Gulf County, Florida

Gulf County is a county located in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population is 13,332. Its county seat is Port St. Joe, Florida ⁶.

History

Gulf County was created in 1925. It was named for the Gulf of Mexico. Its county seat, Port Saint Joe, then called Saint Joseph, was the site of Florida's first Constitutional Convention in 1838.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,928 km² (745 mi²). 1,436 km² (555 mi²) of it is land and 492 km² (190 mi²) of it (25.52%) is water.

Adjacent Counties

Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 13,332 people, 4,931 households, and 3,535 families residing in the county. The population density was 9/km² (24/mi²). There were 7,587 housing units at an average density of 5/km² (14/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 79.89% White, 16.94% Black or African American, 0.65% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races, and 1.55% from two or more races. 2.03% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,931 households out of which 28.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.50% were married couples living together, 11.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.30% were non-families. 25.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the county the population was spread out with 21.70% under the age of 18, 6.80% from 18 to 24, 29.40% from 25 to 44, 26.00% from 45 to 64, and 16.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 114.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 116.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,276, and the median income for a family was $36,289. Males had a median income of $27,539 versus $20,780 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,449. About 13.70% of families and 16.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.80% of those under age 18 and 14.10% of those age 65 or over.