Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,497 km² (578 mi²). 1,481 km² (572 mi²) of it is land and 16 km² (6 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.08% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 16,997 people, 6,739 households, and 4,683 families residing in the county. The population density is 11/km² (30/mi²). There are 7,461 housing units at an average density of 5/km² (13/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 94.90% White, 0.87% Black or African American, 0.98% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.05% from other races, and 1.86% from two or more races. 2.91% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 6,739 households out of which 31.50% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.40% are married couples living together, 8.50% have a female householder with no husband present, and 30.50% are non-families. 27.10% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.80% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.45 and the average family size is 2.96.
In the county the population is spread out with 25.70% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 25.40% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 17.50% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 93.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $32,167, and the median income for a family is $38,532. Males have a median income of $26,906 versus $19,387 for females. The per capita income for the county is $16,539. 13.00% of the population and 10.00% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 17.60% are under the age of 18 and 10.60% are 65 or older.