Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 955 km² (369 mi²). 950 km² (367 mi²) of it is land and 5 km² (2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.54% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 26,067 people, 9,877 households, and 6,825 families residing in the county. The population density is 27/km² (71/mi²). There are 11,371 housing units at an average density of 12/km² (31/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 69.16% White, 24.15% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 5.34% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 8.86% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 9,877 households out of which 34.70% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.70% are married couples living together, 15.60% have a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% are non-families. 27.00% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.60% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.59 and the average family size is 3.13.
In the county the population is spread out with 28.60% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 27.80% from 25 to 44, 22.30% from 45 to 64, and 12.20% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 91.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $26,811, and the median income for a family is $34,478. Males have a median income of $26,988 versus $18,051 for females. The per capita income for the county is $14,252. 23.90% of the population and 17.80% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 33.80% are under the age of 18 and 18.30% are 65 or older.