History
Trinity County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Parts of the county were given to Klamath County in 1852 and to Humboldt County in 1853. Klamath County ceased to exist in 1876.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 8,307 km² (3,208 mi²). 8,233 km² (3,179 mi²) of it is land and 75 km² (29 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.90% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 13,022 people, 5,587 households, and 3,625 families residing in the county. The population density is 2/km² (4/mi²). There are 7,980 housing units at an average density of 1/km² (2/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 88.87% White, 0.45% Black or African American, 4.85% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.88% from other races, and 4.38% from two or more races. 3.97% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 5,587 households out of which 25.40% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.50% are married couples living together, 10.10% have a female householder with no husband present, and 35.10% are non-families. 29.50% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.10% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.29 and the average family size is 2.80.
In the county the population is spread out with 22.80% under the age of 18, 5.10% from 18 to 24, 22.70% from 25 to 44, 32.10% from 45 to 64, and 17.20% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 45 years. For every 100 females there are 104.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 102.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $27,711, and the median income for a family is $34,343. Males have a median income of $31,131 versus $24,271 for females. The per capita income for the county is $16,868. 18.70% of the population and 14.10% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 26.20% are under the age of 18 and 7.20% are 65 or older.