Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 403 km² (156 mi²). 392 km² (151 mi²) of it is land and 11 km² (4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.76% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 157,882 people, 59,700 households, and 39,163 families residing in the county. The population density is 403/km² (1,043/mi²). There are 65,892 housing units at an average density of 168/km² (435/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 58.18% White, 28.33% Black or African American, 0.74% Native American, 1.63% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 8.17% from other races, and 2.91% from two or more races. 16.00% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 59,700 households out of which 32.60% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.10% are married couples living together, 17.80% have a female householder with no husband present, and 34.40% are non-families. 28.90% 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 2.62 and the average family size is 3.24.
In the county the population is spread out with 28.50% under the age of 18, 10.40% from 18 to 24, 29.50% from 25 to 44, 19.90% from 45 to 64, and 11.70% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there are 95.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $33,784, and the median income for a family is $40,333. Males have a median income of $31,335 versus $24,640 for females. The per capita income for the county is $16,005. 16.50% of the population and 12.50% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 23.00% are under the age of 18 and 11.10% are 65 or older.