.00% are married couples living together, 7.70% have a female householder with no husband present, and 30.80% are non-families. 27.50% of all households are made up of individuals and 15.10% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.21 and the average family size is 2.65.
In the county the population is spread out with 19.00% under the age of 18, 5.80% from 18 to 24, 21.10% from 25 to 44, 27.40% from 45 to 64, and 26.80% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 48 years. For every 100 females there are 92.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $29,106, and the median income for a family is $34,578. Males have a median income of $25,976 versus $18,923 for females. The per capita income for the county is $16,859. 11.10% of the population and 7.90% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 14.70% are under the age of 18 and 8.90% are 65 or older.