Okeechobee County, Florida

Okeechobee County, Florida
The Okeechobee County Judicial Center, in Okeechobee.

Seal

Location in the state of Florida

Florida's location in the U.S.
Founded 8 May 1917
Seat Okeechobee
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

891.57 sq mi (2,309 km²)
773.94 sq mi (2,004 km²)
117.63 sq mi (305 km²), 13.19%
Population
 - (2010)
 - Density

39,996
52/sq mi (19.95/km²)
Website www.co.okeechobee.fl.us

Okeechobee County is a county located in the state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 35,910. According to 2005 U.S. Census estimates, its population had grown to 39,836.[1] The county seat is Okeechobee, Florida[2]. The county comprises the Okeechobee, Florida Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Contents

History

Okeechobee County was created in 1917. It was named for the Lake Okeechobee, which was itself named for Hitchiti words oka (water) and chobi (big).

Historic buildings

Historic buildings in Okeechobee County include:

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 891.57 square miles (2,309.2 km2), of which 773.94 square miles (2,004.5 km2) (or 86.81%) is land and 117.63 square miles (304.7 km2) (or 13.19%) is water.[3]

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1920 2,132
1930 4,129 93.7%
1940 3,000 −27.3%
1950 3,454 15.1%
1960 6,424 86.0%
1970 11,233 74.9%
1980 20,264 80.4%
1990 29,627 46.2%
2000 35,910 21.2%
2010 39,996 11.4%
[4][5]

As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 35,910 people, 12,593 households, and 9,016 families residing in the county. The population density was 46 people per square mile (18/km²). There were 15,504 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 79.28% White, 7.92% Black or African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 9.56% from other races, and 1.99% from two or more races. 18.61% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

In 2005 68.5% of the county population was White non-Hispanic, 21.6% of the population was Latino, 8.0% was African-American and both Native Americans and Asians constituted 0.9% of the population.[7]

In 2000 there were 12,593 households out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.50% were married couples living together, 10.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.40% were non-families. 21.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.20% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 27.10% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 16.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 115.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,456, and the median income for a family was $35,163. Males had a median income of $25,574 versus $20,160 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,553. About 11.80% of families and 16.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.90% of those under age 18 and 10.30% of those age 65 or over.

Municipalities

Incorporated

1. City of Okeechobee

Unincorporated

See also

External links

Governmental

Non-governmental

References