Manatee County, Florida

Manatee County is a county located in the state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 264,002. Its county seat is Bradenton, Florida ⁶.

Every January, the Manatee County Fair takes place on the fairgrounds.

History

Manatee County was created in 1855. It was named for the manatee or sea cow.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,312 km² (893 mi²). 1,919 km² (741 mi²) of it is land and 393 km² (152 mi²) of it (16.99%) is water.

Adjacent Counties

Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 264,002 people, 112,460 households, and 73,773 families residing in the county. The population density was 138/km² (356/mi²). There were 138,128 housing units at an average density of 72/km² (186/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 86.36% White, 8.19% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.90% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.84% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races. 9.30% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 112,460 households out of which 23.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.70% were married couples living together, 9.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.40% were non-families. 28.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.78.

In the county the population was spread out with 20.70% under the age of 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 24.60% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 24.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 93.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,673, and the median income for a family was $46,576. Males had a median income of $31,607 versus $25,007 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,388. About 7.10% of families and 10.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.30% of those under age 18 and 6.20% of those age 65 or over.