Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,441 km² (556 mi²). 1,424 km² (550 mi²) of it is land and 17 km² (6 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.17% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 169,871 people, 68,920 households, and 44,660 families residing in the county. The population density is 119/km² (309/mi²). There are 73,768 housing units at an average density of 52/km² (134/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 82.89% White, 9.03% Black or African American, 1.17% Native American, 0.95% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.20% from other races, and 2.72% from two or more races. 7.26% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 68,920 households out of which 30.70% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.60% are married couples living together, 11.60% have a female householder with no husband present, and 35.20% are non-families. 29.80% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.00% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.39 and the average family size is 2.98.
In the county the population is spread out with 25.30% under the age of 18, 8.80% from 18 to 24, 28.40% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 13.70% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 93.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $40,988, and the median income for a family is $51,464. Males have a median income of $35,586 versus $26,491 for females. The per capita income for the county is $20,904. 9.60% of the population and 6.30% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 12.30% are under the age of 18 and 7.10% are 65 or older.